"I kissed my wife’s cold forehead inside her coffin… and when I opened her clenched hand, I found a navy-blue button torn off with force. I recognized it immediately. It belonged to my brother Rodrigo’s jacket. My mother went pale and whispered,

Valeria and Diego managed to flee the bank before the police could be called, disappearing into the city's underbelly. With no money, no passports, and no power, they were desperate.

That night, Diego made a fatal mistake. He went to the hospital to threaten Dr. Sofia Vargas, demanding to know if Elena had said anything before she died. He cornered her in the parking garage, pressing a knife to her throat.

"What did she tell Mateo?!" Diego hissed.

Sofia, brave and unyielding, spat in his face. "She told him everything. And she died protecting her baby."

Diego froze. "Baby? The baby died in the womb."

"The baby is perfectly healthy," Sofia lied smoothly, knowing Alba was already safely hidden away. "And she is the sole heir. You lose, Diego."

Diego shoved her to the ground and ran. He immediately called Valeria. If the baby was alive, the child was the key. If they could kidnap the baby, they could ransom her for the estate, or worse.

But I was already three steps ahead.

By the time Diego reached the hospital's neonatal wing with two hired thugs, the incubator was empty. I had already transferred Alba to a secure, private compound in the mountains, guarded by heavily armed men.

My phone buzzed. It was Diego.