I Thought She Was Happy (Creía que era feliz)

Inés seemed to have it all… until she vanished without a trace. Friends, family, and lovers piece together her seemingly perfect life, revealing secrets, cracks, and uncomfortable truths. Behind the question “Where is Inés?” lies another, far more disturbing one: who was she really? A psychological thriller about perfection, appearances, and human fragility.

Inés Mondúver Calabuig, 26, appears to have everything: professional success, beauty, a loving family, and a devoted boyfriend. Yet she has disappeared. The event shocks everyone around her and leads each character—who will narrate Inés’s life from their own perspective—to repeat the phrase that gives the book its title: “I thought she was happy.”

Through multiple voices—people who, in one way or another, were part of Inés’s inner or outer circle—the pieces of her life’s puzzle are reconstructed. In parallel, the police and judicial investigation follows the thread of events that led to her disappearance.

The stereotype of Inés’s perfect life begins to crack as first-person testimonies reveal clues about her whereabouts and the hidden conflicts within her world. Her sister Laura exposes the rivalry and jealousy that always stood between them, while her mother, Elvira, idealizes her as the perfect daughter. Ricardo, her boyfriend, hides a decisive secret: he was unfaithful with Gisela, a former colleague of Inés who sought revenge after losing her job because of her. Inés suspects the affair and receives a threatening message from Gisela that plunges her into anxiety.

Trying to regain control, distract herself, or perhaps feel desired again, Inés signs up for a dating site on a friend’s advice. There she meets a man who, after their first date, blackmails her with an explicit sexual video. Trapped by fear that her perfect life will collapse in front of her family and Ricardo, she gives in to the stalker’s demands, entering a spiral of humiliation and despair.

Seeking escape, Inés takes refuge in an isolated rural inn, but the stalker follows her. Tension reaches its peak when, after the videos are circulated and the pressure to maintain appearances becomes unbearable, Inés decides to throw herself into the Barranco de los Pájaros. She is found alive, though in critical condition, and admitted to a hospital, where she begins a process of physical and emotional recovery that will transform her life.

In the epilogue, Inés awakens from her coma and faces a second chance. Her relationship with her family and with Ricardo changes, and she realizes she cannot return to her former controlled life. Something has to change—she must break with appearances and begin living more honestly, free from social expectations. But how?

RELEVANT INFORMATION: Susana Gisbert is a prosecutor specializing in gender-based violence, hate crimes, and democratic memory, as well as a writer of short stories and novels. She has received several literary awards, including First Prize in the Valencia City Council Short Story Competition and the Carolina Planells Narrative Prize against Gender Violence, along with numerous local recognitions. Her blog conmitogaymistanones.com was awarded Best Personal Blog at the 20 Minutos Awards.

I Thought She Was Happy is a profound psychological portrait of the fragility of appearances and the pressure to achieve a perfect life. The story reconstructs Inés’s disappearance through multiple voices that expose secrets, contradictions, and hidden wounds in an apparently idyllic environment. This polyphonic structure makes the work an ideal candidate for a suspense and psychological drama series, with echoes of The Affair or Mare of Easttown in its treatment of fragmented truth and the social weight of reputation.

Its non-linear narrative, centered on subjective testimonies and a parallel investigation, offers a highly adaptable audiovisual format, with constant twists and mounting tension leading to a powerful climax.

AUDIOVISUAL POTENTIAL: TV Series, Miniseries, Feature Film, TV Film.

AVAILABLE LANGUAGES: Spanish.