Chapter 17 - The Empty Mansion
Those ten days of eviction were an absolute nightmare for Javier’s family. Without Natalia’s credit cards to hire professional movers, they were forced to pack their lives into cheap cardboard boxes themselves.
Security cameras captured the pathetic, chaotic scene. Karla desperately tried to unscrew and steal expensive crystal light fixtures she hadn't paid for. Jimena was caught stuffing guest towels, designer lamps, and the silver cutlery into black trash bags. Mónica spent most of the time crying on the floor because her wealthy fiancé's family had caught wind of the scandal and abruptly canceled their lavish engagement dinner.
Javier paced back and forth through the massive, echoing halls of the mansion like a deposed king evicted from a castle that had never truly belonged to him.
Natalia refused to go to the house to oversee the move. She had no desire to give them the satisfaction of another dramatic scene. She waited patiently at the hotel.
When Elena finally called to confirm the property was completely vacant and the locks had been legally changed, Natalia took her mother to the house the following afternoon.
The silence inside the sprawling mansion was eerie and profound. They walked through the empty rooms, their footsteps echoing off the bare walls. When they reached Jimena’s bedroom, a faint, greasy stain from the shattered French face cream still lingered on the hardwood floor.
Doña Refugio instinctively stepped forward, her hands reaching out. "I can clean that up, Natalia."
"No," Natalia said softly, gently catching her mother's arm. "You never have to clean up their messes again."
They walked down to the living room. The massive, expensive beige rug where Doña Refugio had fallen after the slap was still lying on the floor. Natalia walked over to it, kicked off her shoes, and began rolling the heavy fabric up tightly.
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"That rug is very expensive, my daughter," Doña Refugio noted softly.
"So was my silence, Mom," Natalia replied. Together, they carried the heavy rug out to the curb and threw it into the trash.
