Chapter 8 - The Man I Trusted
The surgical room was already prepared.
A narrow operating table stood beneath a bright surgical lamp.
Monitors were switched on.
Sterile instruments were arranged in perfect rows.
And beside the table stood the one person I had believed could save my wife.
Lucía Ramos.
The nurse from Clínica Santa Aurelia.
The woman who had warned me about B-17.
The woman who had told me my wife was alive.
The woman who had given me the room number.
She looked at me.
Her eyes filled with tears.
“Julián…”
I stopped.
Mariana gripped my arm.
“No.”
Lucía took one step toward us.
“I can explain.”
I stared at her.
“You led us here.”
“I was trying to protect you.”
“By bringing us into a surgical room?”
“I had no choice.”
Behind us, footsteps echoed through the corridor.
Ofelia was coming.
Renato too.
Maybe Dr. Varela.
Maybe all of them.
I stepped in front of Mariana.
“Stay away from her.”
Lucía shook her head.
“Listen to me. If you don't put her on that table, they'll take her somewhere worse.”
Mariana's breathing became faster.
“You lied to us.”
“I lied because they were watching.”
“Who?”
Lucía looked toward the ceiling camera.
“They have cameras everywhere.”
I glanced at the black lens above the door.
“Then speak.”
She swallowed.
“The room is being monitored.”
“By whom?”
She didn't answer.
I moved closer.
“Who ordered this?”
Lucía's eyes moved toward Mariana.
“Your mother-in-law.”
Ofelia's footsteps grew louder.
Mariana closed her eyes.
“She wants the baby.”
Lucía nodded.
“She has wanted the baby for months.”
I looked at the operating table.
“What are they planning?”
Lucía's voice dropped.
“A premature delivery.”
My blood ran cold.
“She is seven months pregnant.”
“I know.”
“They can't just take the baby.”
“They don't intend to.”
“What does that mean?”
Lucía looked at Mariana.
“They intend to make it look like a medical emergency.”
Mariana whispered:
“No.”
I felt rage rising inside me.
“You're saying they are going to hurt her.”
“Yes.”
“And the baby?”
Lucía hesitated.
“They want Alma alive.”
I stared at her.
“Then why risk Mariana?”
“Because Mariana knows too much.”
The footsteps were almost at the door.
I looked around the room.
“Is there another exit?”
Lucía nodded.
“Behind the surgical cabinet.”
Daniel immediately moved toward it.
“Then open it.”
Lucía didn't move.
“It's locked.”
“Then unlock it.”
“I don't have the key.”
Daniel looked at her.
“You're lying.”
She flinched.
Before anyone could say more, the surgical room door slammed open.
Ofelia entered.
Renato was behind her.
Dr. Varela followed.
Two security men stood in the corridor.
Ofelia looked at Mariana.
Then at me.
“You've made this unnecessarily difficult.”
I stepped backward.
“You tried to cremate my wife.”
“You misunderstand.”
“No.”
I pointed at her.
“You forged my signature.”
“You were not available.”
“You kidnapped her.”
“She was transferred for treatment.”
“You locked her underground.”
“For her safety.”
I laughed bitterly.
“You expect me to believe that?”
Ofelia's expression hardened.
“You should have listened when I told you to stay away.”
Mariana stepped forward.
“Why are you doing this?”
Ofelia looked at her daughter.
For a moment, something almost maternal appeared in her eyes.
Then it vanished.
“Because you ruined everything.”
Mariana stared at her.
“What did I ruin?”
“Your father spent his entire life building this.”
“What?”
“Our family.”
Mariana shook her head.
“You destroyed our family.”
Ofelia's face tightened.
“You have no idea what your father sacrificed.”
“My father died because of you.”
“No.”
Ofelia looked toward Isabella.
“Because of her.”
Isabella stepped into the room.
“You're still blaming me.”
“You should have stayed away.”
“I came back for my daughter.”
“You came back too late.”
Mariana looked between them.
“Enough.”
Her voice was weak.
But everyone stopped.
She looked at Ofelia.
“Tell me the truth.”
Ofelia didn't answer.
“Tell me why you wanted my baby.”
Silence.
Then Ofelia said:
“Because your daughter can save thousands of lives.”
Mariana stared at her.
“Not like this.”
“You don't understand.”
“I understand enough.”
“You think I'm a monster.”
Mariana's eyes filled with tears.
“You tried to make me disappear.”
“I tried to prevent you from destroying everything your father built.”
“You mean the experiments.”
Ofelia looked away.
That was answer enough.
I stepped toward her.
“How many women?”
She didn't respond.
“How many?”
Dr. Varela interrupted.
“Enough.”
I looked at him.
“Enough for what?”
He rubbed his face.
“For us to know this cannot continue.”
Ofelia turned sharply.
“Esteban.”
He looked at her.
“I am done.”
Everyone froze.
“You don't get to quit.”
“I already did.”
Renato stepped toward him.
“You'll regret that.”
Dr. Varela reached into his coat.
I expected a weapon.
Instead, he pulled out a small key.
He tossed it to me.
“Cabinet.”
I caught it.
Lucía immediately moved toward the surgical cabinet.
She inserted the key.
The lock opened.
Behind it was a narrow metal door.
Daniel pulled it open.
A stairway descended.
I looked at Mariana.
“We're leaving.”
She nodded.
We moved.
Renato lunged forward.
Daniel blocked him.
They crashed into a metal table.
In the confusion, Lucía grabbed Mariana's hand.
“Come on.”
We rushed into the stairwell.
I stayed beside Mariana.
Isabella followed.
Daniel came last.
Behind us, Ofelia shouted:
“Stop them!”
The door slammed shut.
We ran down.
The stairs seemed endless.
Mariana was struggling to breathe.
I caught her around the waist.
“Slow down.”
“We can't.”
“You're going to hurt yourself.”
“If we stop, they take Alma.”
She was right.
We kept moving.
At the bottom was another corridor.
This one had no lights.
Daniel switched on his flashlight.
“Where does this go?”
“Old service tunnel,” Isabella said.
“How do you know?”
“I built the first section.”
I looked at her.
“You worked here?”
“No.”
She looked toward the darkness.
“I escaped through it.”
We moved forward.
Then we heard something.
A faint cry.
I stopped.
“Did you hear that?”
Mariana looked at me.
“What?”
Again.
A soft sound.
Like a baby crying.
Daniel raised his flashlight.
“Impossible.”
We followed the sound.
It came from behind a metal door.
I reached for the handle.
Daniel grabbed my arm.
“Wait.”
“Why?”
“Listen.”
We stood still.
The crying stopped.
Then a voice came through the door.
A woman's voice.
Weak.
Terrified.
“Please…”
Mariana covered her mouth.
“Someone is inside.”
I opened the door.
The room was empty.
Except for an old hospital bed.
On it was a stack of medical files.
Daniel rushed inside.
“Don't touch anything.”
I ignored him.
One file had Mariana's name.
Another had Isabella's.
Then I found dozens more.
Women.
Pregnant women.
Each file contained photographs, medical histories, and handwritten notes.
I felt sick.
“These are the research subjects.”
Daniel nodded.
I opened another folder.
A photograph fell out.
A young woman.
Pregnant.
Underneath her picture was a date.
Twenty-five years ago.
Isabella saw it.
Her face changed.
“No.”
“What?”
She took the photograph from my hand.
“This woman.”
She stared at it.
Then whispered:
“She was my sister.”
Mariana looked at her.
“You had a sister?”
Isabella nodded.
“She disappeared before you were born.”
I looked at the files.
“Was she part of the research?”
Isabella's hands began trembling.
“I don't know.”
Daniel opened another folder.
His face went white.
“Isabella.”
She turned.
He held up a document.
“This isn't a research file.”
“What is it?”
“It's a birth record.”
I stepped closer.
The document was old.
Yellowed.
At the top was the name of a private maternity clinic.
Underneath were two newborn entries.
Two female babies.
Same date.
Same mother.
Same father.
I looked at Isabella.
She couldn't move.
Mariana stepped closer.
“What does it say?”
Daniel swallowed.
“One baby was transferred to the Beltrán family.”
I looked at the second entry.
“And the other?”
Daniel's voice dropped.
“Marked as deceased.”
Mariana stared at him.
“Who was the second baby?”
Nobody answered.
Then Isabella looked at Mariana.
Tears streamed down her face.
“Your sister.”
Mariana shook her head.
“I don't have a sister.”
Isabella whispered:
“You do.”
A loud metallic bang came from the corridor.
Everyone turned.
The door behind us had closed.
Then the lights came on.
One by one.
At the far end of the room stood Ofelia.
She was holding a gun.
Her eyes were fixed on Mariana.
“You finally found the file.”
I stepped in front of my wife.
Ofelia smiled.
“But you haven't found the right page yet.”
She raised the weapon.
And behind her, another woman slowly stepped into the light.
Mariana stared at her face.
May you like
Then whispered:
“Why does she look exactly like me?”
