CHAPTER 3: THE SON WHO DIDN’T SEE
Santiago Aranda wasn’t a cruel man.
He was worse.
He was absent.
That evening, Mariana did something bold.
Something dangerous.
She waited for him in his office.
When he walked in, loosening his tie, he froze at the sight of her.
“Is something wrong?” he asked.
Mariana swallowed hard. “Yes, sir. Something is very wrong.”
He frowned. “This isn’t appropriate—”
“Please,” she interrupted, her voice trembling. “Just listen.”
Before he could stop her, she pressed play.
Camila’s voice filled the room.
Cold.
Unmistakable.
“If that old woman doesn’t eat, even better…”
Santiago went still.
Completely still.
At first, he said nothing.
Then slowly—
His face changed.
Confusion.
Disbelief.
And finally—
Horror.
“That’s not…” he whispered. “That’s not what’s happening.”
Mariana stepped forward. “Sir… she locks your mother in her room.”
Silence.
“She hides her food.”
Silence.
“She’s starving her.”
Santiago staggered back slightly, gripping the edge of his desk.
May you like
For the first time in years—
He looked like a son again.
