He looked exhausted, with dark circles beneath his eyes and an untrimmed beard.
“My mom is sick from the stress,” he began.
Sofia said nothing.
“Mariana canceled her wedding.”
Silence.
“The estate is going into foreclosure.”
“Did you sign the divorce papers?” Sofia asked.
Javier clenched his hands.
“Do you really not care about anything we had?”
“I care about what happened to me.”
“My family is destroyed.”
“Your family was already broken, Javier. I just stopped paying for the paint that hid the cracks.”
He lowered his head.
“I admit I made a mistake.”
“It wasn’t a mistake. Forgetting an anniversary is a mistake. Sitting silently while your mother humiliates your wife is a choice. Using my name on a loan without my permission is a choice.”
Tears ran down his face.
“I was terrified of my mother.”
For the first time, Sofia believed him.
But a late truth could not repair what had already been broken.
