PART 2
At 7:00 a.m. sharp, the aroma of cinnamon coffee filled the apartment. Carmen prepared huevos divorciados, brought out fresh sweet bread, and served cut fruit.
She did everything with clockwork precision, like any good Mexican mother, even though inside her heart was in pieces.
Mauricio was the first to leave the room. He was wearing a cheap, poorly ironed designer suit, his tie was loose, and his eyes were glued to his phone screen.
He poured himself a cup of coffee without saying hello, without a grimace of apology for the scandal of the previous night. With his usual unbearable air of arrogance.
Then Sofía came out, her makeup poorly applied and openly avoiding her mother's gaze. She sat down to bite into a vanilla concha with obvious nervousness, feeling the weight of guilt.
— Mauricio was super tired last night, Mom… — Sofía murmured, pathetically trying to justify her husband —. You know how unbearable he becomes when we wake him up, it's the pressure of work.
Carmen turned around, washed a shiny spoon, and didn't even bother to look at it. Her voice sounded flat, dry, and lifeless.
— Don't worry about anything, my daughter. Don't pay any more attention to him.
From the living room sofa, Mauricio shouted while adjusting the expensive watch that Carmen had helped pay for months earlier, feeling like the master of the world.
— Tell your mother to close the door properly next time and to buy a good air freshener. Honestly, Sofia, it's unbearable. It's like we're living in a public almshouse.
Sofía lowered her head and looked at her plate. She fell silent again. She did not defend her husband, but neither did she defend the woman who had given him life.
This was the final breaking point. Amidst the noise of the awakening city, a mother's blind love was completely extinguished, giving way to justice.
Carmen looked around. The 75-inch screen, the smart double-door refrigerator, the Italian leather living room set, the imported marble dining table. Absolutely everything, she had paid for.
Two years ago, when she sold the business of her famous restaurant and her former home, she used all her savings to buy this luxury apartment outright and put it exclusively in her name.
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