“A piece of paper didn’t ruin this marriage. You did when you forged my name. You did when you sat in that car and let your mother humiliate me. And you finished it when you only came running back because your family lost a contract—not because your wife was alone in a storm.”
Teresa tried desperately to regain control.
“We can fix this! Your mother can restore the venue deal, we’ll cancel the loan application, and you two can go to counseling! We are not destroying an entire family over one bad day!”
Sofia laughed once.
“One bad day?”
She displayed her call log on the screen.
“At 10:52 AM, your SUV left me at the terminal. From 10:52 to 11:24, Javier didn’t call once.”
Javier stared at the floor.
“At 11:25, my mother canceled the contract. From 11:26 to 11:58, I received twenty-six frantic calls from you.”
Her voice remained steady.
“You weren’t afraid of losing your wife, Javier. You were afraid of losing my money.”
Javier covered his face.
Teresa looked around for support.
No one offered any.
An uncle demanded to know how much debt The Pines Manor actually carried.
A cousin asked whether the Altavista contract was the only thing keeping the estate from foreclosure.
The manager answered grimly.
“It was our only lifeline.”
Teresa glared at him.
“Shut your mouth!”
“No, Mrs. Alcantara. I’ve managed this property for fifteen years, and today I’m learning you secretly applied for a six-figure loan behind my back. If you planned to repay it with the Altavista contract, I should have known.”
“It’s none of your business!”
“It becomes my business if you expect me to sign off on manipulated accounting.”
Mariana suddenly burst into tears.
