Chapter 1
Chapter 1 - The Trap and the Betrayal
The smoke woke Valeria before the heat did.
She opened her eyes, taking a few seconds to realize where she was. She was still in the master bedroom of the estate, lying on the bed, one hand instinctively resting on her eight-month pregnant belly.
Then she saw the curtains. They were engulfed in flames.
The fire was climbing up the white linen, already licking the ceiling. A thick, black cloud of smoke was rapidly blooming across the room. Valeria struggled to sit up, coughing violently. The baby kicked hard inside her.
"Shh, it's okay, sweetheart... Mommy's here."
She rushed to the door and grabbed the brass knob. It didn't budge. She rattled it again. Nothing. It was locked from the outside.
Valeria pounded on the heavy wood with both hands. "Open the door! Let me out!"
No one answered. The smoke was growing thicker, burning her throat. Covering her mouth with her sleeve, she screamed, "Please! My baby can't breathe!"
In the hallway, Teresa stood watching the door. Valeria’s mother-in-law held the key tightly between her fingers. Dressed in an elegant dark dress, her expression was chillingly serene. At her feet sat a small, empty can of lighter fluid. She heard her daughter-in-law’s desperate screams. She didn't even blink.
"It will look like a tragic accident," Teresa whispered to herself.
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Inside, Valeria retreated toward the bed. The flames had already consumed a wooden vanity, and the heat was blistering. She scrambled to find her phone, but it wasn't on the nightstand. Someone had taken it.
Desperate, she grabbed a heavy wooden chair and slammed it against the window. The double-pane glass was too thick. She hit it once. Twice. On the third strike, the chair shattered, but the window only cracked. Valeria collapsed to her knees, coughing uncontrollably.
