Cristina touched her belly, where her son was gently kicking, because he was going to need his father to be a man of integrity, and men of integrity pay their debts. Damian signed the document without reading the fine print.
When he left the office 20 minutes later, he walked like a free man, but also like a man who had just discovered the true price of his decisions. Pedralves apartment, 11:30 a.m.
Ruuth waited in the living room like a caged cat, pacing back and forth while nervously biting the edge of her thumbnail. She had changed out of her wedding dress from the day before and into worn jeans and a mustard-colored T-shirt she had found in Damian’s closet.
Her designer heels had been replaced by sneakers, as if she were subconsciously preparing for a more austere life. When she heard the key in the lock, she rushed to the door.
So, what happened? Is he going to sue you? Damian shuffled in, his shoulders slumped, his expression a mixture of relief and defeat. He carried a copy of the signed agreement, its pages slightly creased from the pressure of his fingers.
“He’s not going to sue me.” Ruth breathed a sigh of relief, placing her hand on her chest. Thank God. So, what? Has he forgiven you? Has he decided to move on for the sake of the baby?
Damian slumped down on the sofa and left the papers on the coffee table among the glasses of cava from the previous day, which still remained there as witnesses to his failed honeymoon.
Not exactly. What does “not exactly” mean? Ru stepped closer and began reading the document. Compensatory salary reduction: €1,500 per month. Her voice rose with each word. Agreement duration: 40 months.
He remained silent, doing the calculations in his head. When he finished, he looked at him with an expression of utter horror. €100. €100 a month for more than 3 years. Ru is better than jail.
Better than jail! He shouted, throwing the papers into the air. With €100, how are we going to live? How are we going to pay for this apartment? How are we going to maintain our standard of living?
We’ll have to adapt. Adapt. Ruth burst out laughing hysterically. Damian, the rent for this apartment is €1800. Just the rent. Not including electricity, water, gas, food, transport. Damian sank further into the sofa.
During the return journey, he had tried not to think about the numbers, but now the mathematical reality stretched before him like a precipice. We’ll have to move to something smaller, something cheaper.
Cheaper. Ruth started walking again. Do you mean one of those 50 m² apartments in the suburbs? Sharing a wall with the neighbors? Not having a garage or a terrace?
Ruth, please don’t tell me to calm down. She turned to him, her eyes blazing. Do you know what this means? It means I’ll have to go back to work. It means I’ll have to find a job as a secretary or a shop assistant, because my consulting experience is worthless after a year of unemployment.
It means that instead of being the wife of a successful businessman, I’m going to be the wife of an employee who’s losing money. Damian stood up, trying to approach her, but Ru backed away as if it were contagious.
But we’re still together. Love can overcome love. Ru interrupted him with a bitter laugh. What love are you talking about, Damian? The love you felt when you gave me €3,000 bracelets? The love you felt when you took me to Michelin-starred restaurants? Because that love cost €80,000, and it turns out that love was stolen.
The words fell between them like hammer blows. Damian realized, perhaps for the first time, that Ru had never loved him. She had loved the version of him she believed had money, status, power—the version that turned out to be a fantasy.
So, what do you propose? What should we do? Ruth went to the bedroom without answering. Damian followed her and found her throwing open the closet, taking out clothes and throwing them onto the pearl-colored bed.
What are you doing? What I should have done months ago. Ru packed several dresses into a suitcase. Get out of this before it’s too late. Are you leaving? I’m leaving. Ru looked up as she folded a blouse.
This was a mistake from the start. I thought I was hitting the jackpot with you, but it turns out I married a bankrupt liar. Damian felt like he’d been punched in the gut.
But we just got married. Yesterday you said you loved me. Yesterday I thought you were someone else. Ru slammed the suitcase shut. The person I fell in love with doesn’t exist.
It was just a character you played very well for eight months. And where are you going to go? Ru slung her bag over her shoulder and grabbed her suitcase. “I’m going to my sister’s until I can get my life back on track, until I can find a job and forget this nightmare.”
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