Chapter 2 - The Viper in the Hallway
I shoved the envelope under a stack of blueprints on my desk just as Monica pushed open the office door. She froze, her eyes darting between my wet, grass-stained shoes and Daniela, who stood rigidly by the bookshelf. "Rodrigo," Monica purred, her voice dripping with artificial relief. "You're home. I came to check on the boys, but Daniela was nowhere to be found." I forced my jaw to unhinge, suppressing the urge to scream. I played the part of the exhausted, angry father she expected. "We need to talk, Monica. Privately." I dismissed Daniela, who gave me a single, imperceptible nod before slipping out to the garden. As Monica began her rehearsed monologue about Daniela's incompetence, I stared at her designer handbag, knowing it held the very pen she used to forge my ruin.
