The sun was shining brightly, but a cool breeze blew inside the luxury SUV that snaked down the dusty road of San Gabriel, a town in Jalisco. Inside, sat Elena, thirty-five years old, sophisticated, covered in jewels and with an aura of success. She was the owner of a large cosmetics company in Los Angeles, California. After a decade, he was finally returning to Mexico. His heart was overflowing with excitement and joy. His purpose: to surprise his only brother and hero of his life, his older brother, Ricardo.

They were orphans. Ricardo, ten years older than her, was her father and mother. Ricardo never married. He gave all his youth working in the fields, as a loader in the supply center, and with any extra “job” so that Elena could study and then send her to the United States. When Elena triumphed, she swore that she would return everything to her. Month after month, he sent about two hundred thousand pesos to his Aunt Sofia and his cousin Marisa, to whom he entrusted the care of Ricardo when he suffered a stroke and lost his sight five years ago.

According to Tía Sofía, they had already built the house of their dreams. “Oh, Elena, how beautiful your brother’s room is! It has air conditioning, a soft bed and even a private nurse! Don’t worry, he lives like a prince here,” his aunt always told him in video calls. When Elena wanted to talk to Ricardo, Marisa always said “My brother is asleep” or “He’s in therapy”, so they often only communicated by chat using the cell phone that Elena had sent her. Elena felt calm because they were her own blood.

The vehicle stopped in front of a huge, ostentatious house with a high gate. Painted in white and gold, with lion statues on the front, it was evident that a lot of money had been spent on it. “Here it is,” Elena whispered. “The fruit of our effort.” He got out of the truck, adjusted his designer glasses, and rang the doorbell.

A domestic worker came out. “Who are you?” he asked. “I’m Elena. Sofia’s niece. Are they there?” he replied. They allowed him to enter. Upon entering the room, Elena marveled at the opulence of the furniture. There were the appliances I had sent, the furniture I had paid for. Soon after, Aunt Sofia and Marisa walked down the grand staircase, both dressed in designer household clothes and full of jewelry.

“Elena?!” shouted Aunt Sofia, startled. He turned pale as if he had seen a ghost. “W-Why are you here? I thought you were coming back until next month!” Marisa also became nervous and quickly hid the new iPhone in her hand. “Surprise, Auntie!” said Elena smiling and giving them a kiss. “I just want to see my brother Ricardo. Where is he? Is he in his room upstairs?”

Mother and daughter looked at each other. Fear and anxiety were reflected in his eyes. “Ah… hey… Elena,” Marisa stammered. “My brother Ricardo is not here. It is in… He’s in the… in a therapy center in the other town! Yes, he’s staying there so the doctors can take better care of him.” Aunt Sofia chimed in, “Exactly! Exactly! Come back next week. So rest up, Elena. You’re tired of the trip.”

Elena was surprised. “Therapy center? They never mentioned that to me. Besides, why do they seem so scared?” Elena began to get restless. He felt a strange premonition in his chest, the “lukso ng dugo” (the leap of blood, an expression of strong family connection). He didn’t believe them. “I’ll go see him. What center is it in?” he asked. “Oh, no visitors are allowed there! They are very strict!” excused Tía Sofía.

Hesitating, Elena excused herself to go to the bathroom. But instead of going to the bathroom, she crept out the back door into the utility kitchen and patio. She wanted to see the whole house. As she walked through the spacious yard, she heard a faint cough coming from the back, near the pen of the pigs and chickens.

Elena approached. The smell was foul: a mixture of animal excrement and rotting garbage. Next to the pigsty, there was a small hut made of metal sheets and patched tarps. It had no door, only a curtain of sacks. Elena peeked out.

And in that instant, her world stopped. Her expensive purse fell into the mud.

Inside the dark, smelly hut, lying on an old cot with no mattress, was a man. He was extremely thin, almost skin and bones. His hair and beard were long, darkened by dirt. He was wearing a torn T-shirt and shorts. His eyes were white, he was blind. Flies landed on the wounds on his legs. Next to him, there was a plastic bowl of rice mixed with water and some salt, food worse than a dog’s.

“Water… water…” the man groaned weakly.

Elena recognized that voice. Although hoarse, although weak, she knew it perfectly.

“Brother?” Elena called in a broken voice.

The man was startled. He stood up slowly, feeling the air. “E-Elena? Is it you, little sister? Am I dreaming again?”

Elena burst into tears. She ran and hugged her brother tightly. She didn’t care about the dirt, the smell, the mud. She hugged the brother who had given her everything. “Brother! My god! What did they do to you?! Brother, forgive me! Forgive me for not arriving earlier!” Elena’s crying echoed throughout the courtyard, filled with pain and rage.

Ricardo caressed his sister’s face with his rough and dirty hand. The blind Ricardo was crying too. “Little sister… here you are. Thank goodness. I thought I would die without being able to hold you.”

“They said you were in air conditioning! They said they treated you like king! Why are you here by the pigsty?!” shouted Elena as she saw her brother’s bruises and wounds.

“I couldn’t do anything, little sister,” Ricardo whispered. “Since I had a stroke and went blind, they took my cell phone. They threw me here. They told me you didn’t send money anymore. They said you were struggling in the U.S. and they had to ration me. My food was leftovers. Sometimes, they even forgot about me.”

“Liars!” shouted Elena. “I send 200 thousand pesos every month! This house is for you! That truck is for you!”

At that moment, Aunt Sofia and Marisa arrived, panting. They saw the scene. They turned pale.

“Elena! Let me explain!” shouted Aunt Sofia.

Elena stood up. Her face, once filled with tears, now turned into terrifying anger. The kind “Elena” niece was gone. The one in front of them was “CEO Elena,” accustomed to running an empire and destroying her rivals.

“Explain?!” shouted Elena, shaking the mansion. “What are you going to explain?! That you turned my brother into an animal while you guys were living the high life with the money I earned so hard?! How brazen you are!”

“Elena, we are family! We were just going through trouble! Ricardo is very difficult to take care of, he wets the bed, that’s why we put him here so that the house wouldn’t smell bad,” Marisa justified.

“PAKK!” A loud slap echoed on Marisa’s face.

“Your attitude stinks more than pig shit!” thundered Elena. “I named this house after my brother Ricardo! You’re the ones who live here! You’re the ones who are maintained! And then you throw him outside?!”

Elena took out her cell phone and called her lawyer and the police.

“Lawyer, come immediately. Bring the title to the house, right? And bring in the police. I want these people off my property. NOW. And I’m going to press charges. Serious Illegal Detention, Mistreatment of Incapacitated Person, Fraud and Aggravated Robbery!”

Aunt Sofia knelt down. “Elena! Don’t do it! Have mercy! I’m your aunt! We are your blood!”

“Blood?” Elena stared at her aunt. “The blood that runs through his veins is poison. When my brother was hungry, did you have mercy? When it froze here while you were in the air conditioning, did you remember that it was your own blood? They only thought about my money.”

The police and the lawyer arrived. The authorities immediately saw Ricardo’s condition. Tía Sofía and Marisa were arrested. They resisted, insulted and shouted, but they could not do anything. They were dragged out of the mansion they believed to be theirs. The neighbors came out, witnessing the shame of mother and daughter who previously believed themselves to be the “doñas” of the neighborhood.

Elena and her driver carried Ricardo. They took him inside the mansion. Elena herself bathed her brother. She cleaned up the dirt, she dressed him in new clothes, and she fed him a delicious soup.

“Brother, I’m already here. They will never hurt you again. You’ll never go hungry again. I’ll take care of you,” Elena cried as she fed her brother.

“Thank you, little sister. The soup is delicious. It tastes like love,” smiled Ricardo, who despite his blindness, could see the light of hope.

In the following days, Elena renovated the house to make it accessible to Ricardo. He hired a private nurse and a physiotherapist. Thanks to proper care and nutrition, Ricardo gradually regained his strength. Although her sight did not return, she was happy because she was with her sister.

Aunt Sofia and Marisa are now rotting in prison. There was no bail for the charges filed by Elena due to the severity of the abuse. All the properties they bought with the stolen money were confiscated by the court. Elena also discovered that Marisa wasted money on gambling and drugs. Karma took its toll on them.

One afternoon, while Ricardo was sitting on the balcony, he took Elena’s hand.

“Little sister, don’t hold a grudge in your heart, do you? They did something wrong, but God will take care of them. The important thing is that we are together.”

Elena hugged her brother. “Yes, brother. All my wealth, my success, is worth nothing without you. You are my true wealth.”

Elena proved that money can be earned, but a family she truly loves is unique. And in the end, evil always has a limit, and goodness and truth always prevail. The “pigsty” where Ricardo was thrown became the symbol of his fall, and the love of the brothers was the foundation of his new beginning.

And you, my “compadres” and “comadres,” especially those abroad, what would you do if you found out that the person you trusted in Mexico is deceiving you? Could you forgive them? Comment below and share this story to serve as a warning to all! 👇👇👇