I thought of her purple hands gripping the sink.

“Yes,” I said. “It is really yours.”

She nodded. Then she locked the bedroom door from the inside for the first time in months.

The next morning, we filed the reports. Salgado’s office prepared the trust notice. The transfers were documented. The camera stills were cataloged. The recovered items were photographed and logged.

Valeria asked for copies of everything. Not because she’d become hard. Because she’d become awake.

Andrés sent messages by noon. First angry. Then pleading. Then romantic. Then angry again. That cycle told us more than any apology could have.