Chapter 7 - The Sweet Taste of Justice
On the final Sunday of the month, Carmen stood in the living room of her Iztapalapa home.
The house was empty.
Doña Rosa had packed her few belongings and moved into a tiny, damp room rented to her by a distant cousin who took her in out of sheer pity. Leticia was currently residing in a holding cell, awaiting her transfer to a women’s correctional facility.
The walls of the house were bare. The ugly, stained couch was gone. The chaos, the screaming, the manipulation—all of it had vanished, leaving only a quiet, peaceful emptiness.
Carmen walked down the hallway to her father’s old study. She opened the window, letting the fresh afternoon breeze blow away the stagnant air of the past seven years.
She looked out over the rooftops of Iztapalapa. For the first time in her life, she didn't feel trapped. She didn't feel exhausted.
She had decided to sell the house.
With the proceeds of the sale, she would completely pay off the remaining fraction of the bank loan, clear her credit, and have more than enough money to buy a beautiful, modern apartment in a quiet neighborhood closer to the hospital.
Her phone buzzed. It was a text from David.
"The court just approved the final settlement. You are officially free of all liabilities, Carmen. It’s over. You won."
Carmen stared at the screen, a slow, beautiful smile spreading across her face.
May you like
She took a deep breath, feeling the air fill her lungs completely. The weight was gone. The chains were broken.
She walked out of the house, locking the heavy wooden door behind her one final time. She didn't look back. She had a new life to live, and for the first time, she was the author of her own story.
