“You eat them. I’m not going to put that country smell in my mouth. Do you think I’m going to receive visitors with something you made? How embarrassing!” And with one hand, he threw the entire plate into the trash. The empanadas were still hot. Steam was still rising from them, as if they had thrown their mother’s heart in along with the food. Adrián couldn’t stay seated any longer. He jumped up and put both hands on the desk to keep from breaking anything.
What he felt wasn’t even anger anymore. It was a pain so profound it almost paralyzed him. Then he remembered something that pierced his soul. In the last two months, his mother spoke less, smiled less, avoided looking him in the eye. He had thought it was just a phase. He never imagined it was a sign of fear. The reality was crueler than any insult. Adrián turned off the videos and slumped back into his chair, clutching his head with both hands.
For the first time in many years, he felt small, powerless, miserable. He, who had led million-dollar meetings, who had been called by the press, one of the rising stars of the financial world, had been unable to see the suffering happening inside his own home, in front of the woman he loved most and beside the woman he had trusted most. Adrián raised his head. His eyes were red, but they also shone with something new. “I’m going to uncover the whole truth, Mom.”
“I promise you,” he said resolutely. And at that moment, he knew the real confrontation was just beginning. After reviewing all those recordings that had shattered his soul, Adrián understood that the cameras weren’t enough. He needed to hear the truth from someone who lived in that house every day, someone who had seen what he hadn’t. That person was Lucía, the housekeeper who had worked for the family for three years. The next morning, as soon as Verónica left for her yoga class, Adrián went down to the kitchen.
Lucía was folding clothes in the laundry area as usual, with her same careful demeanor. Seeing him, she jumped slightly. “Mr. Adrián, can I help you?” He approached and spoke in a low but firm voice. “Lucía, I need to ask you some things about my mother.” Lucía’s hands stopped immediately. Her gaze instinctively flicked toward the door, as if she feared Verónica might appear at any moment. Seeing that it was closed, she swallowed hard.
“What do you want to know, sir?” Adrián spoke with heavy weight. “Since my mother came to this house, has anything happened that I don’t know about?” Lucía pressed her lips together. A silence so long it almost hurt passed. And then, suddenly, her eyes filled with tears. She placed the pile of towels on the table. Her hands trembled. “Mr. Adrián, forgive me, but I didn’t dare say anything. I was afraid they would fire me.” Adrián’s heart sank.
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