CHAPTER 3 — The House of Lies
CHAPTER 3 — The House of Lies
Within twenty minutes, military investigators arrived.
Not because Alejandro called them.
Because his emergency return automatically triggered an accountability report.
The commanding officer entered the kitchen.
He immediately recognized the forged casualty notification.
His expression darkened.
"This document is counterfeit."
Margaret tried to interrupt.
"There has to be—"
"There isn't."
The officer placed the fake notice beside Alejandro's authentic deployment records.
Every difference was obvious.
The signatures.
The serial numbers.
Even the military stamp.
Everything had been fabricated.
The local police soon followed.
They photographed every document.
The forged custody agreement.
The unopened medical records.
The threatening messages Elena had secretly saved on her phone.
Then came the final discovery.
Security footage from a neighbor's camera.
It showed Margaret purchasing the industrial steam iron only hours earlier.
The timestamp matched Elena's statement.
Margaret finally broke.
"I only wanted my grandchild."
"You were never coming home."
"I couldn't let her take everything."
Alejandro looked at her with tears forming in his eyes.
"You weren't trying to save my child."
"You were trying to replace his mother."
The officers placed Margaret in handcuffs.
She didn't resist.
She simply stared at her son.
But he never looked back.
May you like
He wrapped one arm around Elena and quietly walked out of the house.
Together.
