Chapter 24: The End of a Cycle
The office was silent except for the soft tapping of Lía's pen against the desk. The divorce papers lay in front of her, the final step in the long, painful process she had been avoiding for months. Her heart ached with each passing moment as she stared at the document. For so long, she had been stuck in a loop of indecision, torn between holding onto a past that no longer served her and moving forward into a future she couldn't yet imagine. Today, the choice was clear.
Lía picked up the pen, her hand trembling just slightly as she signed her name at the bottom of the page. It was final. There was no turning back now. With that single motion, she let go of the life she had once dreamed of—her marriage, her expectations, her past.
She folded the papers carefully, placing them back into the envelope. She took a deep breath, feeling the weight in her chest lighten ever so slightly. This wasn't the end of her life, but it was the end of a chapter that had held her captive for far too long.
Lía stood from her desk, the decision weighing heavy but necessary. She walked through the office, out into the hallway, and made her way toward the elevator. She had one final task before she could truly move forward. One last thing to do.
As the elevator descended, she replayed the events of the past few days in her mind—Diego's confession, Alejandro's apology. Both men had been a part of her life, in different ways. But now, the most important relationship was the one she had with herself. She couldn't keep holding on to old wounds, couldn't keep walking down paths that led nowhere. It was time to face the future.
When she arrived at Alejandro's apartment, she hesitated for only a moment before stepping inside. The door was unlocked, as usual. He had always trusted her with a key, even after everything that had happened between them. She walked through the familiar hallway, past the kitchen, and into the living room. The space still held the same warmth, the same memories of their life together. But it felt different now. The weight of everything that had been said and left unsaid between them lingered in the air, heavy and oppressive.
She went into his study, where she knew he would likely be spending the evening. She placed the envelope with the divorce papers on his desk, right in the center of the space where he often worked. It was simple, deliberate. It was her way of closing the door to the past for good.
Lía stood there for a moment, her eyes sweeping over the room. She wasn't sure what she expected to feel, but there was a strange sense of finality, of peace, in knowing that she was no longer trapped by her past choices. She had made her decision. She had let go.
Alejandro arrived home later than usual, his mind preoccupied with thoughts of the business and the tensions that had been growing in the office. He had been working long hours, trying to avoid the inevitable confrontation with his emotions. But the closer he came to the apartment, the heavier his heart became. His thoughts kept returning to Lía—her distance, her refusal to forgive him, the way things had been so perfect and yet so fragile between them.
He unlocked the door and stepped inside, the familiar scent of the apartment greeting him. But something felt off. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there was an unsettling feeling in the air. He stepped further inside, his footsteps echoing in the silence. And then he saw it.
The envelope on his desk.
His heart skipped a beat as he walked over to it, his mind racing with possibilities. Could it be—no, it couldn't be. But as his fingers touched the edge of the paper, a sinking feeling settled in his stomach. He knew what it was. He had known the moment he saw it.
He opened the envelope slowly, his breath shallow, and unfolded the papers inside. Divorce papers. Final, unambiguous. His eyes scanned the document, reading the words over and over as if hoping they would change. But they didn't.
Lía had signed them. She had made her choice, and it wasn't him.
Alejandro slumped into the chair behind his desk, his mind numb. For a moment, he couldn't breathe, the weight of the loss suffocating him. His whole world, the life he had thought was his to hold, was slipping away. And for what? For his mistakes, his pride, his failure to see what was right in front of him.
He ran a hand through his hair, his thoughts tumbling over one another. He had always thought that he could fix things, that he could make it right with Lía. But now, it was too late. She had moved on, taken control of her life, and there was nothing he could do to undo the damage he had caused.
He stared at the divorce papers in his hands, his heart breaking. *How had it come to this?* He had loved her once—no, he still loved her, in his own way. But he had been blind. He had taken her for granted, assuming that she would always be there, always forgiving. He had been wrong.
His mind drifted to the things he had said to her, the way he had pushed her away when all she had ever wanted was his attention, his love. And now, he would never get the chance to fix it. The weight of regret pressed down on him, suffocating him, until he couldn't breathe.
Hours later, after an evening of restless pacing and regret, Alejandro was sitting in his living room when the doorbell rang. He hadn't expected anyone—at least, not this soon. But when he opened the door, there she was. Sofía. Of course, it was Sofía.
She stood in the doorway, her smile as practiced as ever, her eyes glimmering with the kind of manipulation Alejandro had long known she was capable of. But now, there was something different in his gaze. He wasn't the man she had known before. He wasn't the man who had been so easily swayed by her charm, by her empty promises. No, today was different.
"Hello, Alejandro," Sofía said sweetly, stepping into the apartment without waiting for him to invite her in. "I heard about Lía. Such a shame, isn't it?"
Alejandro didn't respond. He simply stood there, his arms crossed, his expression hard. He had no patience for her games anymore.
Sofía continued, "I know you're upset. But you don't have to let this go. You still have a chance, Alejandro. You don't have to lose everything. You and I—together—we could rebuild. You can still have it all."
She stepped closer, her hand reaching out to touch his arm, but Alejandro recoiled, stepping back. The coldness in his eyes was enough to stop her in her tracks.
"No, Sofía," he said firmly, his voice steady but with a finality that shocked her. "It's over. I'm done with this. I'm done with everything you've ever tried to manipulate me into. I don't want any part of it anymore."
Sofía's smile faltered for a moment, her eyes narrowing as she realized that he was serious. For the first time, there was no hesitation, no weakness in his stance. Alejandro had finally chosen to let go.
"Goodbye, Sofía," he added, his voice soft but resolute.
As she stood there, stunned, Alejandro turned and walked away, the sound of her angry footsteps fading as he retreated into the solitude of his thoughts. He had lost Lía, but now, for the first time in a long time, he felt like he was reclaiming himself.
As Alejandro sat alone in the silence of his apartment, he glanced at the divorce papers once more. There was no turning back, no undoing the past. But in the midst of his pain, a realization hit him—there was still hope. Perhaps not for him and Lía, but for him. And that, in itself, was the beginning of something new.