AnnaMaria
The Cry Upstairs
“Stop throwing tantrums! Your father will come home and see what kind of girl you are!”
The voice was sharp, echoing from the second floor of the mansion.
At the back door, Paloma froze. She could hear a child crying—soft at first, then breaking into desperate sobs.
“No one can stand you anymore! Stay there and cry until you learn!”
A door slammed.
“Oh dear…” murmured Carmen, the older housemaid who greeted Paloma. “The lady of the house is… nervous again.”
“The lady?” Paloma asked quietly.
“Mrs. Verónica — the girl’s stepmother.”
More cries filled the house. Paloma frowned. “And where’s her father?”
“Traveling. Always traveling,” Carmen sighed. “Listen, sweetheart, this job won’t be easy.”
Paloma didn’t wait another second. She followed the sound of the sobs up the grand staircase.
In the hallway, a blonde woman with flawless makeup and designer clothes stepped out of a bedroom, adjusting her hair to hide her irritation.
“You must be the new maid,” Verónica said coolly. “Good. I have to go out. The girl’s just having one of her fits. When she stops, you can start cleaning. She’s fine—just dramatic, as always.”
Without another glance, Verónica grabbed her purse and left.
Meeting Little Camila
The crying hadn’t stopped. Paloma knocked softly.
“Hi, sweetheart. May I come in?”
The sobs quieted.
“I promise I won’t scold you.”
She slowly opened the door.
A small girl with tangled brown hair sat on the floor, hugging her knees. Her face was streaked with tears.
“Hey, sweetheart,” Paloma whispered. “What’s your name?”
The girl hesitated. “Camila.”
“Camila… what a beautiful name. I’m Paloma. Why are you crying?”
Camila pointed weakly to her stomach. “It hurts.”
“Are you hungry?”
She nodded.
“When did you last eat?”
“I didn’t.”
Paloma glanced at her watch. It was one in the afternoon.
“You didn’t have breakfast either?”
“Verónica forgot… again.”
Paloma’s heart tightened. “Come on, sweetheart. Let’s find something delicious for you.”
Camila hesitated, then slowly reached out her hand. Paloma took it gently.
A Bond Begins
In the weeks that followed, the house began to change.
Camila started to smile again. She told jokes, ate full meals, and began sleeping through the night. Whenever Eduardo, her father, called from abroad, her laughter returned to the halls.
And Paloma — once hired just to clean — had become the girl’s safe place.
Then one quiet afternoon, while folding laundry in the master bedroom, Paloma opened a drawer… and froze.
Inside lay a bottle of sleeping pills — and a phone she’d never seen before.
Curious, she pressed the screen.
One message was still visible:
“When he signs the insurance papers, we’re leaving. No one will ever suspect.”
— Sergio
Sergio was Eduardo Álvarez’s personal assistant.
Paloma’s pulse raced. This wasn’t just neglect — this was a plan. And the target was Eduardo himself.
The Truth Comes to Light
That night, while Verónica slept, Paloma connected the hidden phone to the household computer. She emailed the evidence — the messages, the photos, the timestamps — to an address she found written in a notebook on the desk:
Three days later, the mansion woke up to flashing police lights.
Eduardo had returned from his trip unannounced — and not alone. Two officers and a lawyer followed him inside.
Verónica tried to keep her composure, but the proof was undeniable. The messages, the insurance papers, even Sergio’s confession… it all led back to her.
“You don’t know what you’re doing, Eduardo!” she shouted as the officers handcuffed her.
“Oh, I know exactly what you did,” he said coldly.
Camila ran to Paloma, trembling. Eduardo knelt, his voice breaking.
“My daughter… did she treat you well?”
Paloma stroked Camila’s hair gently. “She just needed love.”
Eduardo looked between them — his daughter safe in the arms of the woman who had saved them both.
Then, before everyone, he said quietly:
“Paloma, you’re staying. Not as a maid… but as the person who protected what matters most to me.”
A New Beginning
Months later, the story made headlines across Latin America:
“Housemaid Exposes Billionaire’s Wife’s Betrayal — Saves Child and Fortune.”
Paloma refused interviews. She said the real victory wasn’t revenge — it was Camila’s laughter returning to the house.
Eduardo later founded “Camila’s Light Foundation,” with Paloma as its director. The organization funded shelters and therapy for children who had suffered neglect and abuse.
Every afternoon, the three of them could be seen in the mansion’s garden — Eduardo reading, Camila chasing butterflies, and Paloma smiling beside them.
The home that had once echoed with tears was now filled with laughter — a sound stronger than betrayal, and more lasting than wealth.
