“I wanted to tell them. I was ready, but they were faster than me. I weren’t ashamed. You were ashamed of me.”
“That’s not true. I love you, Raquel. You can’t leave me like this.”
She looked at him with the eyes of a broken woman.
“You’re leaving tomorrow morning. It’s over.”
Raúl broke down, but he didn’t give up.
“Even though you’re older than me, I’m the man in this relationship, and I love you. I’m going to marry you. You’re the woman of my life, and no one—I’m telling you, no one—will stop me from loving you.”
Those words touched Raquel to the core of her being. She ran to him and hugged him tightly. They kissed even more passionately. That night, they loved each other with all the fury of those who refuse to be broken.
The next day, they began preparing for their wedding without Raúl’s family.
But another shadow loomed over them. María, Raquel’s adopted daughter, returned from abroad to attend the wedding. When she learned that her mother was getting married, she exploded, “Who are you marrying?” And when she saw Raúl for the first time, she was speechless. “It’s him. This guy is gorgeous.” Raúl felt awkward, but Raquel laughed. What Raquel didn’t see was that her daughter was looking at Raúl with desire, and what she whispered in secret would soon destroy everything.
If I can seduce him, I’ll take everything. His loyalty and his secrets. María wasn’t like other girls. She was beautiful, cultured, and intelligent, but above all, she couldn’t stand being told no. She had always been the princess of the house, Raquel’s only and adored daughter. And now a man was going to take it all away from her. She wanted him. She desired him. “Mom, are you sure about your choice? He’s so young.” “I’ve never been so happy, María. He gives me what no one else ever has.”
But while Raquel dreamed of her marriage, María hatched a plan. The siege began. Raúl found her in the living room. She was wearing a short dress, very short. She approached him and looked him up and down. “You’re very handsome.”
“Stay back,” Raúl told her.
“Thank you, but I’m your future stepfather.”
She laughed. “That’s funny you say that.” You’re my age, it could be something more. He didn’t answer, but the days passed and Maria dared to go further. She entered his room without knocking.
She leaned too close. She whispered ambiguous words to him. Raul rejected her every time. He stood firm. “I don’t love you, Maria. I’m with your mother, that’s all.” But she didn’t care. “You’ll change your mind, you’ll see.”
One day, while they were all having dinner together, she started again. This time she stroked him with her foot under the table in front of Raquel. Raul felt very uncomfortable. He didn’t know what to do. He got up from the table.
“Is everything alright?” Raquel asked him.
“Yes, just a little discomfort. I’m going to bed.”
But he was really about to explode. He didn’t know whether to speak or remain silent. Would Raquel believe him? Would she think he was lying to hide something? After another evening, the situation came to a head. Raul was in the hallway and heard the shower running. Maria came out with a towel loosely tied. She pretended to trip, fell into his arms, and kissed him. Raul pushed her away roughly. “You’re crazy.” But she started screaming, “Mom! Help!” Raquel rushed into the room.
He saw Maria half-naked and crying on the floor. He tried, he tried, Maria screamed. Raquel screamed. Raul threw up his hands.
“It’s not what you think. She’s been harassing me for days. She set a trap for me”. But Raquel didn’t want to hear anything. “Get out of my house right now. Raul tried to approach her, but she pushed him away.”
He left crying, humiliated, devastated. He didn’t sleep that night. He didn’t eat for three days. In the large, empty house, Raquel wept. Something wasn’t right.
