Knowing he wouldn’t survive the cold outside, Lucía hauled him to her hut. She lit a fire with trembling hands, covered him in her best blanket, and studied him: delicate hands, fine features, expensive clothes. A gold watch and ring marked him as a man from another world.
For hours, she nursed him—cooling his fevered skin, murmuring to him, offering chamomile tea. He drifted in and out of consciousness, whispering broken fragments of fear.
When he finally woke, he admitted he didn’t remember who he was. His mind felt wiped clean.
Lucía introduced herself gently. She noticed initials on his ring—R.C.M.—and something in her memory stirred. Later, in a clear moment, he remembered his name: Rafael Castillo Montalban. At once she recognized it—news of a powerful family, a scandal, an empire built on influence.
As Rafael recovered, he confessed pieces of his past: a wealthy businessman who discovered corruption rotting the empire he inherited. Trying to expose it, he was betrayed by those closest to him.
Threats escalated, until one night he was beaten, tied up, dragged to the river, and thrown in with the order, “No one must find him.”