Chapter 5 - The Brother Who Came Back From the DeadJavier and Miguel hadn't spoken since their father's funeral.
The official story was that the brothers had fought over money. Miguel wanted to expand the construction business into another region, while Javier believed the company was taking on too much debt.
The argument had turned ugly.
Miguel had left Valencia, changed his number, and disappeared from the family.
Carmen claimed she knew nothing about his whereabouts.
For seven years, Javier had accepted that explanation.
Now Miguel had reappeared without contacting his brother, and he had gone straight to the family lawyer.
“Maybe he wanted money,” Javier said, pacing the consultation room.
“Maybe,” Isabel replied. “But he didn't request any.”
“Then why did he come?”
“He asked one question.”
“What question?”
The lawyer glanced at me before answering.
“He wanted to know whether the trust would survive if your first child died before birth.”
Silence settled over the room.
Javier looked as if he had been struck.
“He asked that?”
“Yes.”
“And what did you tell him?”
“That the trust wouldn't simply disappear. I told him that the estate had been structured to protect the assets, regardless of that circumstance.”
Javier put both hands on the table.
“Did he mention my mother?”
“No.”
“Did he say why he was asking?”
“No.”
I watched my husband's expression harden.
For the first time, he seemed less frightened than angry.
“Find him,” he said.
Isabel shook her head.
“I'm a lawyer, not a detective. I can provide the contact information he left, but I can't force him to answer.”
She wrote down a number and handed it to Javier.
He called immediately.
The number was disconnected.
He called again.
Nothing.
Then he sent a message.
Miguel, I need to speak with you. Laura and the baby are in danger. If you know anything, call me now.
We waited.
Ten minutes passed.
Then another twenty.
Finally, a reply appeared.
Don't trust Mom. Meet me alone.
The message contained an address on the outskirts of Valencia and a time: eleven that night.
Javier wanted to leave immediately, but I grabbed his hand.
“You aren't going alone.”
“Laura, you need to rest.”
“I've had enough people telling me what I need. If Miguel knows why someone wanted our baby dead, I deserve to hear it.”
His face tightened at my words.
Neither of us wanted to say what we were beginning to suspect.
At eleven, Javier went to the address with a detective's number saved on his phone and instructions to send his location if anything went wrong.
I stayed at the hospital with Isabel Ortega.
She had insisted on remaining nearby because she feared the family dispute might escalate.
At 11:43 p.m., Javier called.
His voice was low and urgent.
“Laura, I found him.”
“Are you okay?”
“For now.”
“What's happening?”
Javier hesitated.
“It's worse than we thought.”
I sat upright despite the pain in my abdomen.
“Tell me.”
“Miguel has copies of financial records. He says Mom has been moving money through companies that don't exist.”
“Why didn't he tell you before?”
“He tried.”
Javier took a breath.
“Seven years ago, he discovered the transfers. He confronted Dad first. Then he went to Mom. She told him Dad was planning to blame him for the missing money.”
“What happened?”
“Dad died before Miguel could prove anything. Mom convinced everyone that Miguel had stolen from the company and run away.”
I felt sick.
The family that had treated me as an outsider had been hiding a financial war for years.
“Where is Miguel now?” I asked.
“Across the street from the address she gave me. He won't come inside because he thinks Mom has people watching him.”
“Does he know about the footage?”
“He does now.”
There was a long silence.
Then Javier said something that made the blood drain from my face.
“Miguel told me Mom knew about the pregnancy before you did.”
I frowned.
“That makes no sense.”
“He said she started looking into the trust months ago. She knew the baby would become a beneficiary.”
“But how could she have known the trust would change?”
“Because Dad's documents spelled it out.”
I looked toward the hospital nursery.
Our daughter was still in intensive care, fighting to breathe.
“Javier,” I whispered, “did Miguel say what your mother planned to do?”
My husband did not answer immediately.
When he finally spoke, his voice had changed.
“He says she wasn't planning to stop at the fall.”
I gripped the phone.
“What does that mean?”
“He found a message on her old computer. It was sent to someone who works at the construction company.”
“Who?”
Javier read the name aloud.
Elena Ruiz.
The company's accountant.
The woman who had prepared our family tax returns.
The woman who had visited our house twice during my pregnancy.
And the same woman who had recently asked Carmen whether I was taking the vitamins prescribed by my doctor.
I suddenly remembered the odd taste of a drink Carmen had insisted I finish one afternoon.
I remembered how dizzy I had felt afterward.
My heart began to race.
“Javier, listen to me. I need you to contact the police right now.”
“I'm already doing that.”
“Don't let anyone near our daughter.”
“I won't.”
But before he could say anything else, I heard a crash through the phone.
May you like
A man's voice shouted.
Then the call went dead.
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