Chapter 3: The Family Everyone Thought Was Perfect
The police visited the apartment that same afternoon.
Miguel followed behind them in complete silence.
The moment they opened the front door, the officers began taking photographs.
Dirty bottles filled with spoiled milk.
Used diapers stacked in corners.
Cold air blasting through every room despite the newborn living there.
Then one officer stopped beside the bedroom.
"There."
The leather restraint was still attached to the bedframe.
Doña Carmen folded her arms.
"That isn't what it looks like."
Miguel stared at her.
"What exactly does it look like, Mother?"
She didn't answer immediately.
Instead she sighed dramatically.
"You've always been blinded by that girl."
Brenda crossed her arms beside her mother.
"She's manipulating everyone."
Miguel laughed.
It wasn't a happy laugh.
It sounded empty.
"You let my son burn with a fever."
"He survived."
"You tied my wife to a bed."
"She exaggerates."
"You stole her phone."
"We were protecting you."
Miguel took one slow step closer.
"No."
His voice had never sounded colder.
"You were making sure no one found out."
The officers continued searching.
One of them called from the kitchen.
"We found her cellphone."
It had been hidden inside a locked cabinet.
The battery was dead.
A technician plugged it into a portable charger.
Dozens of missed calls appeared.
Not outgoing.
Attempted.
Every call had been canceled before connecting.
There were also voice recordings.
Miguel pressed play.
His mother's voice filled the room.
"If you tell Miguel anything, he'll leave you... and nobody will believe a crazy new mother."
Silence covered the apartment.
Even Brenda stopped talking.
One officer looked directly at Doña Carmen.
"You need to come with us."
She smiled confidently.
"My son won't let you arrest me."
Miguel never looked away.
"Officer..."
His voice remained calm.
"Do your job."
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For the first time in Miguel's life...
His mother looked afraid.
