Chapter 14: The Price of Betrayal

The city, already fractured, began to turn on itself. News spread of American victories outside Santiago and rumors of atrocities on all sides. Spanish authorities, desperate for a scapegoat, arrested several prominent Cuban families—including the Alvarezes. Lucía and her mother were confined to their home, watched day and night by Spanish soldiers.

Michael, now a marked man, was forced into hiding by Rafael and the rebels. He learned of the American government’s plans for Cuba: secret negotiations to annex the island, promises made to the rebels and broken behind closed doors. Eleanor brought him news of the Platt Amendment—a clause that would allow the United States to intervene in Cuba’s affairs, even after “independence.”