Chapter 3 - The Letter Dated the Night She Vanished
Sofia tore the envelope open with shaking fingers.
Inside was one sheet of paper.
Sofia,
If you're reading this, they finally opened the room.
Do not believe Uncle Rafael when he says I left by choice.
Sofia stopped breathing.
Mara moved closer.
Rafael turned toward the hallway.
"Where are you going?" Sofia demanded.
"To call my attorney."
"Sit down."
He almost laughed. "You don't order me around in my own house."
"Grandfather left this house to all four branches of the family. It's not yours. Sit down."
Sofia kept reading.
I found papers in Dad's office showing money being moved out of the family trust. Millions. I confronted Rafael. He told me I was confused. I wasn't.
Then came the line that made Sofia's hands go numb.
Teresa knows I'm pregnant.
Mara made a small sound.
Sofia looked up at her.
Mara's eyes filled.
"Keep reading."
The baby is not the problem. The papers are. Rafael thinks if I disappear, the questions disappear too. Teresa says she can get me out through the old service passage behind the north wall. If we make it, I will send for you.
If we don't, find the ledger with the red spine.
Trust no one who tells you the cameras were broken that night.
The letter ended with three words.
I love you.
Camila.
Sofia stared at the date.
October 17, 2006.
The night Camila disappeared.
Mara whispered, "My birthday is May eighteenth, 2007."
Seven months later.
Rafael stood suddenly.
"This is ridiculous. A forged letter and a resemblance? That's your evidence?"
Mara turned toward him. "My grandmother never told me my mother's name. She only said my mother had been taken from me before I could remember her."
A crash sounded downstairs.
Then another.
Sofia went to the hallway railing.
The security alarm screamed.
From below, a man shouted, "Fire in the archive room!"
May you like
Rafael didn't look surprised.
He looked relieved.
