Chapter 14 - Lucia’s Letter
Alejandro called the detective before he stepped onto the porch.
Esther waited near the car.
“Leave the envelope on the step,” he said.
“It belongs to Valeria.”
“Then let her have it.”
Esther set it down.
“I never wanted you to find out this way,” she told Alejandro.
“You had fifteen years to tell us.”
“I was protecting the family.”
“You kept money from sick people. You hurt Valeria. That’s what you protected.”
Esther looked toward the window, where Valeria stood beside Rosa.
“I shouldn’t have pushed her.”
“No.”
“I thought if she signed, everything would settle down.”
“She was lying injured in our house.”
Esther said nothing.
Police arrived a few minutes later. She went with them for questioning.
Only after their cars had gone did Alejandro pick up the envelope. Its seal had been broken years ago.
He carried it to Valeria.
Lucia had written it on the day she died. She explained that she had copies of the clinic records and was meeting Alejandro’s father. She did not know whether he would help, but she wanted the missing payments found.
Near the end, she wrote:
If I’m late getting home, I hope you know I’m trying. I’m always trying to get home to you.
Valeria read the line again. Then she leaned against Rosa and cried.
On Monday, the court dismissed Esther’s guardianship petition. The judge referred the forged signature and false statements to prosecutors. The money in the child’s trust was frozen while the clinic claims were reviewed.
Esther was charged over the assault and the forged filing. Gabriel cooperated with investigators but remained responsible for his own part. Lucia’s crash investigation stayed open.
That night, Valeria put her mother’s letter beside the baby clothes in the rental house.
A sharp pain tightened across her abdomen.
She caught the edge of the dresser.
“Alejandro.”
He came into the room and saw her face.
“The baby?” he asked.
May you like
Valeria took a slow breath.
“I think she’s coming.”
