Chapter 2: The Documents Hidden Inside the Wall
The pain was unbearable.
My legs felt like they were covered in fire.
I locked myself in the bathroom and turned on the cold water, crying as the burns throbbed against my skin.
Outside, I could still hear Teresa complaining.
"She's dramatic, Diego. It was an accident."
An accident.
The woman had thrown boiling stew directly at me.
Then my husband had slapped me.
And somehow I was the problem.
I pulled out my phone and called an ambulance.
Not Diego.
Not a friend.
An ambulance.
Because deep down, I already knew my marriage was over.
At the hospital, doctors treated second-degree burns on both of my legs.
A nurse quietly asked if someone had hurt me.
I almost lied.
Almost.
Then I told the truth.
Everything.
The slap.
The stew.
The threats.
The nurse's face changed immediately.
"Mrs. Herrera, you need to protect yourself."
When I returned home that evening, the apartment was empty.
Diego had gone to Teresa's house.
Not a single message asking if I was okay.
Not one.
I limped into the bedroom and began packing a suitcase.
That's when I noticed something strange.
One of the baseboards behind the closet wasn't attached properly.
I pulled it loose.
Inside the wall was a hidden envelope.
My heart stopped.
The envelope contained dozens of documents.
Property records.
Bank statements.
Medical files.
And one DNA test.
A DNA test proving Diego Herrera was not the biological son of the wealthy businessman he claimed as his father.
At the bottom was a handwritten note.
If Teresa ever loses control, expose everything.
— Ricardo Herrera
Diego's deceased father.
Suddenly, I understood.
May you like
The nightmare had started long before I entered this family.
And Teresa would do anything to keep her secrets buried.
