Chapter 6 - The Broken KeyThe taxi ride back to Lomas de Chapultepec was filled with Teresa’s endless, furious ranting. She paced her words with dramatic gestures, promising that they would sue Mariana, take everything she owned, and leave her with nothing.
"She thinks she’s clever," Teresa scoffed, crossing her arms. "But a wife cannot simply kick her husband out of his own home. The law protects you, Alejandro. You are the man of the house. Once we are inside, we will change the security codes, and she will have to beg on her knees to be let back in."
Alejandro stared out the window, a heavy, sick feeling growing in his gut. He knew things that his mother refused to understand. He knew that the house had been bought before their wedding. He knew that Mariana’s lawyers were incredibly sharp. But in his heart, he still hoped that his name was somehow attached to the property, or that the law would drag out any eviction process for months.
The taxi pulled up to the massive, elegant wrought-iron gates of the estate. The towering stone walls and manicured ivy looked as grand as ever.
Teresa hopped out of the taxi, practically running up the paved driveway to the grand wooden double doors. She reached into her designer purse and pulled out her set of keys—the keys Alejandro had given her so she could visit whenever she pleased.
She slipped the key into the brass lock.
It didn't fit.
She pushed harder, trying to force it in, but the key hit a solid metal barrier. The keyhole was different. She looked closer and realized that the entire deadbolt mechanism had been replaced with a sleek, brand-new digital smart lock.
"What is this?" Teresa muttered, her fingers trembling with frustration. "Alejandro! The key isn't working! Did you change the locks and forget to tell me?"
Alejandro walked up the steps, his chest tightening. He reached for his own set of keys and tried them on the secondary locks. Nothing worked. The keys were entirely useless.
He pressed the digital keypad on the door. The screen lit up, demanding a fingerprint or a master passcode. He typed in his old code—the date of their wedding anniversary.
Access Denied.
He tried his birthday.
Access Denied.
"No, no, no," Alejandro whispered, frantically tapping the screen.
Just then, a white commercial van pulled out of the side driveway. On the side of the van was the logo of a high-end security and locksmithing company. The driver nodded to them as he rolled past the gates.
Suddenly, a security guard from the estate's private neighborhood patrol walked up the driveway. He was accompanied by Mariana’s personal attorney, a sharp-eyed man named Sofia.
"Mr. Vance," Sofia said, stepping forward with a folder of legal documents. "I see you’ve discovered the updates. At precisely 12:00 p.m. today, the locks on this residence were replaced."
"You can't do this!" Teresa yelled, lunging toward Sofia. "This is my son’s house! He paid for every brick of this place!"
Sofia calmly opened the folder and pulled out a certified copy of the property deed. He held it up, pointing directly to the owner's signature.
"Actually, ma'am, this property was purchased four years ago by Mariana Vance as an individual, prior to her marriage to Alejandro," Sofia explained, his voice smooth and professional. "The deed is solely in her name. Alejandro has never been a co-owner, nor has he ever contributed to the mortgage, which was paid in full by Mariana's holding company."
Sofia turned his gaze to Alejandro. "We have filed an emergency restraining order and an eviction notice based on the video evidence of domestic harassment and destruction of property that occurred on these premises last night. You have been legally barred from entering this property."
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"My clothes! My things!" Alejandro panicked. "Everything I own is in there!"
"Your personal belongings have already been packed by a professional moving service," Sofia said, pointing to the curb outside the gates, where several neat, taped cardboard boxes were stacked. "You are advised to take them and leave. If you attempt to breach these gates or harass Mariana, the security team has explicit instructions to call the police immediately."
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