The old man kept his home.
And the evidence gathered by Elena was decisive in establishing the truth.
Pilar also received important news.
His testimony had identified other suspicious transactions involving seniors.
Thanks to the documents she had preserved, several families were able to discover irregularities of which they had been unaware for years.
One afternoon, Don Ernesto invited him to lunch.
He prepared a paella according to Elena’s recipe.
Pilar arrived with a bottle of wine and a bouquet of flowers.
Javier arranged three plates on the table.
“My mother would be proud of you,” he said.
Pilar smiled.
“Your mother started it all.”
Don Ernesto raised his glass.
“To Elena.”
“To Elena,” repeated the other two.
And for a few seconds, the silence ceased to be painful.
It became a way of remembering.
Lucía also had to face the consequences of her decisions.
His cooperation with the investigators was taken into account in the proceedings.
But she did not erase her responsibility for the acts she had acknowledged.
She had to answer for her participation in the falsifications and for the accusations she had made.
She also had to deal with her separation from Javier as well as a long process of reorganizing her debts.
She lost her marriage.
She lost the confidence of the family.
And she had to rebuild her life without being able to hide behind Arturo.
For a while, Javier had no news of her.
Until the day he received a letter.
She was not wearing any perfume.
Nor any romantic words.
Only a folded sheet.
He opened it one evening, sitting in the kitchen.
Javier,
I am not writing to you to ask you to come back with me.
I know that I don’t have the right to demand a new chance.
For a long time, I kept telling myself that I had done everything out of fear.
I was afraid of losing my money.
I was afraid of losing you.
I was afraid that you would find out about my lies.
But fear did not compel me to accuse your father.
I made this decision myself.
And when I saw you hit him, I understood that I had destroyed something that no apology could fix.
I began to receive professional help to understand why I was unable to stop.
I also work to meet my financial obligations.
I don’t expect you to forgive me.
I just wanted you to know that I won’t try to justify what I did anymore.
Lucia.
Javier termina sa lecture.
He folded the letter.
And put it in a drawer.
He did not answer.
Not because he wanted to punish her.
But because he understood that he could wish her a better life without having to share his life with her again.
Her relationship with her father was progressing slowly.
At first, every conversation was cautious.
Don Ernesto jumped when Javier raised his voice during a discussion.
Javier stopped immediately.
He apologized.
And he listened.
He never tried to convince his father to forget the punch.
Nor did he try to buy his forgiveness with gifts.
He accompanied her to her medical appointments.
Helped him organize his documents.
Respected his decisions.
And began to ask questions before drawing conclusions.
Little by little, they regained certain habits.
On Sundays, they made coffee together.
On Tuesday, they played a game of chess.
On Friday, they went for a walk in the park.
One afternoon, as they were returning from the market, Don Ernesto stopped in front of a small bakery.
“Your mother used to buy the best madeleines here.”
Javier smiled.
“She always said that she was the one who prepared them.”
The old man burst out laughing.
“And I pretended to believe her.”
They entered.
They bought a bag of madeleines.
And they went home talking about Elena.
Of his wacky ideas.
Of his little quirks.
The way she sang while cooking.
For the first time in a long time, these memories did not only bring them sadness.
They also gave them joy.
The anniversary of Elena’s death came on a bright spring morning.
Javier found his father in the garden.
He was standing near a small lemon tree they had planted a few months earlier.
“Do you want me to help you?” he asked.
Don Ernesto looked up.
“Of course.”
They worked together for nearly an hour.
They removed the dead leaves.
Turned the earth over.
And they placed a small wooden plaque near the tree.
It bore a simple inscription.
ELENA MORALES
His love continues to grow here.
Javier stood contemplating these words.
“Dad… »
“Yes?”
“There’s something I haven’t told you yet.”
The old man put down his watering can.
Javier took a deep breath.
