Chapter 12: The Daughter Who Was Never Supposed to Know
We met Camila that night.
For the first time, I saw her without the image my imagination had created.
Not the perfect woman Beatriz admired.
Not the woman my family had feared.
Just a person.
A tired person.
Someone who had spent years believing a story that was never complete.
“I’m sorry,” she said when she saw us.
I was surprised.
“For what?””
“For everything your family went through.””
I shook my head.
“You didn’t do this.””
She looked relieved.
“Thank you.””
Mateo sat across from her.
“I need to ask you something.””
She nodded.
“Anything.””
“Did you know about Luciana?””
Her expression changed.
“What about her?””
That answer told us everything.
“You don’t know.””
“Know what?””
Mateo placed the documents on the table.
Camila read them.
Slowly.
Her face changed with every line.
“No.””
I watched her.
“Camila.””
“No.””
Her voice cracked.
“This isn’t possible.””
“It’s real.””
She looked at Mateo.
“Luciana?””
“Yes.””
“My sister?””
“Yes.””
She covered her mouth.
“I didn’t know.””
None of us spoke.
Because suddenly Camila became another victim of the same family system.
A person who had been given only the information others wanted her to have.
“My whole life…”
She stopped.
“My whole life, I thought I was the one who lost everything.””
I understood that feeling.
The realization that your pain was built on someone else’s lie.
“What happened to Luciana?”” I asked.
Camila looked at the papers.
“She left years ago.””
“Why?””
“She said she didn’t belong.””
Mateo looked confused.
“Didn’t belong?””
Camila nodded.
“She always felt different.””
I looked at the document.
Because maybe she was.
Maybe she knew something.
Maybe she sensed the truth before anyone told her.
Then Camila said something unexpected.
“Luciana contacted me last week.””
Mateo and I looked at her.
“What?””
“She said she finally learned something about our family.””
“What did she say?””
Camila’s hands shook.
“She said Ernesto Cárdenas ruined her mother’s life.””
The room went silent.
“Where is she now?”” Mateo asked.
“I don’t know.””
“Did you tell anyone?””
“No.””
“Why?””
“Because she sounded afraid.””
I looked at Mateo.
This was bigger than we thought.
The missing person was not Marina anymore.
It was Luciana.
And someone clearly did not want her found.
Camila pulled out her phone.
“There’s one more thing.””
“What?””
“She sent me this.””
She showed us a photo.
A document.
A signature.
And a sentence.
*The truth will destroy the person who started this.*
I looked closely.
Then froze.
Because beneath the signature was a name.
Beatriz Cárdenas.
Mateo saw it too.
His face changed.
“My mother?””
Camila nodded.
“I don’t know what it means.””
Neither did we.
But one thing was clear.
The story we had uncovered was still missing its final chapter.
Because now we had a new question.
Was Beatriz a victim of Ernesto’s lies?
Or had she been part of the plan from the beginning?
And before we could find out, Mateo’s phone rang.
He answered.
“Hello?””
His expression changed.
“What?””
I watched him.
“Where?””
A pause.
Then:
“When?””
He stood.
“Send me the location.””
He ended the call.
“What happened?”” I asked.
He looked at me.
His voice was barely above a whisper.
“It’s Luciana.””
My heart stopped.
“Where is she?””
Mateo grabbed his jacket.
“She wants to meet.””
“Tonight?””
He nodded.
“But there’s one problem.””
“What?””
He looked at the three of us.
“She didn’t call me.””
Silence.
“Who did she call?””
May you like
Mateo looked at me.
“She called Beatriz.”” :::
