Chapter 10: The Breaking Point
The car ride home was suffocating. Lía sat in silence, staring blankly out of the window as the city passed by in a blur. Camila, sitting beside her, glanced over several times, her face clouded with concern. But she knew better than to push Lía to talk.
The weight of the past few days hung heavily in the air, pressing down on Lía's chest with every breath. When the car finally pulled up to the gates of the Reyes estate, she exhaled shakily.
"I'll stay with you tonight," Camila said softly.
Lía shook her head. "No. I need to be alone."
"Are you sure?" Camila hesitated, not convinced Lía should be left to her own devices.
"Yes," Lía replied firmly. Her voice was devoid of emotion, but her eyes—red-rimmed and tired—hinted at something deeper brewing beneath the surface.
Reluctantly, Camila agreed. "Call me if you need anything. Promise me."
"I promise."
The house was eerily quiet when Lía stepped inside. The maids avoided her gaze as they carried on with their tasks, their footsteps muted against the polished floors. Alejandro's absence was painfully evident—his coat wasn't hanging by the door, his shoes weren't in their usual place.
She walked slowly to the bedroom, her feet dragging as though the very air around her resisted her movements. Once inside, she locked the door behind her and leaned against it, finally letting the tears she'd been holding back fall freely.
Her hand instinctively rested on her abdomen, and the emptiness she felt there mirrored the emptiness in her heart.
For hours, she sat by the window, staring into the distance. Memories of Alejandro's indifference, Julio's manipulations, and her own futile attempts to salvage the fragments of her life played in an endless loop in her mind.
She had done everything to be the perfect wife, the perfect daughter, and yet here she was—alone, broken, and forgotten.
In a sleek conference room miles away, Alejandro sat across from Sofía, reviewing the final details of their project. Her laughter rang out softly as she teased him about a minor error in the presentation slides.
"You're distracted," she said, her eyes sparkling with amusement.
Alejandro leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his hair. "It's just been... a lot lately."
Sofía tilted her head, her expression turning gentle. "You've been carrying so much on your shoulders. Maybe it's time to let go of what's weighing you down."
Her words struck a chord he wasn't ready to acknowledge. Instead, he smiled faintly and nodded. "Maybe."
As the meeting ended, Sofía touched his arm lightly. "Take care of yourself, Alejandro. You deserve to be happy."
Her words lingered in his mind as he returned to his hotel room. But when he saw his phone lighting up with another missed call from Camila, he silenced it and tossed the device onto the bed.
The next morning, Lía awoke with swollen eyes and an aching body. For a moment, she considered staying in bed, allowing the weight of her despair to consume her. But as she stared at the ceiling, something shifted within her.
She couldn't keep living like this—bending herself into shapes that others demanded, hoping in vain for scraps of love and recognition.
Dragging herself to the mirror, she stared at her reflection. The woman looking back at her was a ghost, a shadow of who she once was.
"No more," she whispered.
It wasn't a dramatic revelation, but a quiet, resolute decision. She would no longer live to please Alejandro or Julio. She would no longer wait for someone else to save her.
That evening, Alejandro returned home. He was later than usual, his tie loosened and his expression weary.
Lía was waiting for him in the living room. She sat upright on the couch, her posture stiff and her eyes unreadable.
Alejandro stopped in his tracks, surprised to see her there. "Lía? You're still awake?"
"We need to talk," she said, her voice steady but low.
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Can it wait? I'm exhausted, and I—"
"No," she interrupted firmly.
Something in her tone made him pause. He dropped his briefcase by the door and moved toward her. "Okay. What's this about?"
Before she could begin, Alejandro's phone buzzed. He pulled it out of his pocket, glancing at the screen.
Lía watched as his expression softened. He quickly silenced the device, but not before she caught the name: Sofía.
Her stomach churned, and for a moment, she considered backing down. But she had come too far to retreat now.
"Who was that?" she asked, though she already knew the answer.
Alejandro hesitated. "It's work. Nothing important."
Her lips pressed into a thin line. "I'm sure it's not."
He frowned, his patience thinning. "Lía, if this is about my trip, I've already explained—"
"It's not about the trip, Alejandro," she cut him off. "It's about *us*. Or whatever is left of us."
He crossed his arms, leaning against the back of the chair. "What do you want me to say, Lía? That things haven't been perfect? I know that. But I'm trying—"
"No," she interrupted, her voice rising slightly. "You're not. You've never tried. Not for me. Not for us."
Her words hung in the air, and for the first time, Alejandro looked genuinely unsettled.
Before Lía could continue, Alejandro's phone buzzed again. This time, a voicemail notification popped up, and she caught the preview on the screen:
"I miss you so much, Alejandro. I can't wait until we're together again."
The blood drained from her face as she stared at the words.
Alejandro quickly locked the phone, his expression defensive. "It's not what you think—"
Lía stood abruptly, her chair scraping against the floor. "Don't you dare lie to me."
Her voice cracked, but the fire in her eyes was unmistakable. "All this time, I've been blaming myself. Thinking I wasn't good enough. But now I see it wasn't me. It was you. You never wanted this marriage. You never wanted me."
Alejandro opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out.
She took a shaky breath, her voice quieter but no less determined. "I'm done, Alejandro. I'm done waiting for you to care. I'm done sacrificing myself for someone who doesn't even see me."
Tears streamed down her face, but she didn't bother wiping them away. "From now on, I'm living for me. Not for you, not for my father. Just me."
With that, she turned and walked away, leaving Alejandro standing alone in the living room, his phone still clutched in his hand.
For the first time, he felt the weight of her absence before she had even left.