Below, Julián’s father had written:
“She looks pretty, but she has a troubled look. Don’t wait too long to correct it.”
One of the brothers responded:
“Mine cried for three days. Then he understood.”
Another sent an audio.
Camila played it at low volume.
A man’s voice was heard laughing:
“The important thing is that you do not leave visible marks before family photos. Rebeca knows what makeup to wear.”
Camila’s stomach turned.
He kept going down.
There were captures of transfers to doctors. Messages about missing complaints. Photos of false reports. A conversation with attorney Vargas explaining how to accuse a wife of “emotional instability” if she tried to ask for help.
Then the message sent that same afternoon appeared.
Julián: “I already have dad’s bat. When we cross international waters, my real marriage begins. Camila thinks I’m a prince. Today you are going to learn.”
Camila felt something inside her break.
But he didn’t allow himself to cry.
Took captures.
He recorded the screen with his own cell phone.
He photographed the bat, the straps, the closed door, Julián’s face, the message with time and date.
Then he found another folder.
Videos.
There were recordings of other women from the Arriaga family. Some crying. Others sat in huge dining rooms, looking at the floor while the men toasted like kings.
Doña Rebeca appeared in one of the videos.
Julian’s mother.
I wasn’t being a victim.
I was teaching.
“A new daughter-in-law always tries limits”, she said in a soft voice. “The important thing is to break the idea that he can leave. Money first. Then the friends. Then the blame. In the end, he only has the house.”
Camila felt an icy fury.
That whole family was a machine.
A surname turned into a cage.
Outside, the lock rang.
They were going to enter.
Camila sent everything to three places: a prosecutor she had met during victim care training, a Navy captain who still owed her a favor, and her own lawyer in Mexico City.
In the subject he wrote a single sentence:
“Attempted premeditated assault on cruise ship. Arriaga family involved.”
The prosecutor’s response came almost immediately:
“Received. Don’t hand over the phone. Stay visible. Port Captaincy and National Guard will be notified upon arrival. Record everything.”
Camila placed her cell phone on a shelf, pointing towards the door.
Then he took the bat.
Not to attack.
To show it.
Julián looked at her with hatred.
“My mom is going to destroy you.”
Camila crouched in front of him.
“Your mom just confessed on video.”
For the first time, Julián stopped smiling.
The door opened forcefully.
Three security men in black vests entered. The first looked at Julián on the floor and then at Camila with the bat in her hand.
“She attacked me!”, Julián shouted. “She’s crazy! Arrest her!”
