Chapter 4 - Elena’s Silence
Elena sat at the kitchen table with an ice pack against her cheek.
Rosa stood beside her.
“You need a doctor.”
“I’m fine.”
“You are not fine.”
Elena lowered the ice pack.
Her hands were still shaking.
“I need to go home.”
Rosa shook her head.
“The police are coming.”
Elena looked toward the back doors.
The pool lights reflected against the windows.
The stroller had already been removed from the water.
The patio looked almost normal.
That frightened Elena more than the chaos had.
A place could look completely ordinary only minutes after something terrible happened.
Rosa poured tea.
“You saved that child.”
Elena stared at the cup.
“And his father hit me.”
Rosa said nothing.
Elena had worked for Marcus for fourteen months.
She had never seen him lose control before.
He was demanding.
Private.
Sometimes distant.
But he had always treated the staff fairly.
That was one reason the slap had shocked her so deeply.
Not because it hurt.
Because she had believed he would listen.
Instead, one accusation from Victoria had been enough.
Elena’s phone rang.
Her younger sister Sofia.
Elena ignored it.
Rosa noticed.
“You should answer.”
“I don’t want her to hear my voice.”
“She will find out eventually.”
Elena looked down.
Her family depended on her income.
Her mother’s medical bills had consumed nearly everything Elena saved.
Sofia was finishing nursing school.
Losing this job could destroy all of them financially.
Victoria knew that.
That was why the threats had worked for so long.
Rosa sat across from her.
“What has she been doing?”
Elena looked up.
Rosa’s voice was gentle.
“You’ve been afraid of Victoria for weeks.”
Elena did not answer.
“I noticed.”
Elena’s eyes filled.
“She told me nobody would believe me.”
Rosa’s expression changed.
“What did she do?”
Elena looked toward the doorway.
“She started coming into the nursery when Marcus wasn’t home.”
“When?”
“Late.”
“How late?”
“Sometimes after midnight.”
Rosa leaned forward.
“Why?”
“I don’t know.”
“You never told Marcus?”
“I tried.”
“When?”
Elena remembered.
Three weeks earlier.
Marcus had been leaving for a business dinner.
Elena had followed him toward the foyer.
She had said she needed to discuss Victoria.
Before she could explain, Victoria had appeared behind him.
Smiling.
Listening.
Later that night, Victoria had cornered Elena in the laundry room.
“You should be careful.”
Elena had asked what she meant.
Victoria had leaned closer.
“Your mother still lives in the apartment on Clayton Avenue, doesn’t she?”
Elena had gone cold.
Victoria continued.
“And Sofia takes the number eleven bus to campus every morning.”
Elena had never told Victoria those details.
After that, she stayed silent.
Rosa listened in horror.
“She threatened your family.”
“Without saying the words.”
“Why?”
Elena shook her head.
“I didn’t know.”
Now she did.
Victoria had needed Marcus to distrust her.
Elena was the person who spent the most time with the baby.
The easiest person to blame.
The side door opened.
Two police officers entered with the estate guard.
One of them approached Elena.
“Ms. Reyes?”
“Yes.”
“We need to ask you about what happened.”
Elena straightened.
Before she could speak, another car stopped outside.
Marcus had returned from the hospital.
He entered carrying nothing.
His face looked different.
Pale.
Destroyed.
He walked directly toward Elena.
Everyone became quiet.
Marcus stopped six feet away.
Elena rose slowly.
He looked at the bruise on her face.
May you like
Then he said the words she never expected.
“I saw the video.”
