But he did not take her hand.
He did not kneel.
She didn’t even push the ring towards her.
—This dinner was to decide if I wanted to marry you.
Valeria’s smile froze.
—¿Era?
Alejandro placed two fingers on the ring.
And slowly he slid it towards himself.
—I already have my answer.
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CHAPTER 2 — What you do when nobody matters
It took Valeria several seconds to understand.
He looked at the ring.
Then to Alejandro.
Then to Lucia.
—Are you leaving me for her?
He pointed to Lucia as if there could be no other explanation.
Alejandro denied it.
—Then why?
He did not raise his voice.
—Because for twenty minutes you have treated a person who works here as if they had no dignity.
Valeria looked at him incredulously.
And then he laughed.
Not because he found it funny.
Because he still believed he could correct the situation.
—Does that decide whether you want to marry me?
The response was too quick.
Valeria stopped smiling.
—Are you serious?
-Completely.
—Alejandro spilled wine on the table.
Lucia lowered her gaze.
—It was just a few drops.
—I’m not talking to you.
Alejandro leaned forward.
—That’s exactly the problem.
Valeria opened her mouth.
He did not respond.
He continued.
—It wasn’t the napkin. It wasn’t the wine. It was how you spoke to her afterward. It was how you’ve spoken to her all night.
—She’s an employee.
—It’s a person.
—Don’t be dramatic.
Alejandro looked at the ring.
For weeks I had thought about that dinner.
I had imagined it would end in a completely different way.
I hadn’t prepared a secret test.
I hadn’t hired Lucia to provoke Valeria.
He had not designed a trap.
He had simply wanted to spend a night with the woman he was considering spending his life with.
And she had ended up seeing something she could no longer ignore.
“Do you know what worries me?” he asked.
Valeria crossed her arms.
—Illuminati.
—You’re never like that with me.
—Because you are my partner.
-Exact.
She frowned.
-I don’t understand.
—You’re kind to me because my opinion matters to you.
Valeria looked away.
—How absurd.
—You’re charming with my friends. And with people you want to impress, too. But tonight you thought Lucia had no power over your life.
He pointed to the ring.
—And then I saw how you treat someone when you think you don’t need anything from that person.
Valeria remained motionless.
Alejandro spoke more softly.
—That tells me who you are when you think no one important is watching you.
The silence that followed was unlike any that had come before.
There was no longer any expectation.
Just one truth that Valeria couldn’t turn into anything else.
She picked up her bag.
—This is ridiculous.
Alejandro did not try to stop her.
That seemed to enrage her even more.
He stood up.
—You’re going to regret it.
Alejandro remained silent.
Valeria walked towards the door.
But before leaving, he stopped in front of Lucia.
—I hope you’re happy.
Lucia looked up.
—Ma’am, I didn’t…
“Leave it,” said Alejandro.
Valeria looked at him one last time.
The door closed.
And the noise traveled through the house.
Alexander remained seated.
The candles were still lit.
The glasses were still on the table.
The wine I had bought to celebrate something now seemed to belong to another night.
Lucia began to pick up in silence.
“You can leave it,” said Alejandro.
-No problem.
—Lucía.
She stopped.
—Really. We’ll see tomorrow.
Lucia nodded.
But as she removed a napkin, she heard something fall.
A spoon.
He bent down.
She picked it up from the ground.
She was different from the others.
Older.
Darkened silver.
It had a small rose engraved on the handle.
Lucia ran her thumb over it.
And she murmured almost to herself:
—Doña Isabel would never have wanted this.
Alejandro raised his head.
—What did you say?
Lucia tensed up.
—I’m sorry.
—No. The name.
She paled.
—Doña Isabel.
Alejandro got up.
—How do you know that name?
Lucia held the spoon tightly.
—I thought you…
—Isabel died twenty-two years ago.
Lucia took a step back.
—Then nobody told him.
—Tell me what?
Lucia looked at the table.
Then the walls.
Finally, she looked again at the small engraved rose.
—That she lived here.
Alejandro felt that something was wrong inside his head.
—This house belonged to my parents.
Lucia shook her head slowly.
-Not quite.
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CHAPTER 3 — The Rose
Alejandro did not sit down again.
—Explain yourself.
Lucia put the spoon down on the table.
—I don’t know how much you know.
—You just said that Isabel lived here.
—Isabel was…
It stopped.
