My mother had told me Elena was under stress.
I believed her.
Elena’s voice became quieter.
“After that, I stopped trying.”
“Why?”
“Because they threatened to make things worse for Julian.”
I looked at her.
“What did they say?”
She hesitated.
“They said if I caused trouble, they would send him away.”
I felt my hands curl into fists.
“Elena…”
“I was afraid.”
I sat beside her.
“You don’t have to be afraid anymore.”
She looked at me.
“I know.”
Then she whispered:
“But there’s something else.”
I waited.
“When you left, your mother made me sign something.”
“What?”
“I don’t know. She told me it was paperwork for the house.”
I immediately stood.
“Did you keep a copy?”
She shook her head.
“No.”
“Do you remember what it looked like?”
She thought for a moment.
“It had several pages.”
“Anything else?”
“There was a lawyer’s name.”
