Why does my housekeeper walk alone at night to the worst neighborhood in the city? When Mauricio decided
Following her, she never imagined that what she would discover would destroy everything she believed.
to know about his own life. The Razabá mansion stood imposingly on the most exclusive hill in the city. The
Three floors of impeccable architecture, gardens that seemed painted by artists, and a silence that only the
Money can buy. But that night something was troubling Mauricio.
while looking out the window of his office. Down below at the main gate,
A familiar figure walked into the darkness of the street. Renata, his housekeeper of recent years,
The woman who arrived before dawn and left when the stars already dominated the sky. The one who never asked.
Nothing, she never complained, she never raised her voice. The one who cleaned her house with a
a dignity that sometimes made him uncomfortable. Mauricio looked at his watch. It was
It was too late for anyone to be walking alone through those streets. And yet, there she was, walking away.
With quick but tired steps, carrying the same worn bags as always. “Where are you going, Renata?” he murmured.
to himself. It wasn’t the first time he’d noticed it. For weeks he’d observed the same pattern. Renata
She would finish her chores, change in the maid’s room, and disappear into the night as if the darkness were her only refuge.
His only refuge. But what intrigued him most was the direction it was taking. It wasn’t heading towards residential areas.
modest homes where he assumed he lived. He was heading south, toward neighborhoods that not even
Even the police didn’t dare patrol after dark. “Mr. Lar Rasábal, do you need anything else before…”
“Retire?” Doña Carmela’s voice startled him. The family cook had been in that house for decades. She had seen
to give birth to his son Sebastian. She had comforted Mauricio when his wife died. She was the only person in the
a world that could speak to him informally. Carmela. Mauricio turned slowly. What do you know about Renata? The
The old woman frowned. “Renata. She’s the best employee we’ve ever had. She’s never absent. She never steals, never. She doesn’t…”
That’s what I mean. Mauricio interrupted her. Do you know anything about her life? About her family?
Where does she live? Carmela was silent for a moment. Her eyes, wise because of the
For years, they studied their boss’s face with a mixture of curiosity and caution.
I know she’s a widow, I know she has children, and I know that every penny she earns here…
destines them. Beyond that, the old woman sighed. Renata is like water,
Sir, transparent, necessary, but impossible to grasp. Mauricio nodded
Slowly, her gaze returned to the window. Renata had already disappeared.
In the distance, swallowed by the shadows of the night. You may leave, Carmela.
When the door closed, Mauricio made a decision that would change his life forever. He took his car keys.
Less ostentatiously, he took off his suit jacket and left through the back door of the mansion. If anyone had
If asked why he did it, he wouldn’t have known how to answer. Perhaps it was curiosity.
Perhaps it was that emptiness that had consumed him since his wife’s death. Or perhaps,
Deep down, it was something even he didn’t yet understand. The car moved forward.
Slowly through the streets, keeping a safe distance from the figure who walked with determination. Mauricio
He knew every corner of the city. He had built buildings in almost all of its
neighborhoods, but I’d never walked these streets at this hour. The lights
They became scarcer, the facades more dilapidated, the air heavier. Renata
She walked without looking back, as if she knew every crack in the sidewalk, every dangerous shadow, every corner where she was
It was best not to stop. His steps were quick, but not desperate. He was the
The gait of someone who had traveled that road so many times that they no longer feared it. They crossed the old bridge that divided the
A city in two worlds. On the north side, prosperity and promise. On the south side,
Survival and oblivion. Mauricio had never crossed that bridge at night. His
Construction projects always ended before reaching this point. High-risk zone, their advisors said. There are none.
“Return on investment,” her partners argued. But Renata crossed without hesitation.
The neighborhood that welcomed her was a labyrinth of narrow alleyways, houses piled up like dominoes.
The point of falling and glances emerging from the dark corners. Mauricio
He stopped the car at a safe distance, afraid to go any further. From there
He watched as Renata stopped in front of a building that could barely be called a house. It was a structure
small with walls that showed the scars of years of neglect and a
A ceiling that seemed to be held up by sheer divine will. A single, dim light.
It shone from within, casting shadows on the patched curtains.
Renata knocked on the door in a specific pattern. Three knocks. Pause. Two.
More knocking. The door opened immediately and two small figures threw themselves into his arms. Children.
Two children who hugged her as if they hadn’t seen her in years, although it had probably only been hours.
Mauricio could hear their high-pitched voices, even from a distance. Mom, Mom
She arrived. Renata knelt down to be at their level, caressing their faces with
a tenderness that Mauricio had never seen in her inside the mansion. There,
In her worn uniform, surrounded by poverty and darkness, Renata shone with
a light that no crystal lamp in her mansion could match. An old woman appeared in the doorway,
He exchanged words with Renata, pointing towards the interior of the house with a worried expression. The face of
Renata changed instantly. Tenderness was replaced by anguish.
Without letting go of one of the children’s hands, he quickly went inside the house. Mauricio
He waited in the car, debating with himself. What was he doing? Why?
Had he followed his employee to this place? What did he expect to find? But something kept him rooted to that seat.
A force she couldn’t explain, a need to understand what secret this woman held as she spent her days
cleaning her house without ever asking for anything in return. Time passed that seemed like an eternity. Finally, Renata left the
