Chapter 4: The Secret Basement
Chapter 4: The Secret Basement
Sleep became impossible.
Before sunrise, Mariana followed an old floor plan she had secretly photographed from the library.
According to the blueprint, a storage room beneath the mansion no longer officially existed.
Yet a hidden staircase remained.
She unlocked the rusted door.
Cold air drifted upward.
The basement was filled with dusty furniture and forgotten boxes.
Then she found shelves packed with medical records.
Every diagnosis had been altered.
Every prescription rewritten.
Every hospital recommendation ignored.
One locked cabinet remained.
She forced it open.
Inside sat dozens of unopened letters.
All addressed to Doña Consuelo.
Some were nearly five years old.
Family members had never stopped writing.
She had simply never received their words.
At the bottom of the cabinet rested a leather notebook.
Camila's handwriting covered every page.
Meals skipped.
Medication reduced.
Visitors denied.
Body weight tracked weekly.
It wasn't neglect.
It was a carefully documented plan.
Suddenly the basement lights went out.
May you like
Footsteps echoed in complete darkness.
Someone had locked the door.
