Chapter 10 - The Truth ExposedBy Wednesday evening, the news of the arrest broke across local media outlets in León.
The story of a wealthy stepmother conspiring with a corrupt notary to steal property and abuse a motherless teenage girl made front-page headlines. Patricia’s photograph, alongside Treviño’s, was broadcast on the evening news.
I sat on the living room sofa with Sofia, a bowl of hot popcorn between us, watching the news anchor read the official statement released by the State Attorney General:
"...Patricia Morales and Licenciado Ernesto Treviño have been formally remanded to state custody without bail on charges of child abuse, extortion, grand larceny, and corporate forgery. Authorities confirm that all fraudulent property filings have been permanently voided..."
Sofia looked at the television screen, then leaned her head gently against my shoulder.
"It's really over, isn't it, Dad?" she asked quietly.
I put my arm around her, holding her close. "The legal part is just starting, mija. There will be court hearings, statements, and trials. But in this house? Yes. It's over. No one is ever going to hurt you or make you feel small in your own home again."
Suddenly, my phone chimed on the coffee table. It was a text message from an unknown number.
I picked it up and opened the screen.
It was a text from Patricia’s mother, sent from a private burner phone before she fled the city:
May you like
You think you've won because she's in a cell, Gabriel? Patricia left something behind in your house that you'll never find. Check the vents in your wife's old bedroom before the foundation collapses.
My grip tightened around the phone as cold water ran down my spine.
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