Chapter 1
“If you throw away one more can, I'll file for custody of Mateo.”
Rodrigo shouted the words in the middle of the kitchen, his face burning with anger as he gripped a silver can tightly in his hands.
Daniela stood beside the trash can, her heart still pounding.
She had just emptied three cans of what was supposedly infant formula onto coffee grounds, eggshells, and soggy paper towels.
Mateo was four months old.
Healthy.
Energetic.
Strong.
Both his pediatrician at the IMSS and a private specialist agreed that his weight was perfectly normal.
Daniela breastfed him and only supplemented with formula when his doctor specifically recommended it.
But for her mother-in-law, Teresa Villaseñor...
Nothing was ever enough.
Teresa came from one of Zapopan's well-known wealthy families—the kind that mistook money for authority.
She arrived that morning without warning, wearing oversized sunglasses, high heels, and a perfume that filled the living room before her voice did.
She glanced at the baby sitting in his infant seat and frowned.
“He's far too skinny.
A Villaseñor boy shouldn't look like that.”
Daniela took a slow breath.
“The pediatrician says he's perfectly healthy.”
“Oh, please,” Teresa scoffed.
“Not everything is learned from TikTok or mommy groups.
I raised three children.
I know when a baby needs real nutrition.”
Rodrigo stood quietly beside the kitchen island.
As always whenever his mother appeared...
He said nothing.
He could argue endlessly with Daniela about diapers, utility bills, or dirty dishes.
But in front of Teresa...
He became a teenage boy waiting for his mother's approval all over again.
Then Teresa opened a large box.
Inside were six oversized silver cans decorated with gold lettering and covered by a Spanish-language label.
The front read:
"Alpenkrone Premium Infant Formula. Imported from Europe."
“I paid nearly 70,000 pesos for these,” Teresa boasted.
“This is what will finally help Mateo gain weight—and let everyone sleep through the night.”
Daniela noticed something strange.
One corner of the label had begun peeling away.
Beneath it...
She could make out bright red lettering printed directly onto the metal can.
“I'm not giving my son something I've never seen before.”
Teresa smiled without warmth.
“Don't be ridiculous.
My grandson deserves quality...
Not your insecurities.”
After Teresa left, Rodrigo picked up one of the cans and walked toward the baby bottles.
“I'll make him one.
Maybe he'll finally sleep through the night.”
Daniela snatched it from his hands.
She broke the seal...
Dumped the powder into the sink...
Then opened another.
And another.
Rodrigo exploded.
“You're unbelievable!
My mother spent a fortune on these!”
“Your mother didn't buy baby formula.”
“Oh, so now you're a chemist too?”
His voice rose even louder.
Then came the threat.
“If you throw away one more can...
I'm filing for custody of Mateo.”
A chill shot through Daniela's chest.
But she didn't back down.
She grabbed the fourth can and placed it directly in front of him.
“Before you defend her again...
Look carefully at the back.”
Rodrigo tore away the fake Spanish label with trembling fingers.
Hidden underneath was a bright red warning:
Veterinary Product
Not for Human Consumption
For Equine Use Only
Contains Sedative Compounds and Growth Stimulants
The color drained from his face.
“There... there has to be some mistake from the supplier,” he muttered.
Daniela looked him straight in the eyes.
“Then explain why your mother covered the warning with a fake label.”
At that exact moment...
Daniela's phone vibrated.
She answered and switched the call to speaker.
“Mrs. Márquez?”
A man's voice came through the line.
“This is the Jalisco State Prosecutor's Office.
We're outside Teresa Villaseñor's residence.”
In the background came loud pounding against a door...
Followed by Teresa's panicked scream:
“Don't go into the study!
Not in there!”
Daniela tightened her grip on the phone.
May you like
Because suddenly...
Those cans no longer seemed like the darkest secret this family was hiding.
