Chapter 6 - Fracture Lines
The walls were closing in on the family.
Following the public uproar, several major commercial partners announced they were severing ties with Don Hector’s real estate development firm. A multi-million-dollar urban renewal project in Zapopan was abruptly suspended by the city council, citing "ethical concerns regarding corporate leadership."
Inside the estate, the atmosphere had deteriorated into chaos. Mariela had been released on high bail, equipped with an electronic ankle monitor, pending her preliminary trial hearing. She paced the marble halls of the house like a trapped animal, shouting at the servants, throwing glasses, and consuming heavy doses of sedatives.
"This is your fault!" Mariela screamed at her mother in the dining room, her face red and swollen. "You told me to get them out! You were the one who hated Camila from the start! You told me every day that Sofia was a bastard child who didn't deserve the family name!"
"Do not speak to me like that, you ungrateful girl!" Doña Teresa shrieked back, slamming her coffee cup onto the mahogany table. "We have spent millions trying to keep you out of prison your entire life! You threw coffee at a baby! You couldn't control your disgusting temper for one afternoon, and now you have destroyed your father's legacy!"
"Enough!" Don Hector’s voice boomed through the house as he walked into the room, looking visibly aged. His hair was unkempt, his tie loosened. "Both of you, shut your mouths!"
He threw a stack of legal documents onto the table. "The bank has frozen our credit lines for the new residential tower. The prosecutor refused my offer to meet privately. Daniel’s lawyer submitted the full, unedited video to the court, alongside a testimony from Valeria!"
Teresa froze, her eyes turning wide. "Valeria? What does Valeria have to do with this?"
"Valeria handed over Mariela’s psychiatric history from her school days," Hector said, staring coldly at Mariela. "They know about the incident in boarding school. They know we covered it up. The judge has denied our motion to dismiss the evidence."
Mariela sank into a chair, clutching her head, sobbing hysterically. "I can't go to prison, Dad! I can't! Look at my hands, look at me! I won't survive in a place like that!"
"You should have thought about that before you acted like a rabid animal," Hector spat, turning his back on her.
"Hector, you must do something!" Teresa pleaded, grabbing her husband’s arm. "Call the Governor! Call anyone! Pay whatever it takes!"
Hector violently shook her hand off. "The Governor won't take my calls! Don't you see what’s happening, woman? The internet has made this impossible to touch! Everyone is terrified of being associated with us! Daniel has destroyed us."
Meanwhile, in their quiet rented apartment, Daniel and Camila were fighting a different kind of battle. Sofia was suffering from severe night terrors. Every time she saw a hot mug, or heard a loud female voice, she would hide her face in Camila's chest, screaming hysterically.
Daniel spent hours sitting by her bed, softly singing to her, holding her tiny hand, consumed by a mixture of deep love and crushing guilt.
"I let this happen," Daniel said quietly one night as Camila walked into the nursery. "All those years, Camila... I knew my mother was cruel. I knew Mariela was unhinged. But I kept bringing you two back there because I wanted to believe I had a normal family. I compromised your safety for a lie."
Camila walked over, pulling his head against her stomach. "You didn't throw the coffee, Daniel. You didn't stay quiet when it mattered. You chose us. You chose your daughter over everything you grew up with. That is what makes you a real father."
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"It's not over," Daniel murmured, looking at Sofia’s bandaged face. "They are going to fight dirty at the preliminary hearing next week. Valenzuela is going to try to destroy your character."
"Let them try," Camila said, her eyes cold as steel. "I have nothing to hide. But they have an entire lifetime of sins waiting to be exposed."
