A man in a dark suit had just stood up.
I recognized Santiago Leiva, president of Banco Meridional, before he started walking towards us.
Javier also acknowledged it.
I knew because he got up immediately.
Her body changed position.
Straight back.
Professional smile.
The same smile he had rehearsed for months for the financial operation that was supposed to refinance a large part of Valdés Proyectos’ debt.
“Santiago,” he said. “What a joy to see you.”
But Santiago passed by him.
Directly.
He stopped in front of me.
—Mrs. Aranda.
Several nearby voices fell silent.
He didn’t use my married name.
He never did.
—I didn’t know you would be attending tonight.
Javier stopped smiling.
Santiago continued:
—The committee is waiting for your position before finalizing the funding structure. We thought we would have an answer tomorrow.
I noticed how Carmen looked at her son.
Claudia removed her hand completely from the table.
I kept my eyes
in Santiago.
—They will have it.
—Perfect. I didn’t want to disturb her during a family celebration.
—It doesn’t bother me.
Santiago nodded.
Then he glanced briefly at Javier.
Just briefly.
-Good night.
He walked away.
Nobody spoke for a few seconds.
Javier was the first.
—What the hell does that mean?
I looked at the old pen on the table.
Then I looked at him.
—It means that I should have prepared for this conversation better.
CHAPTER 2 — EVERYTHING THAT DIDN’T BEAR HIS SURNAME
Javier followed me to a small distribution area next to the living room.
—Lucía.
I didn’t stop.
—Lucía, I’m talking to you.
I turned.
He kept looking towards the dining room door, worried about who might be watching us.
That pretty much sums up our relationship over the last few years.
—What is your relationship with Leiva?
-Professional.
—Don’t pull my leg.
—I don’t.
—He said that a committee is waiting for your decision.
—That’s what I heard.
She ran a hand through her hair.
—We’re talking about financing
from my company.
—From the financing of Valdés Proyectos.
—My company.
I didn’t argue with that word.
Not yet.
Javier interpreted my silence as he always had: as a retreat.
—Look, I know tonight is complicated. We can talk about Claudia tomorrow.
-Tomorrow?
—Yes. Calmly.
—You have chosen today.
—Because I didn’t want to keep lying.
I almost smiled.
—How thoughtful.
—Don’t make this any more unpleasant than it already is.
There it was again.
The version of events in which he caused the damage and I was responsible for its intensity.
Carmen appeared behind him.
—Can you leave it for another day?
He didn’t ask how I was.
“Your father is about to give his speech,” he continued. “There are important people here, and Javier has been taking care of every detail of this dinner for weeks.”
—Except for where to seat his wife.
—Lucía…
“Mom, leave him alone,” Javier interrupted.
I didn’t want to protect myself.
He wanted to manage the crisis.
Carmen watched me
with open irritation.
“I don’t know what you hope to achieve by acting like this. Javier has made mistakes, that’s true. But he’s also carried the weight of it all for years. This family has given you stability, connections, a comfortable life…”
-Mother.
—No, Javier. Someone has to say it.
Sometimes cruelty doesn’t enter a room screaming.
Sometimes she arrives convinced that she is clarifying facts.
—Lucía has always been very lucky with you —he continued—. She’s never really had to worry about anything.
I looked at her for several seconds.
I thought about the winter when Javier stopped getting paid for five months in order to pay three employees.
My savings are disappearing bill by bill.
In the private financial analysis classes I gave in the afternoons to two master’s students because we needed cash.
On nights when I corrected Javier’s business presentations until three in the morning, and the next day I arrived at my own job at eight.
In the London offer that I rejected when Valdés Proyectos was weeks away from closing.
An international management company wanted to hire me.
The position meant a higher salary, more responsibility, and a career leap that might not come again.
I said no.
Not because Javier asked me to.
That was a truth I had struggled to admit for a long time.
I did it because I wanted to.
Because she was in love.
Because I thought that building a life together also meant deciding what opportunities could wait.
My mistake was not sacrificing myself for him.
My mistake was allowing those sacrifices to disappear from the narrative over the years, becoming a supposed lack of ambition.
“You’re right, Carmen,” I said. “I’ve been lucky in some things.”
She seemed satisfied.
—Then don’t forget…
—But not exactly the ones you believe in.
