Chapter 9 - Echoes from the PastFive years later.
The cliffside gardens of the Silva estate were alive with the sound of running footsteps and childish laughter.
A five-year-old boy with dark curls and sharp, intelligent eyes dashed across the manicured lawn, chasing a golden retriever, while Don Mateo chased close behind, pretending to roar like a monster.
“Got you!” Mateo laughed, scooping the little boy up into his arms and spinning him around as the boy squealed with delight.
Camila stood on the veranda, leaning against the wooden railing with a cup of hot coffee in her hand. She wore a simple, elegant emerald-green summer dress, the wind catching her hair. Her heart felt light, completely unburdened by the ghosts of her past.
Valeria walked up beside her, placing a tablet on the small patio table.
“The foundation reports are in, Camila. The new shelter in Guadalajara just opened its doors this morning. We’ve already helped over two hundred women rebuild their lives this year alone.”
Camila smiled warmly, looking out at the ocean. “That’s wonderful. Make sure they have everything they need for the winter expansion.”
Valeria nodded, then hesitated for a moment. “There’s... one more piece of news. Though I’m not sure you’ll care to hear it.”
Camila turned her head. “What is it?”
“It’s about your ex-husband,” Valeria said quietly. “He’s four years into his twenty-five-year sentence. The prison he’s in experienced a major riot last week. He lost two of his teeth, his right leg was permanently injured after a fight in the yard, and his family—his parents—have completely abandoned him. Raúl died of a stroke in a public ward last winter, and Rebeca is living in a rundown motel on the outskirts of the city, completely destitute.”
Camila listened in absolute silence. There was no surge of anger, no spark of satisfaction, no pity.
There was only the quiet realization of how small and insignificant their cruelty had ultimately become.
May you like
“Thank you for telling me, Valeria,” Camila said softly. Then she turned back toward the lawn, where her son was now showing his grandfather a smooth grey stone he had found by the cliff. “But please... don’t mention his name to me again. Some chapters aren’t worth finishing.”
Valeria smiled, sensing the profound peace in her voice. “As you wish, Camila.”
