Chapter 5: The Daughter Who Returned With Power
I read the message five times.
Each time, it became harder to understand.
My mother did something.
Something terrible.
Something Mateo believed could destroy her.
I looked at Valentina.
“Tell me.””
She didn't pretend not to understand.
She simply sat beside me.
“I was hoping I could explain everything before you heard it from someone else.””
“That means it's true.””
Her eyes filled with pain.
“Yes.””
The honesty hurt.
“What did you do?””
She looked down.
“Twenty years ago, I made a deal.””
“With who?””
“With Ricardo's father.””
The Villalobos patriarch.
The man who separated us.
My mother told me everything.
After I was born, she discovered that the Villalobos family was involved in illegal business deals. She tried to expose them.
They threatened her.
They threatened me.
So she made a sacrifice.
She disappeared.
But before leaving, she built something.
A company.
A weapon.
A way to one day destroy them legally.
“I thought protecting you meant staying away,” she whispered.
I looked at her.
“And you never thought I needed my mother?””
The words broke her.
“I thought about it every single day.””
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then the door opened.
Police officers entered.
Behind them stood Doña Carmela.
Smiling.
My blood ran cold.
“She attacked me,” she said.
I stared.
“What?””
She pointed at my mother.
“She came into my home and threatened me.””
My mother slowly stood.
“You hurt my daughter.””
Doña Carmela smiled.
“You have no proof.””
Then she looked at me.
“You should be careful who you trust.””
The officer stepped forward.
“Mrs. Reyes, we need you to come with us.””
I panicked.
“Why?””
Doña Carmela smiled wider.
“Because the woman you think saved you…”
She paused.
“…is the woman who destroyed my family twenty years ago.””
The officers moved toward my mother.
But before anyone touched her, one of her bodyguards stepped forward.
“Ma’am.””
My mother raised her hand.
“No.””
She looked at me.
Not at Doña Carmela.
Not at the police.
At me.
“I promised myself I would never force you to choose me.””
Her voice softened.
“But I need you to know one thing.””
She took my hand.
“I did not leave you because I stopped loving you.””
A tear fell down her face.
“I left because I loved you enough to survive without you.””
Then the hospital television suddenly switched channels.
A breaking news alert appeared.
The headline made everyone freeze.
*VILLALOBOS FAMILY EMPIRE UNDER INVESTIGATION AFTER NEW EVIDENCE SURFACES*
Doña Carmela's smile disappeared.
My mother's phone rang.
She answered.
A voice spoke urgently.
Her expression changed.
“What?””
She looked at me.
Then at the screen.
And whispered:
“They found the person who separated us.””
May you like
The room went silent.
“Your grandmother is alive.””
