The recording included a conversation between Patricia and Teresa about Sofia’s inheritance.
Teresa had asked whether the account could be transferred before Sofia turned eighteen.
Patricia replied that she was working on it.
Then Teresa said something that made my stomach turn.
“What if Gabriel finds out?”
Patricia answered, “He won’t. He’s always on the road. By the time he notices anything, everything will be settled.”
A moment later, Bianca’s voice could be heard in the background.
She asked whether Sofia would still be living in the house when she turned eighteen.
Patricia replied that Sofia would probably leave as soon as she could, provided they made the situation uncomfortable enough.
Then came the sentence I would never forget.
“She has nowhere else to go,” Patricia said. “And her father believes whatever I tell him.”
I sat in the investigator’s office, listening to those words in silence.
For years, I had believed Patricia’s explanations because I thought trust was the foundation of a marriage.
