That night, unable to sleep, he held in his hands a wedding photograph of Carmen—radiant in her white dress, smiling with the gentleness that had once transformed his life. Memories flooded back: their meeting at a science fair sponsored by his company; her, a kindergarten teacher; their immediate, profound attraction.
A slight noise interrupted his thoughts.
He went to the girls’ room and found them sitting in their beds.
« What’s going on? » he murmured.
« Abuelita Carmen sings us a song, » says Sofía.
Ricardo glanced around the room.
« Where is she singing? »
« In our heads, » Valentina explained. « Like Mamá sang when we were in her womb. »
Ricardo started.
The girls were not supposed to know that Carmen was singing songs to them during their pregnancies.
« And what is this song? » he asked.
The three of them began to hum a lullaby that he did not recognize — soft, melancholic.
« Where did you learn that? »
« It was Abuelita Carmen who taught it to us, » Camila replied. « She said that Mamá used to sing it when she was little. »
The next day, determined to clear up this mystery, Ricardo returned to the square.
The old woman was no longer there.
He questioned the street vendors.
« She comes around three o’clock in the afternoon, » said a coconut vendor. « She’s been coming here for maybe two years. Good woman. The children like her. She has a special connection with them. »
When she finally reappeared, sitting calmly as if she had been waiting for him, Ricardo approached.
« You’ve come back, » she said softly.
« Who are you? » Ricardo insisted. « And how do you know my daughters? »
« Sit with me, » she said, tapping the concrete beside her. « I won’t hurt you. »
He hesitated… then sat down.
« My name is Carmen Ruiz, » she began, « and Carmen—the mother of your daughters—was my daughter. »
Ricardo felt as if air was being expelled from his lungs.
« That’s impossible, » he said. « My wife was an orphan. »
« She believed it. It wasn’t true, » the woman replied gently.
And, piece by piece, she revealed the unthinkable:
She had been forced to give Carmen up for adoption at seventeen.
She had spent decades searching for her.
She had been deceived by Verónica—Ricardo’s sister-in-law—who had led her to believe that Carmen was dead.
Then she showed photos.
Documents.
Letters.
The baby in the photos had exactly the same face as Ricardo’s daughters.
He could no longer deny the obvious.
This woman was indeed Carmen’s mother.
And the following revelation struck him even more violently:
« Your daughters aren’t blind, » she said. « Not really. »
« How can you be sure? »
« Because they have the same eyes as my Carmen, » she replied. « And Carmen could see perfectly well—until she was five, when she had neurological seizures and was given very strong medication. Her vision darkened temporarily. But she recovered. I’m afraid your daughters may have suffered something similar. »
Ricardo called the pediatrician, checked the hospital records, confronted the doctors — and uncovered some disturbing truths.
Falsified records.
Rigged examinations.
Her daughters had been sedated for weeks as infants without her consent.
The diagnosis of blindness at ten days old came from a single doctor: Dr. Fernando Castillo — recommended by Verónica.
Little by little, the horror was revealed.
Someone had conditioned his daughters to believe they were blind.
And that person… was Verónica.
She had orchestrated:
– falsified test results
– concealed medical records
– sedation protocols
– constant psychological manipulation
…all this to obtain legal custody of the children and access to their inheritance.
When Ricardo confronted her, his mask fell away.
« You were never going to be up to the task, » she said coldly. « A single father with three disabled daughters? A judge would give me custody without hesitation. »
Just as the truth came out, Carmen arrived.
The triplets ran towards her shouting « Abuelita! »
And Verónica’s face contorted with pure hatred.
« You should have stayed dead, » she hissed at Carmen.
But the girls positioned themselves in front of their grandmother to protect her.
Ricardo positioned himself between them all, now knowing exactly what he had to do:
Protecting her daughters.
Protecting the grandmother they had miraculously found again.
And unmasking the woman who had stolen years of their lives.
Verónica’s face became sharp and venomous, while the children clung to Carmen.
« Get out of here, » Verónica ordered in an icy voice. « You have no right in this house. »
« Verónica, » Carmen replied calmly, « are you still clinging to that lie? »
« What lie? » asked Ricardo.
« The lie that claims Carmen — your wife — was his sister, » said the old woman in a firm voice.
« They were never sisters. »
Veronica’s mask cracked.
Ricardo stared at her, stunned.
« Explain, » he said.
“Verónica was the secretary at the law firm that handled Carmen’s adoption,” Carmen revealed.
“When Carmen turned eighteen and started searching for her biological family, Verónica approached her, claiming to be a long-lost sister.”
« Why would she do that? » Ricardo asked in a low voice.
« To enter her life, » Carmen replied. « To insert himself into your wife’s existence. To place himself at the heart of any future inheritance. To control what Carmen would learn—and what she would never know. »
Verónica’s silence spoke volumes.
« Abuelita Carmen, » asked little Valentina, her voice trembling, « why doesn’t Aunt Veronica love you? »
« Because she’s afraid you’ll find out who I really am, » Carmen replied softly.
« And who are you? » Camila asked.
« I am your mother’s mother, » said Carmen, her voice breaking with emotion. « I am your real grandmother. »
The triplets turned to Ricardo, bewildered.
« Dad… is that true? » asked Sofia.
Ricardo looked at Carmen. Then Verónica. Finally, his daughters.
« Yes, » he said. « That’s true. »
Verónica let out a furious noise, somewhere between a scream and a grunt.
« You’ll regret this, » she spat. « I have legal rights over these girls. Carmen appointed me as their guardian in case anything happens to either of you. »
« A woman in a coma cannot sign legal documents, » Ricardo replied.
« She had moments of clarity! » Verónica retorted. « She was worried about your instability. Your obsession with work. Your inability to show affection to girls! »
Ricardo felt something collapse inside him — not because Verónica might have touched on some truth in the past, but because she had exploited Carmen’s vulnerability on her deathbed.
« And you manipulated her to serve your own interests, » he said. « You drugged my daughters. You conditioned them. You stole their lives. Why? »
« Because blind children need constant specialized care, » Verónica replied coldly. « They need someone competent. Someone stable. Someone the courts will trust. »
« You wanted custody, » Ricardo murmured. « You wanted the inheritance. »
« I wanted to protect their future! » she protested.
« No, » said Ricardo. « You wanted control. »
At that moment, the doorbell rang.
Ricardo opened the door — and found Carmen on the threshold, holding a small bag of candy.
« Excuse me for barging in like this, » she said. « I brought some sweets for the girls. »
« Abuelita Carmen! » cried the triplets as they rushed towards her.
Verónica turned as white as a sheet.
« Out, » she hissed. « You’ve destroyed everything. »
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