“You used my accounts. You paid for jewelry, travel, the ceremony, the apartment, and God knows what else with my money. You married another woman while legally married to me. You forged my signature. And then you planned to move her into my house.”
His eyes hardened.
“You gave me that life.”
“I gave you trust.”
“You liked being the powerful one,” he said. “Don’t pretend you didn’t. You liked paying. You liked reminding me I needed you.”
The words struck, but they did not wound the way he wanted.
Because now I understood.
He did not hate depending on me.
He hated that I knew it.
I said, “I never reminded you.”
“You didn’t have to.”
There it was.
The truth beneath all his silk shirts and expensive cologne.
Shame.
Rotten, entitled shame.
He leaned closer.
“You think you can erase me?”
“No, Mauricio. I think I can document you.”
He looked at Victor again, then at Isabel.
“What do you want?”
I smiled faintly.
“That is the first intelligent question you’ve asked.”
Victor opened another folder.
“Immediate repayment of all misappropriated funds. Full cooperation with the investigation. Voluntary surrender of all documents related to marital assets. Written acknowledgment that the Bosques property was never jointly owned. No contact with Amara except through counsel.”
Mauricio laughed.
“You’re insane.”
Victor nodded.
“Then we proceed criminally.”
Mauricio’s face darkened.
“You wouldn’t.”
I said, “I already did.”
That was when his phone rang.
He looked down.
I saw the name.
Valentina.
He rejected the call.
A second later, it rang again.
Then again.
Finally, he answered.
“What?”
Her voice was loud enough for all of us to hear.
“Mauricio, there are men at the apartment.”
His face went pale.
“What men?”
“They say the lease is under investigation. They say we have to leave. What did you do?”
He turned away from us.
“Calm down.”
“Don’t tell me to calm down! My mother is here, and your mother is screaming at everyone. They are taking pictures!”
Lidia’s voice erupted in the background.
“Tell that barren snake she cannot do this to us!”
I froze.
Barren.
The word landed like a stone in my chest.
