Chapter 7 - The Black Folder
Once inside the master bedroom, Natalia firmly locked the heavy wooden door behind her. She walked straight to her expansive walk-in closet and pulled out the largest, most durable suitcase she owned.
Doña Refugio sat heavily on the edge of the king-sized bed, her face buried in her hands, weeping silently so the monsters downstairs wouldn't hear her.
“Please, Natalia,” her mother pleaded through her tears. “Don't ruin your marriage over me. I’m just an old woman. I’ll go back to the village. I won't come back. Just apologize to him.”
Natalia walked over to her massive oak desk and pulled open the bottom drawer.
“I am not ruining anything for you, Mom,” Natalia said, her voice remaining incredibly steady as she began pulling out stacks of documents. “They ruined this marriage a very long time ago. Today, they simply handed me the final, undeniable proof that I needed to end it.”
She didn't pack clothes, shoes, or jewelry. She began systematically filing essential paperwork into the suitcase.
She packed the original property deeds to the house. She packed the purchase contracts for both vehicles. She packed five years' worth of bank statements, utility bills, insurance policies, and wire transfer receipts. She packed the corporate documents for her architectural firm, securing the digital banking tokens in a zippered pouch.
Finally, she reached into the very back of a hidden compartment and pulled out a thick, heavy black folder. It was a folder Javier had casually assumed was lost during their last office reorganization. He had no idea what was inside it.
Doña Refugio watched her daughter move with terrifying, calculated precision. “What are you going to do, my child?”
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Natalia zipped the heavy suitcase shut with a sharp, final zzzziiip.
“I am going to do exactly what I should have done the very first time they made you feel small.”
