Before her marriage, she had been involved in several affairs with Víctor.
Some had ended in losses.
Others had left large debts.
Most of these debts predated the marriage.
Javier knew nothing about it.
When he asked her why she had hidden them from him, Lucía replied:
“Because I knew you would judge me.”
“I would have helped you.”
“I didn’t need your mercy.”
“So what did you need?”
The woman stared at him.
“A chance to start my life again.”
Don Ernesto spoke from his chair.
“Everyone deserves another chance, Lucía. But not by destroying the lives of those who help us. »
She did not answer.
Elena put away the documents.
“From now on, any contact regarding Don Ernesto’s heritage will have to go through official channels. I also recommend preserving devices and files that may contain evidence, without illegally accessing other people’s accounts. »
Javier acquiesça.
Lucía went to the stairs.
“I’m going to get my things back.”
Don Ernesto answered calmly.
“You can take your personal belongings. The rest will have to be checked. »
She turned around.
“Are you kicking me out?”
“I tell you that you can no longer continue to treat me this way under my own roof.”
Lucía felt a mixture of humiliation and fury.
For months, she had treated Ernesto as a man without power.
Now this old man who could barely get up without help had just regained control of his life.
And she wasn’t ready to accept it.
CHAPTER 13. THE THREAT
That night, Lucía left the mansion.
Javier did not try to hold her back.
He watched as she placed two suitcases in the trunk of her car.
Before leaving, she approached him.
“Are you going to sacrifice our marriage for an argument?”
Javier regards her.
“It wasn’t an argument.”
“Your father always wanted to separate us.”
“My father ate on the floor.”
Lucía looked down.
“I didn’t want to hurt him.”
“Then explain to me why you didn’t stop.”
She did not answer.
“Did my family ever really mean anything to you?”
She seemed to hesitate.
For a moment Javier thought she was going to say something sincere.
But Lucía hardens her expression.
“You’ll regret choosing your father.”
She got into her car and drove off.
Javier stood still until the taillights disappeared behind the gate.
When he returned to the living room, he found Don Ernesto sitting in front of a photograph of Mercedes.
“Dad, I’m sorry.”
The old man looked up.
“Come here.”
Javier sat down next to him.
“I didn’t see what was happening.”
“You were working.”
“That’s not an excuse.”
“No, my son. But you will not repair anything by punishing yourself. »
Javier rested his elbows on his knees.
“I promised you that you would never be alone.”
Don Ernesto was silent for a few seconds.
“Sometimes you can feel terribly alone in the middle of others.”
These words remained suspended between them.
Then the old man added:
“Your mother used to say that a house is not big because of its size, but because of all the love it can contain.”
Javier smiled sadly.
“I remember it.”
“For months, I lived in a huge mansion feeling like a prisoner.”
His son took his hand.
“It ends today.”
But the next day, they received a call that complicated the situation.
It was Víctor.
He asked to speak to Javier.
“I think we should meet.”
“We have nothing to say to each other.”
“You’re wrong. There are signed documents and financial commitments. »
Javier clutched his phone.
“Talk to our lawyer.”
Víctor let out a dry laugh.
“Lawyers are expensive. I can save you from problems. »
“Any question will have to be dealt with in writing.”
“Your father agreed to certain conditions.”
“My father says no.”
“Then we will have a conflict.”
Javier took a deep breath.
“If you have authentic documents, present them.”
Victor garda le silence.
Then he answered:
“Be careful. Sometimes the truth destroys more than one family. »
He hung up.
Javier immediately informed Elena.
She asked him to write down the time and content of the call.
“Don’t respond to provocations,” she advised. We will follow the appropriate procedures. »
That same afternoon, Lucía received an unexpected visitor.
Víctor was waiting for her in the apartment she had rented.
He was furious.
“You’ve made too many mistakes.”
Lucía ferma la porte.
“Javier found the documents.”
“And your father-in-law recorded us.”
“I didn’t know he had a recorder.”
Víctor paced the room.
“We need to know what else he has left.”
“We can’t go back to the mansion.”
“Then we will have to negotiate.”
Lucía regards him.
“With whom?”
Víctor answered without hesitation:
“With the only man who can still save us.”
Don Ernesto.
