Chapter 5 - The Innocent Victim
Renata was shaking violently, clutching the fabric of Mauricio’s suit jacket.
"Daddy," Renata whimpered, her bald head resting against his chest. "Is Grandma the monster?"
"What do you mean, sweetheart?" Mauricio asked gently, his heart shattering into a million pieces.
Renata took a shaky breath. "Grandma gives me the special tea now. Just like she gave Mommy. She says it will make my hair grow back. But it just makes my stomach hurt really bad. I poured it in the sink this morning."
The entire kitchen went dead silent. The realization hit Mauricio like a physical blow.
Renata didn't have cancer.
The grueling chemotherapy, the hair loss, the constant sickness—it was all a massive, horrifying lie. Carmen had been slowly poisoning her own six-year-old granddaughter with a lower dose of the same toxin she used on Elena, intentionally causing symptoms that mimicked a severe illness.
Carmen was keeping Renata sick so she could justify draining the massive medical trust fund to pay for "experimental treatments" that were actually just massive wire transfers into her own failing real estate accounts.
She was slowly murdering the child for cash.
Mauricio slowly stood up to his full, towering height. His dark gray suit caught the warm holiday lighting, but his eyes were blacker than midnight.
"You poisoned my daughter," Mauricio whispered lethally.
Carmen backed away, hyperventilating, her elegant burgundy dress swishing against the marble floor. "Mauricio, she was sick! I was trying to cure her! The doctors didn't know what they were talking about!"
"You are going to burn in hell," Mauricio stated, completely devoid of human empathy.
May you like
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone.
👉 What desperate, violent move will the cornered grandmother make?
