Chapter 7: The Grandmother’s Confession
I spent the entire night awake.
The hospital room was silent except for the machines monitoring my baby.
Every few seconds, I looked at the tiny heartbeat on the screen.
A reminder that something innocent still existed in the middle of all this destruction.
My mother sat in the chair beside me.
She hadn't slept.
Neither had I.
Finally, I spoke.
“Did you know?””
She looked up.
“Know what?””
“That I was the heir.””
Her silence answered.
I closed my eyes.
“Mom.””
She looked devastated.
“I knew.””
The honesty hurt.
More than a lie.
“Why didn’t you tell me?””
“Because I wanted you to have a normal life.””
I laughed quietly.
“Normal?””
I looked around the room.
“My husband’s family tried to kill my baby.””
Her eyes filled.
“I thought if you never knew about the money, the companies, the enemies…”
“You thought I would be safe.””
“Yes.””
“But I wasn’t.””
She lowered her head.
That was the first time I saw regret on her face.
Not guilt.
Regret.
A knock interrupted us.
A police officer entered.
“Mrs. Reyes, the woman who called has agreed to meet.””
My mother immediately stood.
“No.””
I looked at her.
“Why?””
“She’s dangerous.””
“Who?””
My mother hesitated.
“My mother.””
My breath caught.
“You’re afraid of her?””
My mother looked toward the window.
“I’m afraid of what she knows.””
Two hours later, we arrived at a private estate outside the city.
The woman waiting inside looked nothing like the grandmother from my memories.
The woman who raised me was strict.
Cold.
Always tired.
This woman looked fragile.
Broken.
Her hands shook as I entered.
“Elena.””
Hearing my name from her mouth felt strange.
Like hearing it from a stranger.
“You’re alive.””
Tears filled her eyes.
“Yes.””
“Why did you let me hate my mother?””
She collapsed into a chair.
“Because I was afraid.””
“Of what?””
She looked at Valentina.
“Of what would happen if the truth came out.””
My mother stood across the room.
“You sold my daughter.””
The old woman cried.
“I saved her.””
Nobody spoke.
She opened a drawer and pulled out a photograph.
A younger version of my mother.
Holding me.
Behind them stood a man.
A Villalobos.
“Your grandfather threatened us.””
My mother froze.
“He said if I didn’t separate you from Elena, he would destroy her.””
My grandmother looked at me.
“I believed him.””
“You took money.””
“Yes.””
The admission was painful.
“But I never spent it.””
She placed a key on the table.
“It was for you.””
I stared.
“What is that?””
“A safety deposit box.””
My mother stepped forward.
“What’s inside?””
My grandmother looked terrified.
“The proof.””
“Proof of what?””
She looked at me.
“Why your father died.””
The room went silent.
I had never known my father.
Everyone told me he disappeared before I was born.
My mother looked shocked.
“My father?””
My grandmother nodded.
“He wasn't killed in an accident.””
A cold feeling moved through me.
“Then how did he die?””
She whispered:
“The Villalobos family made sure he never exposed them.””
My mother grabbed the table.
“No.””
The old woman looked at her.
“I’m sorry.””
My phone suddenly buzzed.
A message appeared.
From Mateo.
*Meet me alone. I know who ordered the attack.*
I looked at the screen.
My mother saw it.
“No.””
I looked at her.
“I need answers.””
She shook her head.
“Mateo is not safe.””
Then another message arrived.
A photograph.
Mateo tied to a chair.
May you like
And beneath it:
*Come alone, or your husband disappears forever.*
