That silence was worse.

She stepped closer, hand trembling, barely daring to touch the air above it.
“It’s Melissa’s,” she whispered. “I made it with her…”

Gabriel closed his eyes. Fourteen years of absence, empty chairs, unanswered questions—all of it cracked open at once.

The search lasted until late night. The room looked ordinary—crucifix, old clock, heavy furniture—but nothing felt normal anymore. Everything carried a sense of secrecy.

Around eleven, they found something else.

Not hidden behind walls, but tucked inside a pillowcase in the closet—a worn notebook dated 1989.

Renata flipped through it in the kitchen while everyone waited. Her expression shifted—not to surprise, but to something darker.

“No one leaves the house,” she said. “And I need a warrant to open the shed.”

“The shed?” Marco asked.

“The notebook mentions it. And… it mentions Melissa.”

Lucía made a broken sound. Gabriel felt his stomach drop.