That night didn't end there.
The Prosecutor's Office seized Sergio's phone, Renata's purse, and the folder belonging to the alleged notary. In the Lomas house, they found tools with traces of brake fluid in the utility room. They also found deleted messages between Sergio and Renata.
In one of them, Renata had written:
“If he doesn’t sign, the curve will sort it out.”
In another, Sergio replied:
“Then you can cry in the hospital. I’ll take care of the child.”
Attorney Gálvez didn't have to exaggerate anything. The truth was worse than any accusation.
The supposed notary wasn't even a notary. He was a fixer hired to submit forged documents with Valeria's fingerprint, taking advantage of the fact that she couldn't defend herself.
For weeks, Valeria continued in rehabilitation.
He learned to hold a spoon again.
Walking with assistance.
To pronounce sentences without his entire chest hurting.
But the hardest part wasn't recovering the body.
It was looking at Mateo and understanding how much he had seen.
A nine-year-old boy shouldn't know what a will was. He shouldn't have hidden a cell phone under his pillow to record conversations. He shouldn't have pretended to be calm in front of two adults who wanted to make him disappear.
One afternoon, as the physiotherapist was leaving the room, Mateo sat down next to her.
—Sorry, Mom.
Valeria frowned.
-Because?
—Because I couldn't wake you up earlier.
She raised her hand with effort and touched his cheek.
—You woke me up, my love.
—But I was afraid.
—Even the brave get scared.
Matthew lowered his head.
—I thought that if you opened your eyes, they were going to hurt you.
Valeria took a deep breath.
—You saved my life because you knew how to wait for the right moment.
The boy hugged her carefully, as if he were afraid of breaking her.
Valeria closed her eyes.
That time it wasn't darkness.
It was a break.
Months later, the trial began in Mexico City.
Sergio arrived in a gray suit, with a downcast gaze and a desperate defense. He said that Renata manipulated him. That he was confused. That he loved his wife.
Renata stated the opposite. She said that Sergio had planned everything out of greed and that she only helped him because he promised her a share.
They destroyed each other.
The recording of the room, the messages, the brake inspection and Mateo's testimony were sufficient.
When the judge heard the boy recount how his father told him that his mother was an empty shell, the entire courtroom fell silent.
Mateo did not cry.
