Chapter 11 - VALERIE’S CONFESSION
Alejandro almost refused.
Rachel told him he should.
“You don’t owe her anything.”
“I know.”
“Then why go?”
“Because Sophie may ask me one day why this happened.”
Rachel studied him.
“And you want an answer.”
“I want the truth.”
The interview took place behind glass.
Valerie wore a gray detention uniform.
No makeup.
No perfect hair.
No carefully selected dress.
For the first time, Alejandro saw how much of her appearance had been armor.
She looked at him.
“You came.”
“I came for Sophie.”
Her mouth tightened.
“Of course.”
Alejandro sat.
“Talk.”
Valerie stared at her hands.
“My father talked about you every day.”
“That wasn’t my choice.”
“He said you destroyed him.”
“He destroyed himself.”
Valerie looked up sharply.
“You could have helped him.”
“He falsified inspection reports.”
“He was desperate.”
“A driver nearly died.”
“My father did die.”
“Three years later.”
“In a motel room.”
Valerie’s voice shook.
“Alone.”
Alejandro didn’t respond.
She continued.
“I was nineteen when we lost the house.”
“My mother left.”
“My father drank.”
“Every night he told me the same story.”
“Alejandro Rivers took everything.”
“And you believed him.”
“Yes.”
“Then why Sophie?”
Valerie’s eyes hardened.
“Because money wouldn’t hurt you enough.”
Alejandro felt cold.
“You wanted her dead?”
Valerie looked away.
“I wanted you afraid.”
“That wasn’t my question.”
Silence.
“Did you want Sophie dead?”
“No.”
The answer came quickly.
Too quickly.
Alejandro leaned forward.
“Then why did you stop her antibiotics?”
“I needed her sick.”
“Why?”
“So you’d feel helpless.”
“And the other substance?”
“Enough to make symptoms worse.”
“She developed pneumonia.”
“I didn’t plan that.”
Alejandro stared at her.
“That sentence is supposed to help you?”
Valerie’s face crumpled for half a second.
Then hardened again.
“I lost control.”
“No.”
“You made choices.”
“Every glass.”
“Every pill.”
“Every lie.”
“You chose.”
Valerie’s eyes filled.
“I loved you.”
Alejandro almost laughed.
“No.”
“I did.”
“No, Valerie.”
“You became different from what my father said.”
“Then you should have stopped.”
“I tried.”
“When?”
She couldn’t answer.
Alejandro leaned back.
“You didn’t love me.”
“You loved winning.”
Valerie looked at him.
“And Sophie?”
“What about her?”
“She hated me from the beginning.”
Alejandro stared at her.
“She was grieving.”
“She never accepted me.”
“She was eight.”
“She wanted you to herself.”
“She wanted to feel safe.”
Valerie’s eyes flashed.
“You always chose her.”
“Yes.”
Again, no hesitation.
“And that is what a parent is supposed to do.”
Valerie looked away.
Alejandro stood.
“I have one question left.”
“What?”
“The pin.”
Valerie’s face changed.
He saw it.
“Why was there a pin in her pillow?”
Valerie said nothing.
“Valerie.”
Her voice became quiet.
“She kept pulling the pillow away when I tried to make her rest.”
“So you put a pin in it?”
“I wanted her to stop fighting me.”
Alejandro closed his eyes.
That was enough.
He turned toward the door.
“Alejandro.”
He stopped.
Valerie whispered,
“I’m sorry.”
He looked back.
“Don’t say that to me.”
“Then who?”
“The little girl you terrified.”
Valerie began crying.
Alejandro opened the door.
“And you will never get close enough to say it to her.”
He walked out.
Rachel waited outside.
“Did you get your answer?”
Alejandro looked through the glass at Valerie.
“Yes.”
“What was it?”
He thought for a moment.
“There wasn’t one.”
Rachel frowned.
Alejandro continued.
“There was no reason big enough to explain what she did.”
“Just excuses.”
May you like
He walked toward the elevator.
“And Sophie doesn’t need to carry them.”
