Chapter 1: The Performance
Chapter 1: The Performance
Doña Victoria threw herself toward the front door just as the police entered.
“Officers!” she cried. “Thank God you're here!”
Tears streamed down her face.
Her voice trembled perfectly.
“She threatened me! She attacked me! I've been trying to help her for months!”
The lead officer paused.
His eyes moved from the crying elderly woman...
To the hot iron on the table.
To Elena trembling in her chair.
To Captain Alejandro standing motionless beside her.
Victoria pointed dramatically toward Elena.
“She needs psychiatric help! She's unstable! I've been protecting my grandchild from her!”
The neighbors gathering outside exchanged shocked glances.
For a moment, the performance almost worked.
Then Alejandro calmly held up his phone.
“Officer,” he said, “before anyone says another word, I suggest you watch this.”
Victoria's expression faltered.
Only for a second.
But Alejandro saw it.
The officer accepted the phone.
Pressed play.
The kitchen filled with sound.
Victoria's own voice.
Clear.
Undeniable.
"Sign the custody papers."
A pause.
Then another recording.
"If you refuse, you'll never raise this baby."
Victoria's face turned white.
The officer's expression hardened.
But Alejandro wasn't finished.
He tapped another file.
The room fell silent.
Then Victoria's voice echoed again.
"If she believes you're dead, she'll have nobody left."
The recording ended.
No one moved.
May you like
No one spoke.
For the first time, Victoria looked genuinely trapped.
