I washed the sheets seven times and the strange smell of my husband persisted… but when I tore the mattress apart with my own hands, the truth that was there

He had built himself another life.

Another woman.

Another house.

And I had put off the exam for months.

I took a deep breath, but the air stung me from the inside.

I looked at the package again.

There was a woman's blouse stained with black, stiffened by time.

A gold earring.

A crumpled receipt from a pharmacy in Monterrey.

And a small chain with a medal of the Virgin Mary.

None of that belonged to me.

Nothing.

I continued to remove the filling with my hands.

I found another package.