A MONTH LATER While she was in her office, Valeria laughed with her trustman at the plans she had to implement with the farmers next year and milk them with his work to double the earnings of that year, but this time she had in mind reducing the salaries of the farmers, Tomas and Valeria were laughing while drinking of their glasses of wine. They were good friends, but above all, they were partners when it came to the same dirty business that Valeria had done and Tomas by her side, accompanying her. “I can’t stop thinking about the moment when my grandson is born. It’s going to be the best thing that could happen to this family, especially me.” She said while relaxing her posture. “Just wait a little longer, my lady. Just a little longer.”“What has the doctor told you? How is the baby doing inside of her?”“The baby is perfectly okay, my lady. I hope you can see him or her in less than 6 months and of course, have them here.” “In that way I will be able to get the fortune of my
THREE MONTHS LATER Two months had passed since the moment Valeria started bothering her son with the same thing: he had to be married to a powerful and capable woman by the time his son was born. And one month had passed for the world to meet the new wife of Zein Valladolid. Erika wasn’t capable of signing the documents of her divorce, so Valeria and Tomas took care of it. Countless times Zein had claimed to be him the one to ask her if she wanted to divorce him, but Valeria made sure that the few times he went to see her she looked like a damn crazy. The door of the room with sponges on the walls opened in front of his eyes. Zein came in with his heart broken. She was there, in the same corner of the room. This time she looked different, it seemed like the pregnancy was doing something good for her. Even with the face full of wounds and scars, the hair like a bird’s nest and the skin of the hands hardened, she looked pretty with that little belly of seven months of pregnancy. Zein
After some minutes of having taken care of the newborn and Erika passed out, Valeria was informed that the baby was perfectly okay, he was a healthy boy despite being born one month earlier, but needed to be taken care of by a pediatrician. Valeria didn’t want to risk anything, so as soon as the baby was ready, she asked the doctor to give him to her, she called the best pediatrician of the town meanwhile. In the room where Erika had been brought, she slowly woke up, her hand touched her belly. Her big belly had disappeared, that made her wake up right away. Her hands touched her abdomen over and over, looked around like her belly was going to be found over there, tears ran down her cheeks, but there was no signal of the baby she fed for 8 months. “My baby? My baby? Where are you, my little baby?” She started asking. “My baby… My baby! Where are you?! Where are you, my baby?!” She started screaming like a crazy woman while pulling her hair and getting up the bed. The pain no longe
“Look at those little dimples! Look at him! He’s so beautiful, Valeria! I really can't believe this is your grandson.” One of the guests congratulated her. Valeria, leg-crossed and a glass of wine in her right hand, smiled, feeling proud of the little baby that was in the arms of one of her guests, important people, of course.“Yes, I know he’s beautiful.” “Paty and your son have to be really happy, right? I can’t believe your son finally met someone worth it. Not like his past marriage. It had to be complicated, right? Imagine being married to the woman who killed many people.” Valeria smiled. Everyone had bought it and there was nothing that made her happier.“Yes, I think that woman doesn’t deserve our thoughts, right?” “Yes, of course, sorry, I shouldn’t have reminded you of that woman.” “Don’t worry. The most important thing is that you are here to meet my grandson. He’s going to be the next heir.”“Come on, Valeria, he’s a newborn. I swear he doesn’t even know what family h
More than one year had gone by and Antonio's life hadn't changed at all. He was the same incapable man who had never acted without the permission of his mother because if he acted on his own he felt like he was already failing, like he felt the day he didn't have the guts to stand up for the woman he said he loved countless times. Maybe, from that point he became a miserable man, someone who was never ready to be a father and above all, he declared that if only that baby had been born his life would have been different. No one in the town believed in any single of his words, everyone mocked him, they even laughed at his own face. If it hadn't been for him, Valeria would be seen as powerful and someone no one should be crossed with -and it was kinda true-, but for now she was just seen as a powerful woman with just one of her two sons capable of taking care of the business that gave the farmers jobs.Drinking in the bar, Antonio couldn’t stop laughing at everything. His life was as mis
She indeed was willing to do anything in order to save Marcos. He had gotten out of there. He couldn’t leave her like that, just planning a revenge, but never be able to see that concluded. Destiny couldn’t take him from her in such a way. Marcos knew so many things, and Erika knew he was the only one who could understand her pain, her sorrow, her tears and her hatred. “What happened to him?” The old man asked. “A man stabbed him.” “What? How? And how do you two get out of the hospital? It was impossible.” Erika looked at the man going back and forth with a bowl and towels to help Marcos. Erika wanted to ask many things: how did they meet? Why did the old man know so much about Marcos? Was he so important to the old man? If so, why did he let him almost die in that horrible hospital?Suddenly, the door of the wooden house opened, calling the attention of Erika right away. In front of her there was a little girl, Erika could bet on her life that the girl wasn’t even 6 years old. S
TWO WEEKS LATER Two weeks had gone by since the moment Marcos and Erika had started their journey to that place he had promised to her everything was going to change and a new life would be waiting for her. Nothing had been really easy, they hid from many people, they never felt comfortable staying in the hotels, Marcos had to use another fake name to get to the only one who could help him and send him money to travel, together with fake IDs. Erika trusted him. That was why he felt the need to never let her know and protect her. Their journey had just started. Maybe, if only they had known Valeria thought they were dead, Marcos and Erika had never felt that feeling in their hearts of wanting to run away every time someone stared at them for more than 5 seconds. They hadn't even had the time to share their thoughts, their miserable lives or any other thing that could let them know where they were going. To be honest, it was something Marcos didn’t want to worry yet since it was still
Hours, days, months, months that made years, years that felt like a lifetime, that was how time went by for the Valladolid family, Marcos, Alice, Charles and of course, Amelia. Marcos and Alice had to fix many things to bring Amelia back again, but it wasn’t anything that moment couldn’t solve. In those years, Marcos was able to become one of the most successful businessmen in the field. Of course they were still away from the Valladolid family, and that was exactly what was planned, they needed to stay away for some time until the rumors could reach Valeria and Zein’s ears about a successful man who was making his way to the most important people in the country. By his side it was Alice, Charles and Erika as Amelia, slowly she got used to her new life, her new name and her new identity. The first days weren’t easy for her since she felt like she was stealing the life of someone else who didn’t deserve to die to bring another person in her place, but she also was explained that Amelia
When Marcos and Amelia arrived at the place where Ethan was with all the policemen, Amelia could see that part of the forest was completely faced off. The tears came to her eyes immediately. She was already imagining everything after Celine had told her what she had seen. Special people were there to study the case. “Ethan!” Marcos greeted. “Ethan, did you find something?” Amelia insisted. Ethan sighed, and then nodded. “Yes, yes, Amelia, we found what we were looking for. I’m afraid Celine was right. Everything was found as she declared.”Amelia’s heart broke. Of course she was already expecting those words, but she still had hope that her father hadn’t died in such a way. His body was there, like any other animal’s corpse. What crime did he commit to end up like that?Marcos grabbed her by her arms and made her stay on her feet. It was terrible what she had heard, that was why he kept by her side. “Can I see the place where… where… where you… found my father’s remains?” Ethan j
All of a sudden the main door opened abruptly. The people Amelia and Marcos had sent with Patricia to take care of her kept her company. Marcos and Amelia turned around after they separated from each other, Amelia with a smile on her face, but that smile went off when she noticed that Patricia was crying and trying to talk. Not a word came out of her mouth by itself. It was like Patricia had to make a bigger effort to force the words out of her mouth. “What’s going on, Patricia? What’s going on? Did you run into her? Valeria? Zein? Tell me!” Amelia insisted. Patricia shook her head. “No, Amelia. It’s something worse.” “What? What are you talking about? My son?! It’s my son?! Come on! Talk to me! Is he okay? Where’s he? Tell me he’s fine! Patricia, talk to me!” Amelia screamed. Imagining that her son could be dead was killing her. “I’m sorry, Amelia, but Zein…” “Zein what?! Talk to me now!” Amelia screamed with tears in her eyes.“Zein and Valeria took your son away. He’s no longe
THE FOLLOWING DAY As Patricia had declared last night, she wanted to help Amelia and Marcos in any way she could. She made Amelia aware of the things that might come once Amelia revealed the truth. That night no one had slept. They were just talking about the things that were happening in the Hacienda Valladolid and the plans the Muriel family had to go against them. Also, Patricia got to know Celine, surprisingly Patricia recognized her as a girl who had arrived at the Hacienda some years ago, asking for help to bury her father. Patricia saw the way Valeria treated her, Valeria mocked her and said something about the man who had died, something like he deserved such a thing after being the one who decided to talk back to her and try to convince people that she wasn’t any good woman, she wanted to take advantage from them, and when Celine asked for a little help, Valeria gave it to her out of mocking. Now that Amelia knew she could trust Patricia, she opened up and told her that she
VALLADOLID HACIENDAAt the bar of the Hacienda, Zein couldn’t stop drinking. He was so lost in what he had discovered that morning that he didn’t find any other way to drown his sorrow. In his mind he thought he could get back on time and fix his mistakes. He loved Erika Beltran. He was never going to forget how he met her and what he thought when he saw her for the first time. The Beltran family had arrived at the meeting; they were the first ones in the meeting room when Zein and his lawyer arrived. Zein was so pissed off. He had just arrived in the country and the first thing that received him were problems, problems and more problems. His mother was never going to stop that. And she and only she herself had been the cause for what Zein decided to study abroad and now that the time to lead the whole Valladolid company had arrived, he just wanted to run away. By that time the alcohol problems of his brother had just started. Zein insisted his mother take him with a specialist, but
HACIENDA VALLADOLID When Patricia arrived at the Hacienda, she got out of her car and without parking well, she came into the Hacienda and went directly to her room, but what she didn’t know was that someone had followed her there. Thomas. When Thomas saw that Patricia got out of her car, Thomas stopped behind her car and linked her lips. It seemed like his moment had arrived after so long. If only she knew how much that pervert man had waited for Patricia, she would’ve run away from the mere beginning. In her room, Patricia was rushing to get the most things she could at that moment. Her plan was easy, she wanted to see Amelia and tell her what she had seen when the little boy fell off the horse. Patricia was sure that it had been a plan of Valeria, it hadn’t been the first time she had seen her act like that, the worst part was that this time Valeria had decided to act against her own grandson. Suddenly, all that love she felt for the little boy, the concern, the care, the way sh
When Valeria walked down the hallway, she looked around to see if Thomas was around. Her neck was bleeding. At the waiting room, she saw her son Zein with his head down. When she thought she could turn around because she thought her son hadn’t seen her, she heard his voice. “Mother?”“Oh, Zein!” She expressed again, turning around. “Mother, where have you been? I thought you wanted to see my son. Patricia is with him now.” “Oh, of course I want to see him.” Valeria put on a fake smile. “Mother, are you okay? I see that you’re not… Oh! My Goddess!” Zein’s eyes widened when he saw blood in his mother’s neck. “What happened to you?! Mom, are you okay? How did this happen to you?”“It’s nothing, Zein.” “No, let me see. You’re bleeding.” “It’s nothing, Zein.” “Mother, please.” “Zein!”All of a sudden someone clearing her throat called for their attention. Zein looked at Patricia with pain in his eyes while Valeria gave her a killing gaze. She hadn’t had the time to face her and cla
When Marcos was out of the room where Amelia was resting, he communicated to the people who were taking care of Celine. He even spoke with her. When Alice tried to take Celine away, and she said that she wanted to stay with the people who gave her a new identity and a new life where she could be someone, Celine said that the only way she had to show her loyalty to the people who helped her was why staying with them, helping them in any way she could and be a friend and the sister where they could find peace, even if it was for a brief moment. “How are you doing, Celine?” Marcos asked. “Marcos, I’m fine. But tell me how Amelia's baby is doing? Is he okay? Is she okay?” Marcos didn’t know what to answer. “Marcos?” She insisted. “Have you said something? Can you repeat it? I think the device didn’t catch your words.” Marcos smiled. “I was saying that she’s okay. Her son is also doing okay.” “Can I talk to her?” “Celine, I think this is not the right moment. She’s a little nervous
With tears in her eyes, the heart beating faster and her blood boiling inside of her, Amelia arrived at the hospital where Valeria said her son was. Marcos, always by her side, kept her company. She just needed to know about her son, for what Valeria had told her it was clear that her son wasn’t okay. No one could understand what had happened with the little boy. The truth was that if the only way Erika had to bring back her son’s health was by saying the truth, who she was, what she wanted and above all, if someone asked her to forgive Valeria in order to live the life she still had ahead with her son, with no doubt she would do it. As soon as her eyes saw Valeria, Zein and Patricia in the waiting room, something inside of her forced her to go against Valeria and Zein and also Patricia and force them to say what had happened. Deep inside she wanted to blame everyone in her list just to give herself more reasons to finish them off and when they were begging for their lives, not havi
FAMILY MURIEL’S HACIENDA By the time Marcos and Amelia had started making changes in the town, many other things started to come to light, like the crimes the Valladolid family had committed. It was also too soon to prove that she had been the cause for Charles’ death. Maybe that was going to take a little longer to reveal. Police had also started to change, since Ethan arrived at the town, he became the authority that town had never had since Valeria Valladolid seemed to be the chosen one to lead the lives of all those people there. Ethna and Marcos had worked side by side to draw conclusions. The farmers working with the Muriel family and the people in the club had started seeing the first changes. Everyone was happy with her. They started agreeing with her on every change she wanted to make. She had also shown that she wasn’t ready to work without the permission of the people in the town, she wanted everyone to agree with her, and if there were people who had better ideas, she wou