Chapter 7: The Woman They Tried to Erase
The words felt impossible.
Not dangerous.
Not threatening.
Impossible.
“He’s trying to erase you.””
I stared at Mauricio.
The man who had once held my hand and promised me forever.
The man who had betrayed me.
The man who had been part of the plan.
And now he was standing in my office, warning me like he was the only person who could save me.
I didn’t know whether to believe him.
That was the worst part.
Because two days ago, I would have trusted every word he said.
Now every sentence had to be examined like evidence.
“Explain.””
Mauricio looked at Sebastian.
Then back at me.
“Not here.””
I almost smiled.
“Not here?””
“Yes.””
“You break into my office in the middle of the night, tell me someone is trying to erase my existence, and now you’re worried about privacy?””
His jaw tightened.
“I’m serious, Valeria.””
“So am I.””
The silence between us stretched.
Sebastian stepped forward.
“She deserves the truth.””
Mauricio looked at him.
“You don’t understand what happens if she knows everything.””
Sebastian’s expression hardened.
“No. I understand exactly what happens if she doesn’t.””
They stared at each other.
Two men who had both lied to me.
Two men who somehow believed they were protecting me.
I was done being the person everyone protected while making decisions behind my back.
“Enough.””
Both of them looked at me.
“I don’t care who thinks they’re saving me.””
I picked up Lucia’s notebook.
“I want answers.””
Nobody spoke.
“So start.””
Mauricio looked defeated.
Finally, he sat down.
“I was never supposed to marry you.””
I already knew that.
But hearing him say it still hurt.
“Go on.””
“My father wanted access to Horizonte Capital.””
“How?””
“Through me.””
He looked at his hands.
“The plan was simple. I would marry you, gain your trust, and eventually convince you to merge certain assets.””
I stared at him.
“Assets.””
“Yes.””
“You mean my company.””
He looked ashamed.
“Yes.””
I nodded slowly.
“And when did you decide to betray your family’s plan?””
His eyes lifted.
“I didn’t.””
The answer surprised me.
“What?””
“I never decided.””
I stared at him.
“What does that mean?””
Mauricio swallowed.
“It means I was weak.””
The honesty almost angered me more.
“I knew what they wanted,” he continued.
“I knew why they chose you.””
“Then why did you stay?””
His voice cracked.
“Because I fell in love with you.””
I looked away.
The sentence that once would have healed me now felt like a wound.
“Don’t.””
He stopped.
“Don’t say things you should have said before.””
“I know.””
“No, you don’t.””
I looked back at him.
“You loved me while helping people use me.””
He had no response.
Because there was none.
Sebastian placed another folder on the desk.
“This is why we need to move quickly.””
I opened it.
Inside were documents from years ago.
Not about my company.
About my father.
My hands shook slightly.
“What am I looking at?””
“Your father’s final project.””
I read the first page.
A company name.
A private organization.
And beneath it, a list of names.
Some I recognized.
Some I didn’t.
“What is this?””
Sebastian answered quietly.
“The Archive.””
The name sounded almost unreal.
“What is the Archive?””
“A collection of information your father gathered.””
“About powerful people.””
“Yes.””
I looked at the documents.
“And why would anyone want it?””
Sebastian gave a bitter smile.
“Because information is sometimes worth more than money.””
I flipped through the pages.
There were financial records.
Connections.
Hidden partnerships.
Secrets.
Things that could destroy reputations.
My stomach turned.
“My father created this?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
Sebastian looked at me.
“Because he discovered that some of the biggest companies in the country were not as legitimate as they appeared.””
I looked up.
“And the Ortega family?””
“They were one of them.””
The room went silent.
Everything connected.
The marriage.
The investigation.
The obsession.
They didn’t want to join my family.
They wanted to control the evidence against theirs.
“How did they know I had it?””
Sebastian looked at Mauricio.
Mauricio answered.
“They didn’t.””
I frowned.
“What?””
“They suspected.””
“Why?””
“Because of your father’s final message.””
I froze.
“My father left a message?””
Sebastian nodded.
“Only one.””
“To me?””
“No.””
He looked at me.
“To you.””
My heart stopped.
“Where is it?””
Sebastian hesitated.
“I don’t know.””
“You don’t know?””
“No.””
“Then how do you know it exists?””
“Because Esteban spent years searching for it.””
I looked at Mauricio.
“And now?””
His voice was quiet.
“Now he thinks you found it.””
“But I didn’t.””
“Exactly.””
The realization hit me.
“They think I have something I don’t have.””
“Yes.””
I stood.
“So they’re trying to destroy me over something that doesn’t exist?””
Mauricio shook his head.
“It exists.””
I looked at him.
“Where?””
He hesitated.
Then said:
“Inside you.””
I left the office before either man could say anything else.
I needed air.
I needed distance.
Mostly, I needed to think.
Because my entire life had changed in forty-eight hours.
I had gone from planning a honeymoon to uncovering a conspiracy connected to my dead father.
I had gone from believing I was loved to realizing I had been selected.
But one thing kept bothering me.
My father.
Why had he hidden something from me?
Why had he trusted Sebastian instead?
Why had he left me without answers?
I drove to the old house where I grew up.
It had been empty for years.
I rarely came here.
Too many memories.
Too much pain.
But tonight, I needed something.
Anything.
When I unlocked the door, the smell of dust and old wood greeted me.
The house was exactly the same.
The piano in the corner.
The bookshelf.
The old photographs.
I walked through each room slowly.
Then I entered my father’s office.
The room nobody had touched.
Not even after his death.
I sat at his desk.
For years, I thought this place represented loss.
Now it felt like a message waiting to be discovered.
I opened drawers.
Nothing.
Books.
Documents.
Old pens.
Nothing.
Then I remembered something.
A strange habit my father had.
Whenever he wanted to hide something, he never used locks.
He used memories.
I looked around.
A painting.
A clock.
A bookshelf.
Then I saw it.
A small wooden box behind an old row of books.
My hands trembled as I pulled it out.
Inside was a letter.
My name was written on the front.
*For Valeria.*
I sat down.
My father’s handwriting.
After all these years.
I opened it.
The first line made my heart stop.
My dear Valeria,
If you are reading this, it means someone finally came looking for what I left behind.
I covered my mouth.
I continued.
I wanted to tell you the truth myself, but I failed to protect you from the world I entered.
My eyes filled.
The people searching for this information will not stop. They will use money, power, and even love to reach you.
I stopped.
Love.
The word felt like a knife.
Then I read the next sentence.
If a man named Mauricio Ortega ever comes into your life, do not trust the story he tells you.
My heart froze.
The letter shook in my hands.
My father knew.
He knew Mauricio’s name.
Before I ever met him.
I kept reading.
But remember this, Valeria: Mauricio is not the person you should fear most.
I turned the page.
There was only one final sentence.
And it changed everything.
The person who will betray you is someone you already trust.
My phone suddenly rang.
I jumped.
Unknown number.
I answered without thinking.
A familiar voice spoke.
Not Mauricio.
Not Sebastian.
A voice I had heard only once.
Esteban Ortega.
“Did you find your father’s letter?””
My blood turned cold.
“How do you know where I am?””
A quiet laugh.
“Because, Valeria…”
The line crackled.
“…you still don’t understand.””
I stood.
“Understand what?””
His answer was almost a whisper.
“That your father didn’t hide the Archive from us.””
May you like
A pause.
“He hid it from you.””
