Chapter 9
The letter was opened with a therapist present.
Bia sat beside Lucas.
Mateo stayed across the room.
Ricardo stood near the door.
Camila had written the letter almost a year before she died.
My children,
If you are reading this together, then the truth finally found you.
Bia began crying immediately.
Lucas did not.
He stared at the page.
Ricardo continued reading aloud.
Camila wrote about Lucas first.
She explained that she had not willingly abandoned him.
Helena had controlled everything.
The hospital.
The attorney.
The documents.
Camila had been young, frightened, and isolated.
For years, she believed Lucas had been adopted by a loving family and that searching for him would disrupt his life.
Then she discovered Victor had become his guardian.
That changed everything.
She started investigating.
That was when she discovered the missing money.
Lucas finally cried.
“She knew where I was.”
Ricardo nodded.
“She was trying to get you back.”
“Why didn’t she come?”
The next paragraph answered him.
Victor threatened Bia.
Helena threatened to expose Mateo.
Camila believed moving too quickly could put both children at risk.
She began collecting evidence.
Bank records.
Recordings.
Names.
Dates.
Then she wrote about Bia.
Gabriel knew the truth from the beginning.
He loved Bia completely.
Camila wanted Bia to know that biology never erased that.
Bia pressed her face into the doll.
“Daddy loved me.”
“Yes,” Ricardo whispered.
The final part addressed Mateo.
I loved you once.
Then I hated you for being afraid.
Then I understood that Helena taught all of us to confuse fear with survival.
If our children ever find you, do not ask them to heal your guilt.
Earn whatever place they choose to give you.
Mateo covered his face.
Nobody comforted him.
The last sentence belonged to the children.
Do not inherit our silence.
Ricardo stopped reading.
Nobody spoke for a long time.
Then Lucas looked at Bia.
“I don’t want secrets anymore.”
Bia nodded.
“Me either.”
The criminal case developed quickly after that.
Victor’s financial records connected him to both Camila’s stolen trust money and Lucas’s inheritance.
Phone data placed him near Gabriel’s crash.
Messages between him and Helena discussed “solving Gabriel.”
Investigators could not prove every suspicion.
But they proved enough.
Then came the evidence regarding Camila’s medicine.
A pharmacy specialist confirmed her prescription had been altered.
The concentration found in her system did not match what her doctor had prescribed.
Helena’s fingerprints were found on a container recovered from Camila’s bedroom.
Victor had searched online for the medication days before Camila collapsed.
Together, the evidence became overwhelming.
Helena eventually stopped claiming the recording was fake.
Instead, she changed strategies.
She blamed Victor.
Victor blamed Helena.
Their alliance shattered.
At a pretrial hearing, Ricardo saw Helena for the first time in months.
She looked directly at Bia.
Bia did not hide.
Helena whispered, “Come here.”
Ricardo stepped forward.
Bia raised one hand.
“No.”
Helena blinked.
“I’m your grandmother.”
Bia’s voice shook.
“My mommy told me what you did.”
“Your mother was confused.”
“No.”
“She poisoned you against me.”
Bia stared at her.
“You poisoned her.”
The courtroom went completely silent.
Helena’s face collapsed.
Bia turned away.
Outside, Mateo waited with Lucas.
Lucas had not decided what to call him either.
That was okay.
They were building something slowly.
Something without forced titles.
Something without lies.
Then Alvarez approached Ricardo.
“I thought you’d want to know.”
“What?”
“Victor is negotiating.”
Ricardo frowned.
“For what?”
“He’s offering testimony against Helena.”
“About Camila?”
“About Gabriel.”
Ricardo’s chest tightened.
Alvarez continued.
“He claims Helena ordered the truck to hit Gabriel’s car.”
Mateo went pale.
“And Victor drove it?”
Alvarez nodded.
“According to him.”
Ricardo stared toward the courtroom doors.
“Can he prove it?”
“He says there’s one surviving recording.”
“Where?”
Alvarez looked toward Bia and Lucas.
“Apparently Camila had it all along.”
Ricardo froze.
“Where?”
May you like
Alvarez answered quietly.
“Inside Gabriel’s grave.”
