CHAPTER 2: THE LIE UNRAVELS
The police entered the house with weapons raised.
“Everyone stay where you are!”
Mercedes immediately burst into tears.
“She tried to attack me!” she cried, pointing at Lucía. “She grabbed the iron and threatened me!”
Lucía stared in disbelief.
“What? That's not true!”
But Mercedes was already performing.
Her voice trembled perfectly.
Her hands shook on cue.
For years she had manipulated neighbors, relatives, church friends, and even doctors.
This was just another audience.
One officer turned toward Santiago.
“Sir, step away from the women.”
Santiago calmly raised his military identification.
“Before anyone arrests anybody, I suggest you call Commander Ruiz.”
The officer froze when he saw the credentials.
Within minutes, additional officers arrived.
Then Commander Ruiz himself entered the kitchen.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
“Captain Arriaga?”
Santiago nodded.
Ruiz looked around the room.
The fake death certificate.
The custody documents.
The still-hot iron.
The blue folder.
None of it looked good.
“Search everything,” Ruiz ordered.
An officer opened Mercedes' folder.
Another examined her laptop.
A third checked her phone.
Twenty minutes later, the truth began spilling out.
Dozens of forged documents.
Fake emails.
Intercepted messages.
Cancelled medical appointments.
Even a drafted petition to have Lucía declared mentally unstable after childbirth.
The room fell silent.
Mercedes stopped crying.
For the first time, genuine fear appeared in her eyes.
Ruiz slowly closed the folder.
“Mrs. Mercedes Arriaga,” he said quietly, “you are under investigation for fraud, forgery, coercion, and attempted endangerment.”
May you like
The smile disappeared from her face.
Finally.
