That night, I couldn’t sleep.
Not because I still wanted to hold on to Mateo.
But because, for the first time in four years, I was lying beside someone I realized I no longer understood.
The man who had hugged me when I lost my job.
The man who once told me that as long as we had each other, we could overcome anything.
The man who had proudly told his friends:
—Marina is the only person who believed in me when nobody else did.
Now that same man had forced me to use a lie just to see the truth.
I stared at the ceiling.
The most painful part wasn’t Lucía.
It was the moment Mateo ran away.
Without hesitation.
Without looking back at me.
Just one sentence about her…
and he left me behind.
The next morning, I woke up at six.
Out of habit, I still made two cups of coffee.
One for me.
One for Mateo.
But when I placed the second cup on the table, I stopped.
I stared at it for a few seconds.
Then I poured it into the sink.
Four years of marriage.
A habit built over four years.
And in one night, it became something that only hurt me.
I picked up my phone.
Three missed calls from Mateo.
One message.
“Marina, we need to talk.”
I stared at the screen.
I didn’t reply.
Less than a minute later, my phone rang again.
This time, it was Sofia.
—Are you okay?
I stayed silent.
She sighed.
—You told him?
—Yes.
—And?
I looked out the window.
—He didn’t choose me.
There was silence on the other end.
Then Sofia spoke softly.
—Marina… something doesn’t feel right.
I frowned.
—What do you mean?
—I checked the phone number Mateo has been contacting with Lucía.
I froze.
—You did what?
—I don’t believe this is as simple as it looks.
Sofia hesitated.
—Marina, Lucía isn’t just a woman who randomly appeared in Mateo’s life.
I tightened my grip on the phone.
—Who is she?
A long silence followed.
Then Sofia said:
—She is the daughter of the person who helped Mateo get his current position.
I stopped breathing for a second.
—What?
—Lucía’s father was Mateo’s company’s biggest partner. He saved the company from bankruptcy three years ago.
I said nothing.
Sofia continued:
—But there’s something else.
—What?
Her voice became quieter.
—Lucía doesn’t just want Mateo.
A cold feeling ran through me.
—Then what does she want?
Sofia answered:
—She wants your life.
I ended the call.
Hundreds of questions filled my mind.
If Lucía was only his lover…
why had she waited for Mateo to make a decision?
If Mateo truly loved her…
why had he never told me?
And most importantly…
Why did Sofia say Lucía wanted my life?
Around ten in the morning, Mateo came home.
I was sitting in the living room.
On the table were the divorce papers I had prepared.
The moment he saw them, his expression changed.
—Marina…
I didn’t look up.
—What do you want to say?
He walked closer.
For the first time in months, I saw fear in his eyes.
Not anger.
Not annoyance.
Fear of losing me.
—I’m sorry.
I gave a small laugh.
—Sorry for what?
He remained silent.
And that silence hurt more than any excuse.
—I’m sorry for hurting you.
—No.
I looked directly at him.
—You’re sorry because you got caught.
Mateo shook his head.
—That’s not true.
—Then what is it?
He opened his mouth.
But no words came out.
I stood up.
—Do you know what’s funny?
He looked at me.
—You still think the problem is that I found out about Lucía.
I picked up the divorce papers.
—No.
—The problem is that when I asked you who you would save…
I looked straight into his eyes.
—You already gave me your answer.
Mateo sat down on the couch.
He covered his face with his hands.
After a long silence, he said:
—Marina… I need to tell you the truth.
I stayed quiet.
—Lucía is not my lover.
I looked at him.
—Then what is she?
Mateo reached into his pocket and took out an envelope.
He placed it on the table.
—I discovered this six months ago.
I didn’t touch it.
—And you hid it from me?
He lowered his head.
—I was afraid you wouldn’t be able to handle it.
I laughed bitterly.
—So you betrayed me instead?
—No…
—You thought seeing my husband texting another woman every day was easier?
Mateo closed his eyes.
—I was trying to protect you.
—No.
I stared at him.
—You were protecting yourself.
I opened the envelope.
Inside were old documents.
A name.
A man.
A secret I had never known existed.
And when I reached the final page…
my hands began to tremble.
Because Lucía had not entered my life to steal Mateo.
She had entered…
to take back something she believed belonged to her.
Something connected to my family.
A secret my mother had buried for more than thirty years.
I looked up at Mateo.
—Why didn’t you tell me from the beginning?
He looked at me.
And his answer made my blood run cold.
—Because the first person who didn’t want you to know this…
was your mother.
I couldn’t hear anything else.
Four years of marriage.
A husband who betrayed me.
A mysterious woman.
And now…
a family secret I never knew existed.
But what I didn’t know was…
Lucía wasn’t the only person who had lied to me.
The person who would hurt me the most…
would be the one I trusted the most.
TO BE CONTINUED: PART 3 — The Secret My Mother Hid
