For several endless seconds, the courtroom sat frozen in silence.
Víctor slowly let go of the boy’s arm as if the touch itself had scorched him. His face stayed controlled, almost emotionless, yet the fear in his eyes shattered the illusion of composure.
The housemaid covered her mouth and broke down sobbing.
The judge leaned closer. “Son… are you absolutely certain?”
The boy swallowed hard and nodded. “I heard everything.”
A sharp, humorless laugh escaped Víctor. “This is ridiculous. He’s a terrified child inventing stories.”
But the boy never looked away from him.
“That night,” he whispered, “I couldn’t sleep. I went downstairs because I heard yelling coming from the library.”
The entire courtroom went still.
“My father was standing by the fireplace. The maid was crying. She kept begging him to stop talking about it. She said she didn’t want to know and promised she would never tell anyone.”
The prosecutor’s face darkened.
“Tell anyone what?” he asked quietly.
The boy turned toward Víctor.
“That my father had uncovered who’d been stealing money from the company for years.”
Whispers rippled across the courtroom.
Víctor clenched his jaw.
The maid shook so violently she nearly collapsed. “He warned me that if I said a word,” she whispered through tears, “the boy would die next.”
The judge demanded order, but nobody could tear their eyes away.
Tears gathered in the child’s eyes.
“My father told her to take me and run,” he said softly. “But Uncle Víctor locked us inside from the outside.”
A woman in the gallery cried out in horror.
Víctor stumbled backward. “She’s lying. The child is confused. He doesn’t understand—”
“No,” the boy interrupted.
His voice trembled.
Yet every word remained firm.
“When smoke started coming under the door, my father forced open the hidden service hatch behind the wall and pushed me through it. She carried me out.”
He lifted his trembling hand and pointed toward the maid.
“She’s the reason I survived.”
The prosecutor slowly faced Víctor. “And your brother?”
The boy’s expression shattered.
“He stayed behind… because someone had to keep the door closed from the inside.”
A crushing silence filled the courtroom.
Then the maid, tears streaming down her face, revealed the final truth.
“He didn’t die because of the fire…”
Her eyes locked onto Víctor.
“He was already unconscious before you started it.”
