Chapter 15 - The Unraveling
By May, the federal case against Congressman Diego Garza had expanded into a massive political scandal that was shaking the ruling party to its core. Investigative journalists discovered that Diego hadn't just embezzled from the historical trust and municipal construction funds; he had also been trading government influence for luxury real estate and offshore bank deposits.
The political party that had once paraded him around as their shining star publicly disowned him, scrubbing his name from every campaign poster and website within forty-eight hours of his formal indictment.
Leticia Rivas watched it all unfold from the tiny, flickering television screen in her cramped apartment on Calle Morelos.
Her mind, accustomed to decades of absolute control and aristocratic delusion, was finally snapping under the weight of reality. Without her wealth, without her society friends, and without the grand estate of San Ángel to hide behind, she was forced to confront the horrifying truth of who she really was: an empty, bitter, deeply cruel old woman whom nobody loved.
One rainy Tuesday afternoon, while trying to heat a pot of cheap instant soup on a broken stove burner, Leticia forgot to turn the gas off properly.
The apartment filled slowly with a thick, suffocating smell of propane.
She didn't notice. She was sitting in her faded velvet armchair, staring blankly at a framed photograph of Paulina’s wedding day—the one day in her life when she had felt truly powerful, surrounded by politicians, champagne, and fake smiles.
A sharp knock echoed at the apartment door.
May you like
“Mrs. Rivas? Open up! We smell gas!” a neighbor shouted from the hallway, slamming their fist against the wood.
Leticia didn't move. She simply closed her eyes, listening to the rain drumming against the dirty windowpane, waiting for the dark, quiet relief of an end she had earned entirely on her own.
