Maria Luisa turned towards the window and for the first time Teresa saw real fear in her daughter’s eyes.
“Mom, listen to me carefully,” he whispered. “Whatever happens, don’t say you’re my mother.”
Teresa felt that those words hurt her more than the lie of the marriage, more than the 12 lost years.
—How do you expect me to deny that?
—Because if they know who you are, they’ll come knocking on your door too.
Before Teresa could answer, three sharp knocks shook the main entrance.
Maria Luisa took a deep breath, dried her face with her hands, and walked towards the door like someone walking towards a sentence.
Teresa followed her, but her daughter raised a hand without looking at her.
—Stay back.
When they opened the door, a Korean man in a dark suit appeared. He wasn’t old, but he had a tired and cold expression.
Behind him came two women with folders and a young man who kept looking at his phone.
The man first looked at Maria Luisa, then at Teresa.
—We didn’t know you had a visitor.
Maria Luisa straightened up.
—She’s a cleaning lady. She came by mistake. She was just leaving.
Teresa felt the blow to her chest. Cleaning lady. By mistake. She was just leaving.
But she said nothing. Her daughter’s voice trembled only slightly, and that was enough to stop her.
The man entered without knocking. The two women followed him. The young man closed the door gently.
“We need to discuss the final contract,” he said. “Mr. Kang will not accept any more delays.”
Teresa heard that name and her skin prickled.
Kang Jun existed. But not as a husband.
