—A rich family that thinks it’s untouchable—said Tomás.—. They’re always hiding something.
Cracks started appearing within three days.
Don Julián discovered that the supposed witnesses to the apartment transfer worked for Beatriz’s office. Tomás found out that Ernesto, Lucía’s father-in-law, owned an import company with suspicious accounts, inflated invoices, and money moved through third parties. Diego, Adrián’s brother and accountant, was the one signing everything.
But what chilled our blood was something else.
Tomás obtained a copy of the department’s documents. Lucía’s signature appeared on an impossible date: March 12th, at eleven in the morning.
That day, Lucía was in the emergency room with Sofía because of a severe throat infection. She had receipts, test results, a hospital bracelet, and even a message from the teacher asking why the girl hadn’t come to class.
“They forged your signature,” Tomás said, placing the papers on the table. “It wasn’t a deception. It was fraud.”
Lucia covered her mouth with both hands.
For the first time in days I saw anger in his eyes.
—They took my house away while I was taking care of my sick daughter.
With that evidence, we went to a young lawyer, Renata Martínez, the daughter of a doctor who had worked with me. Renata listened in silence and then closed the folder.
—Beatriz is dangerous, but she got overconfident. If we prove falsification and procedural abuse, this changes everything.
Less than a week had passed when Adrian appeared in front of my house.
He arrived in Lucia’s car, dressed like an important gentleman, with dark glasses and a smile that made you want to wipe it off.
“I’ve come for a signature,” he said, handing Lucía an envelope. “If you agree to give me custody of Sofía, I’ll give you fifty thousand pesos and the problem will be over.”
Lucía opened the document. Her face went pale.
—It says here that I waive my rights as a mother.
“It’s the best thing for everyone,” Adrian replied. “Sofia needs stability, not to be hiding in an old woman’s house.”
I felt a fire in my chest.
—More respect.
He laughed.
“You don’t understand, Mrs. Mercedes. My mother knows judges. My father knows businessmen. My brother manages accounts for important people. You have no grounds to argue.”
Lucía tore up the papers in front of him.
—I will never give up on my daughter.
Adrian’s smile disappeared.
—Then I’ll see you at the hearing. And when my mom is done with you, Sofia won’t even want to call you Mom.
Before he left, Sofia went out into the yard. When she saw him, she didn’t run to hug him. She hid behind Lucia.
Adrian tried to smile.
—Hello, princess.
Sofia whispered:
—Why did you kick us out of the house, Dad?
He looked towards the street, nervous because the neighbors were listening.
—Your mom is confusing you.
“No,” said the girl. “I saw when you changed the lock.”
Adrian gritted his teeth, got into the car, and left.
That night we received another call. It was Patricia, Beatriz’s former secretary. She wanted to talk in person.
We arranged to meet at a coffee shop. He arrived trembling, with a folder clutched to his chest.
“Beatriz forced me to alter documents,” he confessed. “We scanned Lucía’s signatures and put them on new contracts. I have emails. I have original copies. I have everything.”
Lucia burst into tears.
—Why did he do it?
Patricia lowered her gaze.
—Because Beatriz wanted Adrián to start his new life without paying anything. She said her son deserved a woman “of his caliber.”
But before we could use that evidence, Beatriz pulled off the dirtiest trick.
One night, two patrol cars arrived at my house.
—Lucía Rojas is detained for violating a restraining order.
“That’s a lie!” I shouted. “She was here all day.”
The officer showed a paper signed by an alleged neighbor who said he had seen her hanging around the apartment.
Sofia watched as they took her mother away in handcuffs.
And when the little girl shouted “Mommy!”, I knew that Beatriz didn’t just want to win a lawsuit.
I wanted to destroy them.
PART 3
Lucía spent a night in custody. When I saw her the next day, with her hair tied back, her eyes swollen, and her face pale, I felt a fury that burned to my very bones.
Renata acted quickly. She presented recordings from her office showing Lucía entering at two in the afternoon and leaving at six, precisely the time she was supposedly loitering around the apartment. She also brought the receptionist in as a witness.
The man Beatriz introduced started out confident, but when the judge asked him three times if he was completely sure about the date, he shrank.
—Well… maybe it was another day.
The judge closed the case.
