CHAPTER 4 — The Letters She Hid
CHAPTER 4 — The Letters She Hid
My hands trembled as I picked up the tiny envelope.
The paper was wrinkled, its corners bent as if it had been carried in a little pocket for days before someone finally took it away.
Across the front, in uneven purple crayon, were four heartbreaking words.
To Daddy. Love Always.
I looked at my daughters.
"Who wrote this?"
All three raised their hands.
"We all did," Valentina whispered.
"When?"
Sofía counted on her fingers.
"A long time ago."
"Did you give it to me?"
Three small heads nodded.
My throat tightened.
"I never received it."
The girls looked confused.
"We gave it to Miss Vanessa," Camila said softly.
"She said she'd put it in your briefcase."
I slowly turned toward Vanessa.
She didn't speak.
She didn't need to.
The answer was already written across her face.
I opened the letter carefully.
Inside was a single sheet covered with colorful stick figures.
Three little girls.
One tall man holding their hands.
Above the drawing, written in oversized, uneven letters, was a sentence that shattered what remained of my composure.
Daddy, please come eat dinner with us just one time.
Below it, another line.
We saved your chair.
The room blurred.
I realized I was crying before I felt the tears.
Not quiet tears.
The kind that come when regret arrives years too late.
María silently placed a box of tissues beside me.
I couldn't even thank her.
My daughters watched me with frightened eyes.
As though seeing their father cry meant they had done something wrong.
"No."
I knelt in front of them immediately.
"No, no... look at me."
They looked up.
"You didn't make Daddy cry."
"Then why are you crying?" Camila asked.
"Because Daddy made a terrible mistake."
Sofía frowned.
"What mistake?"
"I believed someone else instead of listening to you."
No child should ever have to hear those words.
But they deserved the truth.
"I thought working harder would make your lives better."
Valentina gently touched my cheek.
"We don't like your office."
A weak laugh escaped me through the tears.
"I know."
"We like you."
Those three words carried more value than every company I owned.
James quietly cleared his throat.
"Sir... there is something else."
I looked up.
"What is it?"
He placed another folder in front of me.
"I wasn't sure whether to tell you."
"Tell me now."
"It concerns the security cameras."
Vanessa's expression changed instantly.
"Alejandro, that's unnecessary."
I ignored her.
"What about them?"
James hesitated.
"Several indoor cameras were disconnected."
"When?"
"About eight months ago."
"By whom?"
"They were removed under Miss Vanessa's authorization."
I looked directly at her.
"Why?"
She answered without hesitation.
"For privacy."
"Whose privacy?"
"The family's."
"No."
I shook my head slowly.
"My daughters needed protection."
James continued.
"The cameras in the dining room, playroom, upstairs hallway, and nursery were all disabled."
Only one area had remained active.
The front entrance.
The garage.
The driveway.
Anywhere guests might see.
Anywhere appearances mattered.
I stood.
"Restore every camera tonight."
Vanessa stepped forward.
"You don't trust me?"
I met her eyes.
"No."
The single word echoed through the mansion.
For the first time since our engagement...
there was nothing left to repair.
Just then, María spoke for the first time in several minutes.
"Sir..."
"Yes?"
"There is one room you haven't seen."
"What room?"
She hesitated.
"The triplets' playroom."
Vanessa's face drained of color.
"It's messy."
María looked at me.
"It isn't messy."
"What is it?"
She took a slow breath.
"It's empty."
I frowned.
"Empty?"
"The toys disappeared little by little."
My daughters lowered their heads.
"We weren't allowed to play unless everything stayed perfect," Sofía whispered.
"So Miss Vanessa packed most of them away."
"Where?"
No one answered.
James looked toward the basement.
My heart sank.
Without another word, I started walking toward the stairs.
Behind me, I heard Vanessa's heels following.
"Alejandro, you're making this far bigger than it is."
I didn't turn around.
Because deep inside...
I already knew.
The basement wasn't hiding old toys.
May you like
It was hiding every piece of my daughters' childhood that someone had decided was inconvenient.
And I was about to discover just how much had been taken from them.
