Chapter 5 - The Shadow of the Past
Three weeks had passed since the raid at Pedregal.
The media circus surrounding the Santillán family had finally begun to cool down, replaced by new political scandals in the capital. Doña Regina was currently being held in a high-security cell at the Santa Martha Acatitla women's prison, awaiting her trial for attempted murder, with no possibility of bail.
In the quiet suburb of Coyoacán, nestled behind high whitewashed walls covered in bougainvillea, stood a charming colonial house that Mateo had quietly purchased under Valeria’s name. It wasn't a mansion, but it was spacious, warm, and filled with natural sunlight.
Valeria sat on a rocking chair on the rear patio, cradling a fast-asleep Sofia against her shoulder. The faint scent of orange blossoms drifted through the air.
The side gate clicked open, and Mateo walked in carrying a bag of fresh avocados and warm tortillas from the local market. He wore a simple cotton shirt and jeans, looking completely at ease.
"Hey," he smiled, dropping the grocery bag on the patio table and leaning down to kiss Valeria’s lips, then gently kissing Sofia’s soft head. "How was her afternoon nap?"
"She slept for two hours," Valeria smiled, rubbing her daughter's back. "The doctor came by for her three-week checkup. He says her lungs are completely clear and her weight is up to nine pounds."
"Thank God," Mateo breathed, sitting down on the bench beside her, taking Valeria’s hand in his. "And you? How's the incision?"
"It only aches when I laugh too hard at your jokes," she teased softly.
A comfortable silence settled over them, broken only by the chirping of birds in the orange trees. But Valeria noticed a subtle shadow lingering in Mateo’s dark eyes—a tension he was trying hard to hide behind his quiet smile.
"Mateo," she said gently, pressing his knuckles against her cheek. "What's wrong?"
Mateo looked down at their joined hands, letting out a heavy sigh.
"The board of the Santillán Group held an emergency vote yesterday," Mateo said softly. "Because of the corporate fraud scandal Regina created, the company's stock has plummeted forty percent. The main shareholders are threatening to liquidate the entire logistics division—which would put four thousand dockworkers and truck drivers out of work."
Valeria’s brow furrowed. "Four thousand families?"
"Yes," Mateo nodded grimly. "The board offered me the position of Chief Executive Officer. They want me to take full operational control, restructure the debt, and stabilize the company. If I take it, it means spending three days a week in Santa Fe and traveling to the ports in Manzanillo and Veracruz."
He looked into her eyes, his expression filled with deep guilt.
"I promised you we would leave all of this behind, Vale. I promised we would go to Tepoztlán and live a simple life. I don't want to drag you back into that world."
Valeria looked at her husband—a man who had given up a life of unimaginable luxury to live in Iztapalapa, a man who had risked everything to protect her and their child. She saw his honor, his deep sense of responsibility, and the goodness that his mother’s toxicity had never been able to erase.
She reached out, gently cupping his cheek.
"Mateo," she said firmly. "You didn't destroy those families; your mother did. If you can save four thousand people from losing their livelihoods, you have to do it."
"Vale..."
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"We don't need to live in a mansion in Las Lomas to be who we are," Valeria smiled, leaning in to kiss his cheek. "We can live here in Coyoacán. You can do your job, save those workers, and come home every night to sweet bread and hot soup. We are a family, Mateo. Wherever we are together... that's our home."
Mateo stared at her, his heart swelling with an emotion so deep it brought tears to his eyes. He leaned forward, wrapping his arms tightly around Valeria and their sleeping daughter, holding them against his chest as the golden evening sun bathed the courtyard in light.
