And the nursery camera backed up to cloud storage she did not know existed.
We watched footage no parent should ever have to watch.
There was Carolina at 8:03 a.m., still in pajamas, taking Mateo from Jimena while Jimena walked away with coffee and her phone.
There was Carolina at 10:17, bouncing him on one hip while trying to wipe formula off the counter.
At 12:41, Jimena stood in the pantry doorway, blocking it while Carolina looked up at her and then stepped back empty-handed.
At 2:08, Carolina lowered Mateo into a playpen for less than ten seconds before Jimena appeared, pointed at him, and snapped her fingers until Carolina picked him up again.
At 4:56, Mateo cried while Carolina stood at the sink, and Jimena walked through the hallway without once reaching for him.
Then came the footage from the previous week.
And the week before that.
It was not one bad day.
It was a pattern.
A system.
A child turned into unpaid labor because the adult in charge wanted convenience more than conscience.
Victor paused one clip and looked at me over the laptop screen.
“We file tonight,” he said.
