Chapter 10 - The Fake Messages
Elena brought in a digital forensics specialist named Mateo.
He studied the screenshots for less than five minutes.
"These aren't exports from a phone," he said. "They're images made to look like messages."
"Can you prove that?"
"Probably. The font spacing is wrong, and the timestamp format doesn't match your device settings. But I want the original file Mauricio submitted."
By Friday afternoon, he had it.
The metadata pointed to a laptop registered to Mauricio's company.
He had created the images himself.
That should have made me feel safer.
Instead, it made me angry enough to stop shaking.
Mauricio called that evening from an unknown number.
"Laura, this has gone too far."
"You forged texts."
"My lawyer did that formatting."
"Your laptop created them."
Silence.
Then he changed tactics.
"Drop the fraud complaint and I'll give you the house in the divorce."
"The house is half mine already."
"I'll also take responsibility for my mother's debt."
"You already did. With my name."
His voice dropped.
"Rivas isn't someone you want angry."
"Is that a threat?"
"It's a warning."
"Good. I recorded it."
He hung up.
Ten minutes later, Camila shouted from the front room.
Someone had thrown a brick through her window.
Wrapped around it was a piece of paper.
PAY WHAT YOUR HUSBAND OWES.
For the first time, I understood that Mauricio's lies had not only put my property at risk.
They had brought dangerous people to my sister's door.
May you like
Camila wanted to pick up the brick. I stopped her and called the police instead. While we waited, I stood in her living room staring at the broken glass scattered across the floor. My sister had nothing to do with Mauricio's company, Ofelia's debts, or my apartment. Yet now she was sweeping danger out of her own home because my husband had decided secrets were easier than consequences.
That was the moment my fear hardened into something cleaner. I was done negotiating with lies.
