Chapter 5: The Breaking Point
Chapter 5: The Breaking Point
Santiago tried one last time.
He walked toward me.
“Valeria,” he said, voice suddenly softer. “We can fix this. I love you.”
The lie was almost laughable.
But I didn’t laugh.
I looked at him.
Really looked at him.
And I saw it clearly now.
Not love.
Not even anger.
Just possession.
“I stopped being yours the moment you raised your hand the first time,” I said quietly.
His face tightened.
“You don’t get to leave me.”
That’s when my father stepped between us.
“No,” he said. “But she does.”
Santiago lunged forward—
And stopped instantly as two federal agents grabbed him.
The sound of handcuffs snapping shut echoed through the marble hall.
Beatriz didn’t scream.
She simply stared.
May you like
As if realizing, too late, that money had never been protection.
Only delay.
