Chapter 2 - The West Wing
A week passed, and the transformation in the Navarro compound was nothing short of a miracle.
Leo still hadn't spoken a word, but the violent outbursts had ceased completely—as long as Sofia was near. She slept in a connecting suite next to his bedroom. They painted together, walked through the massive fortified gardens, and ate meals side by side.
Dante watched them like a hawk. He found himself leaving his downtown offices early just to sit on the terrace and watch Sofia patiently teach Leo how to fold origami cranes. She treated the boy not like a broken glass doll, but like a human being.
But Sofia could feel a dark undercurrent running through the mansion.
One afternoon, while Leo was taking a nap, Sofia found herself wandering the second-floor corridor. She remembered Carmen’s strict warning on her first day: Never wander near the west wing.
Drawn by a strange, unsettling curiosity, Sofia pushed open the heavy double doors leading to the forbidden wing. It was eerily silent, the air heavy with dust and the faint smell of dried lavender. It was a shrine. It was the suite that had belonged to Isabella Navarro—Leo’s murdered mother.
Everything was untouched. Dresses still hung in the closet; a half-read book lay on the nightstand.
Sofia walked toward the vanity mirror. Sitting beneath a silver jewelry box was a small, hand-drawn picture. It was a drawing Leo had made. But as Sofia looked closer, her blood ran cold.
It was a drawing of a black SUV—the car Isabella died in. But standing next to the car, drawn in aggressive, dark red crayon, was a tall man with a jagged scar on his arm, holding a phone.
Sofia remembered the day she arrived. She remembered seeing Hector in the foyer, the sleeves of his tactical shirt rolled up, revealing a distinct, jagged scar on his left forearm.
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"You shouldn't be in here."
Sofia spun around, her heart leaping into her throat. Hector was standing in the doorway, blocking the exit. His hand was resting casually on the grip of his holstered pistol.
