Lucía listened in quiet understanding. To her, death and suffering leveled all people—rich or poor. She warned him that resentment only poisons the soul, and that even the powerful are not spared from falling.
But danger returned. Trucks rumbled down the lonely road one night; men in dark jackets surrounded her hut. They questioned her harshly, insisting a “dangerous man” had escaped.
Lucía feigned confusion, claiming she’d only heard the river. When they saw drag marks in the mud, she lied that she’d pulled in a bundle of wet clothes. Their leader warned her that helping him would bring ruin.
When they left, she collapsed, knowing her kindness now endangered her life.
More nights passed with engines, questions, and terror—until another convoy arrived, this one official. Officers from the Ministry of Security announced they were searching for the missing Rafael Castillo Montalban, whom the entire nation believed dead.
With Rafael conscious enough to nod, Lucía opened the door. Shock rippled through the agents as they found the lost tycoon alive in her humble hut.
