Chapter 4 - Doña Esther Arrives
Alejandro did not tell his mother where they were.
He did not need to.
At 11:15 that morning, Doña Esther Aranda walked into the private hospital corridor with Marcela beside her.
Alejandro was waiting outside Valeria’s room.
He stood when he saw them.
His mother wore a cream suit and pearls.
Perfect hair.
Perfect posture.
Perfect control.
Marcela looked concerned enough to fool anyone who did not know her.
“Alejandro.”
Esther approached.
“Why did you bring Valeria here without telling us?”
His expression did not change.
“How did you know where we were?”
Esther paused.
Only slightly.
“The driver mentioned it.”
“I drove.”
Marcela stepped in.
“The security office tracks family vehicles.”
Alejandro looked at her.
“You track my car?”
“For safety.”
“Interesting.”
Marcela frowned.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
Alejandro opened the door to a small consultation room.
“Inside.”
Esther stared at him.
“I will not be ordered around like an employee.”
“Then leave.”
The words shocked both women.
Esther entered.
Marcela followed.
Alejandro closed the door.
Then he placed the photograph Marcela had sent him on the table.
“Who took this?”
Marcela folded her arms.
“One of the guards.”
“Name.”
“I don’t remember.”
“You sent it to me.”
“Because I was worried.”
Alejandro leaned forward.
“The man in this picture is Valeria’s obstetrician.”
Marcela’s face barely moved.
But Alejandro saw it.
Recognition.
Not surprise.
“You knew.”
Marcela gave a short laugh.
“That proves nothing.”
“It proves you turned a doctor’s visit into an accusation of adultery.”
Esther’s eyes hardened.
“Enough.”
She looked at Alejandro.
“Valeria has been emotionally unstable for weeks.”
Alejandro stared at his mother.
“Who told you that?”
“I live with her.”
“No.”
“You live near her.”
“You have never tried to know her.”
Esther’s face changed.
“You are allowing that woman to divide this family.”
“That woman is my wife.”
“And she is carrying my child.”
Marcela suddenly spoke.
“Did she tell you I pushed her?”
Silence.
Alejandro slowly turned toward his sister.
Marcela realized her mistake.
He had not accused her yet.
“You just did.”
Her face went pale.
“I assumed.”
“No.”
“You knew exactly what she told me.”
Esther stepped between them.
“Whatever happened was an accident.”
Alejandro stared at her.
“You were there?”
Another mistake.
Esther said nothing.
He felt the ground shift beneath him.
“You knew something happened.”
Marcela’s voice sharpened.
“She trespassed in a private storage area.”
Alejandro’s eyes narrowed.
“What storage area?”
Marcela froze.
Esther looked at her daughter.
Too late.
Alejandro quietly removed his phone from his pocket.
He had been recording the entire conversation.
Marcela saw the screen.
Her expression transformed.
“You’re recording us?”
“Yes.”
Esther stared at her son as though he had betrayed her.
Alejandro finally understood the irony.
For years, his mother had demanded loyalty.
But only when loyalty protected her.
He opened the door.
“You are not to contact Valeria.”
“You are not to enter her room.”
“You are not to speak to hospital staff about her.”
Esther looked at him.
“You would choose a woman you have known for three years over your own blood?”
Alejandro’s answer came calmly.
“I’m choosing the person lying in a hospital bed.”
May you like
“The person you were apparently willing to sacrifice to keep a basement locked.”
Marcela’s face lost all color.
