Chapter 10 - THE ARCHIVE
We did not hack anything.
By evening, the archive was locked from deletion.
That did not make Rosa quiet.
She called my mother.
My mother, Sofia, answered because she did not recognize the number.
“You raised a dangerous woman,” Rosa told her. “My son could be scarred because of Elena.”
My mother said, “And you raised a man who hits women.”
Then she hung up.
I cried for the first time.
Not because I wanted Diego back.
The next morning, Nadia received a copy of the preserved stream through formal legal channels connected to the dispute.
We watched it in her conference room.
The audio continued beyond the slap.
My bowl hit the table.
Diego screamed.
Rosa shouted.
Then came the ceramic crash.
And after I went upstairs, the microphone kept recording.
Mateo forgot his stream was still live.
Rosa’s voice came through clearly.
“You idiot! You were supposed to scare her, not mark her face!”
Diego: “She pushed me too far.”
Rosa: “Well, now we have the soup. Take pictures before you wash anything off.”
Mateo laughed nervously. “Does this help with the prenup thing?”
My heart stopped.
Diego said, “Shut up.”
Rosa answered him.
“It helps if she looks unstable. We just need her signature before she gets smart.”
No one in Nadia’s conference room moved.
Then another voice appeared in the recording.
A man I did not recognize.
Tinny, through speakerphone.
“Get the consent signed by Friday,” he said. “After that, the lender starts asking questions.”
Nadia paused the recording.
“Who is that?”
I shook my head.
She replayed the voice.
And then I remembered where I had heard it.
May you like
At my wedding.
He was the man Diego introduced as his family’s financial adviser.
