Chapter 7 - A DAUGHTER BORN UNDER GUARD
The emergency delivery lasted forty-one minutes.
To Sebastián, it felt like an entire lifetime.
He waited outside the operating room with Mariana.
Mateo stood near the elevators while federal agents guarded every entrance.
Rebeca remained in a private consultation room with her attorney.
She had not been arrested.
Not yet.
The evidence was serious, but Mateo wanted the complete conspiracy.
If they moved too early, Octavio could destroy the financial records.
At twelve thirty-eight in the morning, a baby’s cry came from behind the doors.
Sebastián stopped breathing.
Dr. Navarro emerged moments later.
“You have a daughter.”
Sebastián covered his face.
“Is Valeria safe?”
“She lost blood, but she is stable.”
“And the baby?”
“She is small, but strong.”
He entered the recovery suite wearing a hospital gown and mask.
Valeria looked exhausted.
A nurse placed the baby against her chest.
The child’s eyes were closed.
One tiny hand rested beneath her chin.
Valeria began to cry.
Sebastián stood beside them, afraid to move.
“What is her name?” the nurse asked.
Valeria looked at Sebastián.
They had discussed dozens of names before the pregnancy became surrounded by fear.
Now only one felt right.
“Lucía,” Valeria whispered.
Light.
The nurse wrote LUCÍA VALERIA ALCÁZAR on the identification card.
A second nurse approached with documents.
Sebastián immediately stepped between her and the bed.
“What are those?”
“Standard registration forms.”
“Show them to Mateo first.”
The nurse looked offended.
“I’m only doing my job.”
“So was everyone else.”
Dr. Navarro examined the pages.
One form authorized the baby’s transfer to a private neonatal unit on another floor.
Dr. Navarro frowned.
“I did not order this.”
The nurse turned toward the door.
Mateo blocked her.
She tried to run.
An agent stopped her before she reached the elevator.
Inside her pocket, they found a second identification bracelet for Lucía.
The bracelet listed Rebeca Alcázar as the child’s authorized guardian.
Sebastián returned to Valeria’s bedside.
“She had another bracelet.”
Valeria held Lucía closer.
“They’re still trying.”
“Not anymore.”
But Sebastián knew the words were not enough.
The system surrounding them still belonged to his family.
The hospital.
The attorneys.
The doctors.
The company.
Even the official responsible for registering Lucía’s birth had attended Rebeca’s birthday celebration two weeks earlier.
Mateo entered with a sealed evidence bag.
Inside was the nurse’s phone.
The final message had been sent by Octavio.
It contained only one instruction.
May you like
IF THE MOTHER SURVIVES, USE PLAN B.
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