Chapter 3 - Unraveling the Lies
For the next forty-eight hours, Renata moved with the clinical precision of an army general. The grief and anger she felt toward Javier's betrayal were channeled entirely into action. She was no longer just a victim of domestic abuse; she was the investigator of her family's greatest tragedy.
With the help of Sofia and a private security team she hired using her own savings, Renata began to plan. She knew she couldn't simply go to the police yet. If Rogelio realized the net was closing in, he would move the gold coins, destroy the evidence, or flee the country. He had the money and the connections to disappear.
She needed to catch them in the act.
On Thursday morning, Renata sent a text message to Javier.
“Javier, I’ve been thinking about what you said at the cafe. I was very emotional. The divorce is a big step, and I don't want to make a decision I'll regret. Let's meet at the house tonight to discuss things privately. Just you and me. Tell your parents to go out for dinner so we can have some space.”
Within thirty seconds, Javier replied.
“Oh thank God, Rena. I knew you would see sense. My parents are going to their weekly church dinner at seven. I’ll make sure Karla is out too. I love you so much. Let's fix this.”
Renata stared at the screen, a cold smile touching her lips. "You pathetic coward," she murmured.
At 7:15 PM, the rain began to fall over Guadalajara, slicking the cobblestone streets and casting long, shimmering reflections of the streetlights. Renata parked her car a block away from the Salgado estate. She was accompanied by two off-duty police officers she had hired as private security, and Sofia's chief investigator, a burly man named Carlos.
The Salgado house was quiet, the lights in the main living room dimmed.
Renata walked up the stone path, her heart beating steadily. She carried her purse, which concealed a small, high-definition recording device pinned to her collar.
She let herself in using her spare key. The house smelled of damp wood and old wax.
"Javier?" she called out.
"Rena! I’m in the study!" Javier’s voice echoed from the end of the hallway.
She walked into the study. Javier was standing near the desk, wearing a soft wool sweater, a hopeful, desperate expression on his face. He stepped forward to embrace her, but Renata stepped back, placing her briefcase on the desk between them.
"Let's talk first, Javier," she said calmly.
"Of course, of course," he said, pulling out a chair for her. "I am so glad you came. My father... he’s really sorry, Rena. He’s an old-school man, he loses his temper, but he wants to make it up to you. He’s willing to buy us our own apartment in Zapopan. You'll never have to live with them again."
"Is that why you married me, Javier?" Renata asked, her voice quiet. "To keep me happy? To keep me from asking questions?"
Javier blinked, his smile faltering slightly. "What do you mean? I married you because I love you."
"You married me because of the gold," Renata said flatly.
The color instantly drained from Javier's face. He took a half-step back, his eyes darting toward the door of the study. "I... I don't know what you're talking about."
"The five hundred gold Centenarios," Renata continued, her voice steady and relentless. "The ones your father stole from my grandfather Hector ten years ago. The ones that are currently bricked behind the cellar wall of this very house."
"Rena, that's crazy," Javier stammered, his voice rising in pitch. "My father was a security consultant. He didn't steal anything. Who told you this? Is this some kind of sick joke?"
"I heard you, Javier," Renata said. She pulled her phone from her pocket and pressed play on the audio recording from the wedding gift security camera.
The sound of Javier's own voice filled the room: "...I married her to keep her quiet, just like you wanted..."
Javier stared at the phone as if it were a venomous snake. He began to shake, his hands clenching and unclenching. "Rena... please. You don't understand. My father... he forced me into it. He told me that if you ever found out, our family would be ruined. He threatened to cut me off, to take away my job at the firm. I had no choice!"
"You always had a choice, Javier," Renata said, disgust evident in her voice. "You chose to watch your father hit me. You chose to let your mother treat me like a slave. You chose to build our marriage on the ashes of my grandfather's life."
Suddenly, the heavy oak door of the study swung open.
Don Rogelio stood in the doorway. He wasn't at the church dinner. His coat was wet from the rain, and his eyes were wide with a manic, desperate fury. In his right hand, he held a heavy, iron crowbar.
"I knew she was trouble from the start!" Rogelio roared, stepping into the room. "I told you, Javier! She’s just like her grandfather—stubborn, arrogant, and too nosey for her own good!"
Javier gasped, backing away. "Dad, don't! She has the recording!"
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"I don't care about the recording!" Rogelio hissed, his face twisting into a monstrous snarl as he lifted the crowbar. "By the time anyone finds her, the gold will be gone, and she’ll be nothing but a statistic in a bad neighborhood!"
He lunged toward Renata.
