flash
The hangover hit Mateo like a freight train at sunrise. Sunlight filtered through the velvet curtains of the luxury hotel suite, burning his eyes. Beside him, Valeria was still asleep, smelling of cheap neon cocktails and expensive perfume. Mateo groaned, reaching for his phone on the nightstand. / Chapter 9 / 20

Chapter 9 - The Trial of San Pedro

The sentencing hearing was brief, brutal, and swift.

The prosecution presented the final, damning piece of evidence: the digital forensic log of Mateo’s phone from the night of the incident.

The courtroom lights dimmed as a massive screen projected the timeline.

11:14 PM — Call from Camila (Rejected) 11:18 PM — Call from Camila (Rejected) 11:22 PM — Call from Camila (Rejected) ... 11:48 PM — Phone switched to Airplane Mode.

Audio files recovered from the private club's VIP booth security cameras were played aloud. Mateo’s drunk, laughing voice echoed through the courtroom speakers:

"Leave her... She’s just being dramatic... You know how women get when they’re pregnant... To my last night of freedom!"

Members of the jury gasped. One juror covered her mouth in horror. Mateo sat at his table, sweating profusely, unable to look anyone in the eye.

The judge didn't even deliberate for long. He returned to the bench within forty-five minutes.

"Mateo Garza," the judge declared sternly. "Your actions on the night in question showed a level of depravity, callousness, and cold-blooded indifference to human life that shocks the conscience of this court. You left a dying woman and an unborn child to bleed while you celebrated your own vanity."

The judge slammed his gavel.

"I sentence you to fifteen years at the Topo Chico Maximum Security Penitentiary for gross criminal negligence, attempted manslaughter, and grand corporate larceny. You will serve every single day without the possibility of parole."

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Isabella’s artificial tears gleamed under the soft golden chandeliers of the private VIP suite, her hands trembling with a performance worthy of a grand stage. She gestured wildly toward Khloe, who lay crumpled on the cold marble, her white silk dress torn and stained with drops of spilled champagne. Marcus stood frozen in the doorway,

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As the guards grabbed Mateo to drag him away, he screamed, kicking his feet. "Camila! Please! Tell them! Tell them you forgive me! Camila!"

Camila didn't even turn around as Mateo was dragged through the iron doors, his screams echoing down the hall until they were cut short by the heavy thud of the steel entrance locking behind him.

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