Returning to the Sánchez mansion felt like stepping back in time… to the coldest years of her life. Estrella crossed the threshold with a steady stride, though her soul was in shreds. Her only wish was to reach her old bedroom, shut the door, and not think about anything until the pain stopped burning.
But she had barely taken three steps when the voice she hated most in the world stopped her.
—"Well, look who came crawling back like a beaten dog…"—Mariana sneered from the top of the staircase, a champagne glass in hand and a venom-laced smile on her lips—"I figured you wouldn't take long. When Bárbara told me about tonight, I said: Estrella will come back with her tail between her legs."
Estrella looked up, cold and composed.
—"You knew?"—she asked in a low, restrained voice—"You knew about Daniel and Bárbara?"
—"Of course I knew,"—Mariana replied shamelessly, descending the stairs with feline slowness—"I don't raise timid daughters, Estrella. What you had with Daniel was just a sad charade your grandfather pushed. But Bárbara… she knew how to truly win that man."
—"You're a witch,"—Estrella spat, clenching her fists—"She's your own daughter! How can you celebrate something so repulsive?"
Mariana stopped in front of her, so close Estrella could smell the expensive perfume she always wore, as if it could mask her inner rot.
—"And you're naive—just like your mother was,"—she snapped with a cruel smile—"You know, darling? I always thought she was pathetic. She believed her sweet face and family name would be enough to keep José forever… but he was already tired of her when he met me. I was the excitement. The passion. I gave him a real daughter. Not a spoiled little doll like you."
Estrella felt the ground shift beneath her feet.
—"What are you saying?"
—"I'm saying that by the time your mother had her accident, José and I were already together. Very together. Bárbara was barely a year younger than you… did you really never wonder?"—she let out a bitter laugh—"The one who didn't belong in that house was your mother. I simply came to take the place that was always meant to be mine."
The silence was deafening. Estrella swallowed hard, staring at that woman as if seeing her for the first time.
—"Are you suggesting your arrival wasn't a coincidence? That my mother…?"
—"I'm saying the past is the past."—Mariana took a slow sip from her glass—"And that you should be grateful we're letting you stay here tonight at all. But be careful, Estrella… digging up old secrets can be dangerous. Especially for princesses who no longer have a castle."
Estrella took a step back, horrified.
The rage burned in her throat, but now it was mixed with something darker, colder: suspicion.
For the first time in her life, she understood that maybe her mother hadn't died in an accident. And that what started tonight with Daniel's betrayal… was only the first piece of a macabre puzzle buried for fifteen years.
Estrella didn't respond. She wouldn't give Mariana the satisfaction of seeing her break. She climbed the stairs, steady, even though each step hurt. In her heart, it was no longer just betrayal that burned.
It was purpose.
And this time, she wouldn't rest until she uncovered the truth.