Chapter 44 – The Price of Silence

Night fell over Montevideo like a thick, damp gray blanket. The lights in the building were dim, almost hesitant, as if trying to conceal what should never be exposed. On the fifth floor, apartment 502 stood with its curtains drawn and the air heavy with something invisible… and dangerous.

Diana Hernández Montesino climbed the stairs, her jaw tight. The elevator was out of service, its darkened panel reflecting nothing — as though even it sensed that what was a