Chapter 8 - THE TRUTH MY FATHER HID
The next morning, I walked into my father’s office without knocking.
He looked up.
He knew immediately.
“You found something.”
I placed the documents on his desk.
“Who was Rafael Serrano?”
The room went silent.
My father didn’t answer.
That hurt more than if he had lied.
“Dad.”
He closed the file in front of him.
“Where did you get this?”
“Answer me.”
A long pause.
Then he said:
“Rafael was my partner.”
I stared.
“Partner?”
“Yes.”
“What happened?”
My father looked out the window.
“Twenty years ago, we built a company together.”
“And?”
“And he betrayed me.”
I studied his face.
“What did he do?”
My father was quiet.
Then:
“He tried to take everything.”
I wanted to believe him.
I wanted to.
But something bothered me.
“Did he?”
My father turned.
“What?”
“Did he try?”
The question hung between us.
Because for the first time in my life…
I questioned my father.
He told me the story.
At least, his version.
Rafael Serrano was brilliant.
Ambitious.
Dangerous.
They started together.
Two young men with nothing.
Two men who believed they could change the world.
But success changed Rafael.
He wanted control.
He wanted power.
Eventually, the partnership collapsed.
My father rebuilt.
Rafael disappeared.
And now his daughter had entered my life.
Coincidence?
No.
I didn’t believe in coincidences anymore.
“I need to talk to Camila.”
My father immediately shook his head.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because she is dangerous.”
I looked at him.
“She might be.”
A pause.
“But she might also be the only person who knows what happened.”
My father didn’t like that answer.
Good.
For the first time, I wasn’t trying to make him comfortable.
I found Camila in a small apartment across the city.
Not the luxury place I expected.
Not designer clothes.
Not expensive furniture.
Just a woman sitting alone.
When she opened the door, she looked surprised.
“Valeria.”
“I need answers.”
She stepped aside.
“Come in.”
I looked around.
“You live here?”
She smiled sadly.
“Not everyone gets to keep the lifestyle they pretend to have.”
That sentence hit differently.
Because I knew exactly what she meant.
“Your father knew my father.”
Camila froze.
“Yes.”
“How much?”
She looked down.
“More than you think.”
I waited.
Finally, she spoke.
“My father hated Arturo.”
“Why?”
“Because he believed Arturo stole his future.”
I crossed my arms.
“Did he?”
Camila looked at me.
“I don’t know.”
That surprised me.
“You don’t know?”
“No.”
She sat down.
“My father wasn’t exactly honest.”
Neither of our families were.
That realization hurt.
“My entire life, I thought I was the daughter of a hero.”
Camila looked at me.
“And I thought I was the daughter of a victim.”
A bitter smile.
“Maybe we were both wrong.”
Then she showed me something.
An old photograph.
Two men.
Young.
Standing beside a building.
My father.
And Rafael Serrano.
But there was someone else.
A woman.
My mother.
I stared.
“Why is my mother there?”
Camila’s face changed.
“Because she knew the truth.”
My hands went cold.
“What truth?”
Camila whispered:
“Your mother discovered that your father and mine weren’t enemies.”
I looked at her.
“They were partners.”
“Yes.”
“Then why did they separate?”
Camila looked away.
“Because someone betrayed both of them.”
“Who?”
She hesitated.
Then said:
“Someone inside your family.”
Before I could ask another question, my phone rang.
My father.
I answered.
His voice was urgent.
“Valeria, where are you?”
“With Camila.”
Silence.
Then:
“Leave.”
My heart tightened.
“Why?”
A pause.
Then my father said:
“Because Camila is not the person you should be afraid of.”
I looked at Camila.
She looked confused.
“Dad…”
His voice became lower.
“The person who betrayed us is standing in this room.”
I turned around.
Slowly.
But nobody was there.
May you like
Then I heard the sound behind me.
A door locking.
