Chapter 6 - The Woman Outside My Daughter's RoomThe hospital corridor was almost empty when I heard footsteps approaching my room.
I assumed it was Javier.
I was wrong.
Elena Ruiz stood in the doorway, holding a folder against her chest.
She was a small woman in her forties with neatly arranged hair and a nervous smile. I had met her only a handful of times, always in Carmen's company.
“Laura,” she said softly. “I'm sorry to disturb you.”
I pressed the call button beside my bed.
“What are you doing here?”
“I came to check on the baby.”
“You shouldn't be here.”
Her smile faltered.
“I understand that you're upset, but I think we need to talk.”
I stared at her.
“You're the woman my husband was discussing with his brother.”
Her face went pale.
“So you know.”
“Know what?”
Elena closed the door behind her.
She approached my bed and placed the folder on the small table.
“I've worked for the Méndez family for twelve years. I know what Carmen has done, and I know what she's capable of.”
“Then tell the police.”
“I can't.”
“Why not?”
“Because she has documents with my signature. If she goes down, she'll make certain I go down with her.”
I felt a surge of anger.
“So you came to the hospital to ask me to protect you?”
“No.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I came because I can't live with what happened to you.”
She opened the folder.
Inside were bank statements, copies of company invoices, and several printed emails.
The first email had been sent by Carmen six months earlier.
The trust must be neutralized before the child becomes a legal beneficiary.
Another message followed.
If the pregnancy ends naturally, we avoid unnecessary complications. If it doesn't, we must make certain Laura is considered unstable and incapable of raising the child.
My fingers went cold.
I read the words again.
She hadn't written that she would hurt me.
She hadn't ordered anyone to push me.
But she had made plans to discredit me before our daughter was even born.
“Why are you showing me this?”
“Because Carmen has already begun the next part.”
“What next part?”
Elena looked toward the door.
“She intends to petition for temporary guardianship of your daughter.”
I stared at her.
“She's the one who caused the accident!”
“She'll say it was your fault. She has been collecting statements from people who believe you're emotionally unstable.”
“That is a lie.”
“I know.”
“Then help me prove it.”
Elena hesitated before removing a small memory card from her pocket.
“I copied files from Carmen's computer. There are recordings, financial records, and a document she hasn't shown anyone.”
“What document?”
“A draft of a guardianship application. It claims you have a history of self-harm and that Javier has doubts about your ability to care for the baby.”
I felt as if the walls were closing in.
“Javier would never sign that.”
“He hasn't. But Carmen has been pressuring him for months, telling people he was considering leaving you.”
I shook my head.
“She wants to take my daughter.”
Elena lowered her gaze.
“Yes.”
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
Then I noticed a small red mark on Elena's wrist.
It looked like a fingerprint bruise.
“Did she do that to you?”
Elena pulled her sleeve down.
“Please don't ask me that.”
“She's been hurting you too.”
Her eyes filled with tears, but she refused to answer.
I reached for the folder.
“I'm giving this to the police.”
Elena nodded.
“There's one more thing.”
She took a breath.
“The night you fell, Carmen called me. She asked me to prepare a document transferring certain company assets before midnight. She said there was no time to waste.”
“Why midnight?”
“Because the transfer needed to be completed before your daughter was formally registered as a beneficiary.”
The room seemed to go silent.
Our daughter had been born hours earlier.
The trust was already changing.
Carmen was racing against time.
Suddenly, the door opened.
A nurse stepped inside.
“Mrs. Méndez, there's a visitor asking to see the baby.”
I looked toward the doorway.
“Who?”
The nurse glanced at her tablet.
“Carmen Méndez. She says she's the grandmother.”
My blood froze.
“Don't let her in,” I said.
The nurse hesitated.
“She says she has authorization from the family.”
I turned toward Elena.
But Elena had gone white.
She was staring at the folder on my table as though she'd seen a ghost.
May you like
Then she whispered something I would never forget.
“She already has the papers.”
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