CHAPTER 4 — THE PERSON WHO WANTED JAVIER DEAD
The letter fell from Daniela’s hands.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
The words written by Javier seemed impossible to understand.
Impossible to accept.
"One of them helped create the cancer diagnosis that killed me."
Daniela stared at the paper.
Her mind refused to process it.
Cancer.
Three years of pain.
Three years of hospitals.
Three years of watching the man she loved slowly disappear.
And now…
Someone was saying it might not have been a natural battle.
Someone might have helped destroy him.
—No… —Daniela whispered.
Her voice broke.
—That’s impossible.
Adrian looked at her with sadness.
—I wish it was.
Mateo stepped closer.
—Mom, what does that mean?
Daniela immediately folded the letter.
She didn’t want her son to hear more.
Not now.
Not after everything he had already suffered.
But Mateo was sixteen.
He was no longer a child.
He had seen his father die.
He had been attacked hours after burying him.
And now he knew his family had been hiding secrets.
—Tell me the truth, Mom.
Daniela looked at him.
And for the first time that day…
She realized she could no longer protect her children by hiding reality.
She could only protect them by preparing them.
—Your father believed someone close to him betrayed him.
Mateo looked toward Rogelio and Beatriz.
His eyes filled with anger.
—Them?
Nobody answered.
Because nobody needed to.
Rogelio suddenly laughed.
But there was no confidence in it.
Only desperation.
—This is ridiculous.
He pointed at Adrian.
—A stranger appears, brings fake papers, fake recordings, and now you believe him?
Renata calmly replied:
—The evidence will be verified.
Rogelio looked at Daniela.
—You’re really going to believe outsiders over Javier’s own parents?
That sentence would have worked before.
Before today.
Before the slap.
Before the ring.
Before she saw their true faces.
Daniela slowly walked toward him.
—You keep saying "Javier’s parents."
Her voice was quiet.
But everyone heard it.
—But I was there when he was sick.
Rogelio stopped.
—I was there when he couldn’t sleep because the pain was unbearable.
She looked at Beatriz.
—I was there when he cried because he was afraid he wouldn’t see Sofía grow up.
Her eyes filled with tears.
—Where were you?
Neither answered.
Daniela continued:
—You weren’t there when your son needed you.
She looked at the ring Beatriz had taken.
—But you were here today.
A pause.
—The day after his funeral.
—To take everything.
The police officer received a phone notification.
He checked it.
Then looked at Renata.
—Attorney Lozano.
She turned.
—Yes?
—The laboratory has confirmed they can review the medical records immediately.
Daniela’s heart stopped.
Medical records.
The cancer.
The illness that took Javier away.
Could it really have been manipulated?
Two hours later, they were sitting in Renata’s office.
The rain outside matched the mood inside.
Daniela sat between Mateo and Sofía.
Adrian sat across from them.
And for the first time, Daniela noticed something.
Adrian looked exhausted.
Not like a man seeking revenge.
Like a man who had carried pain alone for years.
—Why are you helping us? —Daniela asked.
Adrian looked down.
—Because Javier was the only person who ever helped me.
He took a deep breath.
—When he found me, I was living on the streets.
Daniela looked surprised.
—My husband knew?
Adrian nodded.
—He found out what my father did to my mother.
He paid for my education.
He helped me build a life.
A sad smile appeared.
—He told me something I never forgot.
"Family is not always the people who share your blood. Sometimes it's the people who choose you."
Daniela looked away.
Because those were exactly the kind of words Javier would say.
Renata placed a file on the table.
—We found something.
Everyone became silent.
Inside were copies of medical documents.
Javier’s original diagnosis.
Treatment reports.
Doctor notes.
But one page was different.
A medication authorization form.
Daniela frowned.
—That signature…
Renata nodded.
—Exactly.
Daniela recognized it.
Her stomach tightened.
—That’s Beatriz’s signature.
Mateo stood up.
—My grandmother?
Renata looked serious.
—According to this document, she authorized access to Javier’s medical information.
Daniela shook her head.
—Why would she have access?
Nobody answered.
Until Adrian spoke.
—Because she wanted to know exactly how much time he had left.
The room went cold.
Renata continued reading.
—There is something else.
She placed another document on the table.
—A private investigator hired by Javier found evidence that someone repeatedly contacted a doctor treating him.
Daniela covered her mouth.
—A doctor?
Renata nodded.
—A doctor who later changed Javier’s medication plan.
Mateo whispered:
—They changed his medicine?
Renata looked at the papers.
—We don't know yet if that caused his death.
A pause.
—But Javier believed it was possible.
Daniela remembered something.
Something she had ignored.
A memory from three months earlier.
Javier lying in bed.
Weak.
Confused.
He had looked at his medication bottle and said:
"Dani… something feels wrong."
She had kissed his forehead.
She had told him:
"You’re tired, love. The treatment is hard."
She had believed cancer was stealing him.
Not someone else.
A painful realization hit her.
Maybe Javier had tried to tell her.
Maybe she hadn’t listened.
Tears rolled down her face.
—I should have known…
Adrian immediately shook his head.
—No.
Daniela looked at him.
—But—
—No.
His voice was firm.
—Javier never blamed you.
He paused.
—He told me the opposite.
"The worst thing about being betrayed is not the enemy. It's watching the people you love blame themselves."
At that moment…
Renata’s phone rang.
She answered.
Her expression changed immediately.
—Are you sure?
Everyone looked at her.
She listened silently.
Then slowly lowered the phone.
—The hospital found something.
Daniela stood.
—What?
Renata looked at her.
—A hidden file.
—What kind of file?
Renata’s face became serious.
—A file Javier requested before he died.
Daniela’s heart raced.
—What was inside?
Renata looked at Adrian.
Then at Daniela.
—A DNA test.
Everyone froze.
—A DNA test for what? —Mateo asked.
Renata took a breath.
—For Javier himself.
Daniela frowned.
—Why would Javier need a DNA test?
Nobody answered.
Until Adrian quietly said:
—Because before he died…
He looked at Daniela.
—Javier discovered that even he might not be who he thought he was.
The room went completely silent.
Daniela felt dizzy.
Her husband.
The man she spent twelve years with.
The man whose family name she carried.
Had discovered a secret about his own identity.
And he had taken it to his grave.
Then Renata opened the final email Javier sent before his death.
Only one sentence was written:
"If they come after my wife and children, reveal the truth about my bloodline… because the Salgado family is built on a lie."
Daniela looked at the screen.
Her hands trembled.
Because suddenly she understood.
This was never just about money.
Never just about a house.
Never just about inheritance.
Someone had spent decades protecting a secret.
And Javier had died trying to expose it.
But the biggest mystery remained:
Who was Javier Salgado really?
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And why did his own family need that truth buried forever?
TO BE CONTINUED…
