69. Burning Regret

Marissa had pleaded with Efrain to accompany him to the town, a request he couldn't refuse. Now, they were inside the police station, with Marissa waiting outside alongside Eulalio.

Meanwhile, inside Manuel's office, the mysterious woman, now known to Marissa as Efrain's Aunt Anna, was seated with Efrain, Manuel and Valentina.

"Did you truly take Camila's life?" Efrain asked, his eyes searching hers.

Anna looked directly at him as she nodded, feeling the burden of her confession weighing heavily on her heart. "Yes, I planned it, even though I wasn't certain," the words spilled from her lips "I'm sorry, my dear children. But your mother... she did worse things, things that haunted me for years." Anna's hand shook as she reached up to touch the burn mark on her face, a constant reminder of the painful past that wouldn't fade away. "Even this scar, bears witness to the pain she inflicted."

Valentina gently squeezed Anna's hand, her eyes brimming with empathy. "I understand, Aunt Ann," s