Chapter 4 - Breaking the Shadow
Mrs. Gable bypassed Teresa entirely, walking straight toward the coffee table where little Emiliano was still huddled in the dark space beneath. She didn't lunge or grab; instead, she lowered herself slowly onto the polished floor, making herself as small and non-threatening as possible.
"Hello, Emiliano," she said softly, her voice warm and melodic. "My name is Sarah. I brought something for you. Look."
She reached into her canvas bag and pulled out a small, soft blue blanket embroidered with little stars—something simple, clean, and entirely safe. She placed it gently on the floor just outside the edge of the table and slid it an inch forward.
From my spot near the door, my heart shattered into a million pieces. Emiliano didn't crawl out. He reached out a tiny, trembling hand, hooked his dirty fingers into the fabric of the blanket, and slowly—painfully slowly—dragged it into the shadows with him.
"He's traumatized," Mrs. Gable murmured, looking back at Officer Vance with a grim, tight-lipped expression. She then turned her eyes to Rodrigo, who was hovering nervously by the dining archway. "Mr. Alvarez, your son exhibits classic signs of severe isolation, developmental deprivation, and emotional neglect. You will need to accompany us to the precinct for questioning, along with any medical records you claim to have."
"This is insane!" Paulina shrieked, clutching the mistress's baby closer to her chest as if she feared Bruno would be taken next. "Rodrigo, tell them something! Tell them she's crazy!"
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Rodrigo opened his mouth, but no words came out. He looked at the police badge, at the social worker, at the open suitcase filled with toys on the marble floor, and finally at me. For a split second, I saw a flicker of the man I had married—the ambitious, charming young architect who used to promise me the world. But the illusion dissolved as quickly as it came, replaced by the cowardly stranger who had traded his own flesh and blood for a shallow, fraudulent life.
"Get your coat, Rodrigo," Officer Vance said flatly. "We're leaving."
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