{"id":30274,"date":"2026-10-04T21:16:19","date_gmt":"2026-10-04T21:16:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=30274"},"modified":"2026-10-04T21:16:19","modified_gmt":"2026-10-04T21:16:19","slug":"part-15-victor-salcedo-claimed-he-came-to-rosas-funeral-out-of-respect-but-paola-remembered-the-envelope-he-took-from-her-bedroom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=30274","title":{"rendered":"PART 15 \u2013 Victor Salcedo Claimed He Came to Rosa\u2019s Funeral Out of Respect, but Paola Remembered the Envelope He Took From Her Bedroom"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Paola remembered Victor Salcedo because he had made her uncomfortable.<\/p>\n<p>She had been nineteen when Rosa died.<\/p>\n<p>The funeral home was crowded with older people she did not know.<\/p>\n<p>Men in suits.<\/p>\n<p>Women who kissed her cheek and called her beautiful.<\/p>\n<p>People who seemed to know far more about her grandmother than Paola knew about them.<\/p>\n<p>Victor arrived late.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe didn\u2019t speak to Mom,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>We were still in the hotel room, Marisol\u2019s letter spread between us.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe went straight to the coffin.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he do?\u201d Daniel asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNothing strange. Stood there. Crossed himself.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe talked to Roberto\u2019s old friends.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRoberto had already died.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd you remember Victor\u2019s name after all these years?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Paola nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause Grandma had warned me about a Salcedo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The room went quiet.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did she say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen I was little, I once answered the phone. A man asked for Rosa. I said she wasn\u2019t home. He asked who I was.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Paola rubbed her palms together.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI told him my name.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen Grandma came home, I told her. She asked what the man sounded like. Then she got scared.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did she say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf anyone named Salcedo ever came to the house, I was never to be alone with him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel\u2019s eyes narrowed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Victor come to the house?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter the funeral.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat for?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said Grandma had left documents that belonged to his father.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My pulse quickened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Teresa let him in?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe wasn\u2019t there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho was?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel went rigid.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou were alone with him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was nineteen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat isn\u2019t the point.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe didn\u2019t threaten me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he do?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe asked to look through Grandma\u2019s room.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd you let him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t know any better.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he take?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Paola hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAn envelope.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Every part of me sharpened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat envelope?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBrown. Thick. Sealed with tape.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you read the label?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re sure?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Paola closed her eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI saw one word.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEmma.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel stood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou let Salcedo\u2019s son take an envelope with my mother\u2019s name on it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Paola flinched.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t know your mother then.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That was true.<\/p>\n<p>It did not make the loss easier.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy would Rosa have a file on Emma?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>Nobody answered.<\/p>\n<p>I thought of the baby photograph.<\/p>\n<p>The forged consent.<\/p>\n<p>My father.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps Rosa had kept proof as leverage.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps the envelope contained the records my mother had spent her life trying to find.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Victor say anything else?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Paola nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe told me Rosa had carried other people\u2019s sins for too long.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Andrew frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s an interesting choice of words.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen he said some families survive only because the dead know when to stay quiet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel\u2019s face hardened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said that to a nineteen-year-old?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Teresa know he came?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI forgot.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou forgot?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI had just buried my grandmother.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He softened.<\/p>\n<p>Barely.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Paola looked relieved.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut you remember now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That was enough.<\/p>\n<p>We found Victor\u2019s address the next morning.<\/p>\n<p>Unlike Celeste\u2019s modest home, Victor lived behind gates.<\/p>\n<p>Large stone house.<\/p>\n<p>Security cameras.<\/p>\n<p>Long driveway.<\/p>\n<p>A man who had inherited either money or caution.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps both.<\/p>\n<p>We called from outside.<\/p>\n<p>Victor answered personally.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel gave his name.<\/p>\n<p>There was a silence.<\/p>\n<p>Then Victor said, \u201cGabriel\u2019s boy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Again.<\/p>\n<p>People kept recognizing him through a father he barely understood.<\/p>\n<p>Victor opened the gate.<\/p>\n<p>He met us in a study lined with legal books.<\/p>\n<p>At sixty-eight, he resembled Arturo Salcedo enough that I recognized the family from the old clipping.<\/p>\n<p>Same heavy eyelids.<\/p>\n<p>Same thin mouth.<\/p>\n<p>But Victor carried himself differently.<\/p>\n<p>Less charm.<\/p>\n<p>More calculation.<\/p>\n<p>He looked at each of us.<\/p>\n<p>When his eyes reached Paola, they stopped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019ve grown.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She stiffened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou remember me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI remember Rosa\u2019s granddaughter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Teresa\u2019s daughter.<\/p>\n<p>Emma\u2019s granddaughter.<\/p>\n<p>He likely knew every layer.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel remained standing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy mother was Marisol Robles.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor\u2019s expression did not change.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo I\u2019ve heard.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFrom who?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour father.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My brother went still.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou knew Gabriel?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVery well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur fathers worked together.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe know that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor sat behind his desk.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why are you here?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel placed the copy of Marisol\u2019s notebook page on the desk.<\/p>\n<p>Victor looked down.<\/p>\n<p>For the first time, his control slipped.<\/p>\n<p>Only slightly.<\/p>\n<p>But enough.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere did you get this?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnswer my question.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat question?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid your father help Roberto and Rosa steal babies?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor leaned back.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel laughed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTry again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy father facilitated private adoptions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith forged consent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is your allegation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have letters.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor\u2019s eyes shifted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat letters?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur father\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That mattered.<\/p>\n<p>Victor looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGabriel kept letters?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He exhaled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf course he did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stepped closer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was sentimental at the worst possible times.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he help steal Camila from Emma?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour mother\u2019s case was complicated.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My voice sharpened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe was eighteen. Her father pressured her. Salcedo forged documents.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor said nothing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat isn\u2019t complicated.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Something in his face changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo, it isn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The admission surprised all of us.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel leaned forward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened to Marisol?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor\u2019s eyes hardened again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour father met her the night she disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo I\u2019ve heard.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou knew.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI knew my father was involved in many things I preferred not to know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is not an answer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is the only one I have.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Paola stepped forward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou took an envelope from Rosa\u2019s bedroom after her funeral.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor looked at her.<\/p>\n<p>A pause.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel\u2019s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat was inside?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDocuments.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAbout Emma?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat documents?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor folded his hands.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCopies of correspondence between your grandfather and my father.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My breath caught.<\/p>\n<p>My grandfather.<\/p>\n<p>Mom\u2019s father.<\/p>\n<p>The man who forced the adoption.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did they say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour grandfather paid Salcedo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor the adoption?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I knew this, broadly.<\/p>\n<p>But Victor continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe paid him again years later.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo make sure Emma never found Camila.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The room went cold.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cReturned mail. False addresses. Phone calls redirected through intermediaries.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My mother\u2019s decades of searching.<\/p>\n<p>Sabotaged.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Gabriel know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Anger flared so violently I had to grip the back of a chair.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe watched her search.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd said nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel whispered, \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor glanced at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause by then Gabriel had too much to lose.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHis marriage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAmong other things.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHis freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel stared.<\/p>\n<p>Victor leaned back.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGabriel altered records.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat records?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCamila\u2019s placement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo help Rosa?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt Salcedo\u2019s instruction.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My father had not just delivered papers.<\/p>\n<p>He had directly participated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf Emma learned the truth,\u201d Victor said, \u201cshe could have exposed him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo he married her to control her?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I asked.<\/p>\n<p>Victor shook his head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow can you know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause Gabriel hated himself for what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat doesn\u2019t answer me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe married Emma because he loved her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Again.<\/p>\n<p>The impossible combination.<\/p>\n<p>Love and betrayal.<\/p>\n<p>Victor continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut guilt made him weak. He believed keeping her happy could somehow balance what he refused to confess.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked away.<\/p>\n<p>There are forms of love so selfish that calling them love feels offensive.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat was in the envelope you took?\u201d Daniel asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLetters.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere are they?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDestroyed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Paola whispered, \u201cYou burned them?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel slammed one hand onto the desk.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor did not flinch.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause my father asked me to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was dead.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI made promises before he died.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The cemetery card.<\/p>\n<p>I kept my promise. You kept yours.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you write the card on Roberto\u2019s grave?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>Victor\u2019s eyes shifted.<\/p>\n<p>There.<\/p>\n<p>Recognition.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou know what I mean.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho writes it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLiar.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor\u2019s gaze hardened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBe careful.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel laughed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAbout what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor stood.<\/p>\n<p>For the first time, I saw the inherited arrogance of Salcedo\u2019s family.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou have no idea what you are digging into.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen explain it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is not only about your family.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhose?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor remained silent.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow many babies?\u201d Andrew asked.<\/p>\n<p>Victor looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow many illegal adoptions did Arturo arrange?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEstimate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTwenty?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor\u2019s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFifty?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His eyes flickered.<\/p>\n<p>That was enough.<\/p>\n<p>Paola whispered, \u201cOh my God.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOver fifty.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor sat again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI never said that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou didn\u2019t have to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We all understood.<\/p>\n<p>The secret was not one family.<\/p>\n<p>It was a system.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd the records?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCeleste has copies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n<p>That surprised him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCeleste Navarro?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He cursed quietly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou thought she destroyed them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI thought Gabriel did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy would he?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause he promised Arturo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another promise.<\/p>\n<p>Always promises between men protecting each other from women whose lives they had broken.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel stepped closer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did Roberto promise your father?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor looked away.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe card says otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI told you I didn\u2019t write it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut you know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor\u2019s silence stretched.<\/p>\n<p>Finally he said, \u201cRoberto promised never to reveal where Marisol went after the river.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut he told Rosa Mendez she survived.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPrivately.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd your father?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe knew.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did Arturo promise Roberto?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor looked tired suddenly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cProtection.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFrom prosecution?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor helping attack Marisol?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel\u2019s voice dropped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Roberto kill her?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re sure?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause Marisol contacted my father years later.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That stopped us all.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor looked at the floor.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe threatened him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAbout twenty years after she disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did she want?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHer son.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel closed his eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe was still looking.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did Arturo tell her?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat Mateo was dead.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel opened his eyes.<\/p>\n<p>For a second, I thought he might hit Victor.<\/p>\n<p>Paola grabbed his arm.<\/p>\n<p>Victor did not move.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe lied to her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou knew?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLater.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Gabriel know Arturo told her that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>That hesitation changed everything.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel\u2019s face emptied.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd Gabriel let her believe I was dead.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The cruelty of it was difficult to absorb.<\/p>\n<p>Our father had brought Marisol photographs.<\/p>\n<p>Proof of life.<\/p>\n<p>Then at some point, he stopped.<\/p>\n<p>And when Salcedo told her Daniel had died, Gabriel did not correct the lie.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>Victor\u2019s voice was quiet.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause Marisol had decided to expose everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd Gabriel chose himself.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel pulled away from Paola and walked toward the door.<\/p>\n<p>Before leaving, he turned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Marisol die believing I was dead?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel froze.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause someone told her the truth before she died.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor glanced toward me.<\/p>\n<p>Then Paola.<\/p>\n<p>Then back at Daniel.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEmma.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=30275\">Click here to continue reading: PART 16: My Mother Found Marisol Before She Died, and Their Secret Meeting Changed Everything Daniel Believed About Why Emma Stayed Silent<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Paola remembered Victor Salcedo because he had made her uncomfortable. She had been nineteen when Rosa died. The funeral home was crowded with older people she did not know. Men &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30259,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30274","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insightdrama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30274","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=30274"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30274\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30309,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30274\/revisions\/30309"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/30259"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=30274"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=30274"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=30274"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}