CHAPTER 4: THE CONFESSION
Rain fell heavily over Mexico City the night Sebastián entered the prison.
He had not slept.
He had not eaten.
In his hand was Elena's letter.
The paper was already wrinkled from being held too tightly.
A guard led him down a long hallway.
Finally, they stopped.
Doña Rebeca sat behind the glass.
For the first time in her life, she looked old.
Very old.
No expensive jewelry.
No elegant clothes.
No perfect makeup.
Just a woman and the consequences of her choices.
She looked up and smiled weakly.
"I knew you would come."
Sebastián remained standing.
"Did you kill my mother?"
The smile disappeared.
Silence.
"Answer me."
Rebeca looked away.
"I raised you."
"That's not what I asked."
"I gave you everything."
"Did you kill Elena Morales?"
Tears suddenly filled her eyes.
For several seconds, she couldn't speak.
Then she whispered:
"Yes."
The world seemed to stop.
Sebastián's knees almost gave out.
"No..."
"I never meant for it to happen."
"You're lying."
"I only wanted her gone."
He stared at her.
"Tell me everything."
Rebeca closed her eyes.
Thirty years of secrets came rushing back.
"I loved your father."
Her voice shook.
"I loved him since I was seventeen."
She smiled sadly.
"But he never loved me the same way."
She looked up.
"When he met Elena, everything changed."
"He wanted to leave me."
Sebastián couldn't breathe.
"He wanted to marry her."
"No..."
"He even bought a small house for her."
Tears streamed down her face.
"I was terrified."
"So you killed her?"
"No!"
She slammed her hand against the glass.
"I only wanted to separate them."
"Then what happened?"
She lowered her eyes.
"I paid a nurse."
Silence.
"I wanted Elena to become sick after giving birth."
"You poisoned her."
"I didn't know the medicine would kill her!"
Her voice broke.
"When I learned she had died... it was already too late."
The prison room became silent.
"You murdered my mother," Sebastián whispered.
Rebeca nodded slowly.
"And then..."
She began crying.
"...I saw you."
"The baby."
"You looked exactly like your father."
She covered her face.
"And I couldn't let you go."
"So you stole me."
"Yes."
"You lied to everyone."
"Yes."
"You let me believe you were my mother."
"Yes."
Every answer felt like another knife.
Finally, Sebastián asked the question he feared most.
"Did my father know?"
Rebeca looked at him.
"He suspected."
The room froze.
"What?"
"He never believed Elena abandoned him."
"Then why didn't he search for her?"
"Because I lied."
"What did you tell him?"
Rebeca's lips trembled.
"I told him Elena ran away."
"With another man."
Sebastián closed his eyes.
Thirty years.
Thirty years of pain.
Thirty years of lies.
His entire life had been stolen.
Then Rebeca reached toward the glass.
"I'm sorry."
He didn't move.
"I know I don't deserve forgiveness."
"No," he said quietly.
"You don't."
The words shattered her.
She began sobbing.
"I loved you."
"You loved possessing me."
"I raised you."
"You raised me inside a lie."
Silence.
Then he slowly placed Elena's letter against the glass.
"This was from my mother."
Rebeca looked at it.
"She loved me before I was even born."
Her tears fell faster.
"And you took that away."
For the first time in decades, Doña Rebeca had no defense.
No excuses.
No power.
Only guilt.
Suddenly, Sebastián stood up.
"There is one thing I need to know."
She looked at him.
"Who was my father really?"
Rebeca looked surprised.
"What?"
"You said he loved Elena."
"Yes."
"But who was he?"
The old woman became quiet.
Too quiet.
Then she whispered:
"You don't know?"
Sebastián frowned.
"Know what?"
Rebeca swallowed hard.
"The man who raised you..."
"...wasn't your father either."
The room froze.
"What did you say?"
Her eyes filled with shame.
"I lied about that too."
"No..."
"Your biological father was another man."
The blood drained from Sebastián's face.
"Who?"
Rebeca looked directly at him.
"Dr. Alejandro Salvatierra."
The name struck him like lightning.
Salvatierra.
The same last name.
The same as—
"No..." he whispered.
She nodded.
"Ernesto's older brother."
Everything suddenly made sense.
The doctor's reaction.
The birthmark.
The tears.
The strange connection.
"My real father..."
"...was the doctor's brother."
"Yes."
Sebastián stepped backward.
"He died in a car accident before you were born."
"And he never knew about me?"
"No."
Tears filled Sebastián's eyes again.
His entire identity had just changed.
Again.
He was not an Ibarra by blood.
Not even a little.
He carried another family's name.
Another family's history.
Another family's love.
At that exact moment, his phone rang.
It was Dr. Ernesto.
With trembling hands, he answered.
"Hello?"
The doctor's voice was soft.
"Where are you?"
"...At the prison."
Silence.
"I suppose she finally told you."
Sebastián couldn't speak.
"Is it true?" he whispered.
A long pause.
Then:
"Yes."
Tears rolled down his face.
"My brother, Alejandro..."
"...was your father."
Neither man spoke.
Finally, Ernesto said:
"You're not alone anymore, Sebastián."
Outside, the rain had stopped.
For the second time in two days...
Sebastián discovered that he had lost one family.
But found another.
And back at the hospital, little Mateo slept peacefully in his mother's arms.
Completely unaware that his birth had uncovered secrets powerful enough to rewrite an entire family's history.
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TO BE CONTINUED...
Chapter 5: Sebastián meets his real family for the first time, and an unexpected inheritance reveals one last message from his true father.
