“He found the records of the payments his wife had been making to your aunt. He couldn’t live with it. He’s the one who told me everything last night. He’s currently at the police station giving a full statement against his own wife.”
The betrayal was total. The Rivas family had crumbled from the inside out.
A New Morning
Six hours later, I was sitting on the front porch of my house. My dad had changed the locks the moment we got home. My mom was inside, scrubbing the kitchen as if she could wash away the memory of her sister’s presence.
I looked down at my hands. I was still wearing my blue uniform. The “worn-out shoes” were still on my feet. But the weight in my chest—the secret that had been crushing me—felt different now. It wasn’t a secret anymore. It was a truth.
Lucia came by later that evening. She brought a box of real tea—chamomile and honey.
