Chapter 2: The Truth Unveiled
The bedroom door opened slowly, and I remained perfectly motionless with my eyes closed and my hands clasped tightly beneath the heavy quilt. I recognized the sharp, synthetic scent of Brian’s cologne, the heavy tobacco aroma of Frank’s cigar, and the labored, wheezing breathing of Victor.
“Did you make sure to turn off her cell phone completely?” my father in law asked in a hushed, urgent tone.
“Yes, it is sitting in her bag in the hallway,” Brian replied, his voice devoid of any genuine affection or concern.
Victor scoffed loudly, clearly unimpressed. “Your little wife is significantly smarter than the others, and she has been asking too many questions lately.”
I felt something deep inside me break as those words echoed through the room. The others, I wondered, what could he possibly mean by that?
“Don’t waste any more time standing around,” Frank spoke with clear annoyance. “We need you to sign those land transfer papers for the Cholula project before Monday morning.”
“Her parents won’t sell that property while she keeps sowing doubt in their minds,” Frank continued. Then I finally understood the entire game they were playing.
Months earlier, my parents had inherited two large, valuable plots of land near the city outskirts. Frank had tried to buy them for a ridiculously low, insulting price, but I had refused to let my parents sign anything.
