JULIETAS BENEATH THE RIVER 3:

CHAPTER 3: The Disappearance of Julieta.

The day unfolded like any other. Julieta left early for school, and I immersed myself in my hectic work routine. However, in the afternoon, the rain began to pour heavily over the neighborhood where we now lived. Time seemed to stand still as I anxiously awaited my daughter's return.

The clock hands moved relentlessly, and hours passed without a trace of Julieta. At 6:00 p.m., Anna and I decided to go out and look for her. My hands trembled as I gripped the steering wheel, and tears threatened to blur my vision. Fear and desperation took hold of me, drowning me in unbearable anguish.

We drove through the wet streets, calling her name in vain and hoping to hear her distinct laughter in response. But only the silence of the rain enveloped us, intensifying our concern and fueling our worst fears. With every minute that passed without news of Julieta, my heart broke a little more.

Finally, as night fell with no sign of our daughter, we made the most difficult decision: to report her disappearance. At the police station, words got stuck in my throat as I recounted the details of the last time we saw her. Every description I gave of her sweet face and contagious laughter made a knot form in my stomach.

Time became a relentless enemy. The hours faded into the darkness of the night as the authorities mobilized to find Julieta. Helplessness and anguish consumed me. At home, I threw objects in anger and silently wept, unable to bear the uncertainty of knowing nothing about my little princess.

Hours turned into days, and days into an eternity of agony. Every second without news of Julieta was an unbearable torture. Our home, once filled with laughter and joy, became a bleak reflection of our broken lives. Hope slowly faded, and the abyss of pain seemed to swallow me whole.

My mind filled with unanswered questions, terrifying scenarios, and possibilities I would rather not contemplate. Where was my little Julieta? What had happened to her? The thought that someone, especially our neighbor Robert, could be involved tormented me and ignited a burning fire within me.

The search for Julieta became an obsessive mission. With every step we took, our hopes were crushed by cruel reality. The void in our hearts was immense, and only the thought of embracing her again kept us standing. I couldn't afford to give up, not while my daughter was somewhere out there.