“Are you here to take us away?” he asked.
She hesitated.
“I—I’m here to make sure you’re safe.”
Gabriel nodded slowly.
“We weren’t safe before,” he said.
“We’re safe now.”
Mateo tugged on Elena’s hand.
“She feeds us,” he added.
“And she stays when we cry.”
Lucas crossed his arms.
“Our daddy protects us.”
Daniel whispered the last words:
“Please don’t send us back to the dark box.”
The tablet lowered.
The court officer cleared his throat.
“I think… we’ve heard enough.”
The Fall of a Legacy
The case collapsed within hours.
The estate of Bernarda Vega was frozen.
Her remaining allies vanished overnight.
Sponsors withdrew.
Boards resigned.
Friends pretended they’d never known her.
Alejandro didn’t celebrate.
He didn’t gloat.
