Chapter 7: The Letter He Hoped I’d Never Read
I read the first sentence three times.
*If Alicia never finds out the truth, we can all move on.*
My eyes stayed on the paper.
My mind refused to accept what I was seeing.
Because there was one thing I had been holding onto.
One small belief that had survived everything.
That Mateo’s biggest mistake was fear.
That he had hidden things because he didn’t know how to handle a difficult situation.
But this letter was different.
This wasn’t silence.
This wasn’t avoidance.
This was a decision.
A deliberate choice.
He had written words.
He had chosen what to say.
And he had chosen not to tell me.
I looked up at Valentina.
“When was this written?””
She didn’t answer immediately.
“Three weeks before your wedding.””
The café suddenly felt too small.
Three weeks.
I remembered that time.
I remembered dress fittings.
Wedding invitations.
Choosing flowers.
Late nights with Mateo sitting beside me on the couch, laughing about how nervous he was.
I remembered him saying, “I can’t wait until we finally start our life together.””
Now I wondered what else he had been doing.
What conversations existed in the shadows.
“What is this?”” I asked.
Valentina looked exhausted.
“The truth.””
I almost closed the folder.
“Don’t say that.””
She looked surprised.
“Why?””
“Because everyone keeps saying they’re giving me the truth.””
I tapped the letter.
“And every time, I find out there’s more.””
Valentina nodded slowly.
“I understand.””
“No, you don’t.””
My voice sharpened.
“You knew about me before I knew about you.””
She didn’t argue.
“You knew Mateo was building a life with me while your family was still planning one with you.””
“Yes.””
“And you still met him after our wedding.””
Her expression changed.
“I did.””
“Why?””
She looked down.
“Because I thought he owed me an explanation.””
I studied her.
“And did he give you one?””
“No.””
The answer came quietly.
“He gave me excuses.””
I opened the letter again.
“What does Mateo say here?””
Valentina looked at the page.
“He was asking me to stop contacting him.””
I frowned.
“That’s it?””
“No.””
She swallowed.
“He was also asking me to stop talking about the agreement between our families.””
My fingers tightened.
“What agreement?””
“The one involving your house.””
Of course.
The house.
Everything always came back to the house.
I looked at the document again.
“Explain.””
Valentina leaned closer.
“Before Mateo met you, my family and his family had a business partnership. The marriage was part of that arrangement.””
“I know.””
“But there was something else.””
“What?””
She took a breath.
“The house wasn’t just promised to me.””
I waited.
“It was purchased using money that was supposed to secure my future.””
My stomach dropped.
“That’s impossible.””
“It’s not.””
I shook my head.
“No. I bought that house.””
“Yes.””
“Then why are you saying this?””
“Because you bought it after Mateo moved the money.””
I froze.
“What money?””
Valentina looked at me carefully.
“The money from the original agreement.””
I stared at her.
“No.””
She didn’t move.
“Alicia…”
“No.””
My voice became quieter.
“You’re saying Mateo used money connected to you to buy my house?””
“I’m saying Mateo used money connected to the agreement between our families.””
“That’s not the same thing.””
“You’re right.””
Her eyes lowered.
“It isn’t.””
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then I asked the question I was afraid to ask.
“Did Mateo know?””
Valentina looked away.
“Yes.””
My heart sank.
“Did he know when we bought the house?””
“Yes.””
The café noise disappeared.
All I could hear was my own breathing.
I thought about Mateo standing in that empty house.
Holding my hand.
Telling me we were creating something together.
Had he known there was a story attached to every wall?
Had he known that my dream home came with someone else’s name attached?
“Why didn’t you tell me?””
Valentina looked surprised.
“What?””
“Why didn’t you tell me before?””
She looked at her hands.
“Because I hated you.””
The honesty shocked me.
“At first, I blamed you.””
“For what?””
“For taking the life I thought I was going to have.””
I nodded slowly.
At least she was honest.
“Then why now?””
Her eyes met mine.
“Because I found out something else.””
“What?””
She reached into the folder.
She pulled out another document.
This time, it wasn’t a letter.
It was a copy of a bank transfer.
My eyes scanned the page.
The amount.
The date.
The account.
Then I stopped.
Because the date was familiar.
It was the month before Mateo and I bought the house.
And the sender’s name was not Mateo.
Not Beatriz.
Not Ernesto.
It was Valentina’s father.
I looked up.
“What is this?””
“The money.””
I stared.
“Your family sent money?””
“Yes.””
“To Mateo?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
Valentina’s face became harder.
“Because they believed the wedding was still happening.””
I felt sick.
“But the wedding didn’t happen.””
“No.””
“And Mateo kept the money?””
She looked away.
“Yes.””
The anger that rose inside me was different from before.
Because this wasn’t just about a woman from his past.
This was about the man I married making decisions that affected everyone around him.
“You’re telling me he took money from your family, used it to buy a house with me, and never told either of us?””
Valentina’s silence confirmed it.
I closed the folder.
“I need to talk to him.””
Valentina nodded.
“I thought you would.””
I stood.
Before I left, she said:
“Alicia.””
I turned.
She looked at me.
“I’m not asking you to forgive me.””
I said nothing.
“I did things I regret.””
The anger in her voice had disappeared.
“What things?””
Her expression changed.
“I sent those messages.””
“I know.””
“I wanted you to hurt him.””
I waited.
“But I didn’t expect you to get hurt too.””
The words surprised me.
Because for the first time, I saw something beyond the rivalry.
We weren’t enemies.
We were two women who had trusted the same man with different versions of the truth.
When I returned home, Mateo was waiting.
He stood the moment he saw my face.
“You met her.””
It wasn’t a question.
I placed the folder on the table.
His eyes went to it.
And his entire body changed.
“What did she show you?””
I stared.
“You knew.””
He went silent.
“You knew exactly what she had.””
“Alicia…”
“No.””
I opened the folder.
I placed the bank transfer in front of him.
“Explain.””
His face turned pale.
“Where did you get this?””
“From the woman you told me was just trying to hurt you.””
He sat down.
“Alicia, it’s complicated.””
I almost smiled.
There it was again.
The word everyone used when the truth was uncomfortable.
“Try me.””
Mateo looked at the paper.
Then he whispered:
“My father needed money.””
I waited.
“Your family needed money.””
“Yes.””
“So they took it from Valentina’s family.””
“It wasn’t like that.””
“Then what was it?””
He looked at me.
“The business was failing.””
“And?””
“They used the marriage agreement as security.””
I stared.
“And when you ended the engagement?””
He closed his eyes.
“I thought I could fix everything.””
“How?””
“I thought I could repay them.””
“Could you?””
Silence.
“No.””
The honesty hurt.
“So you bought a house.””
He looked at me.
“With money that wasn’t yours.””
“Alicia…”
“With money you knew had someone else’s future attached to it.””
His eyes filled.
“I never wanted to hurt you.””
“But you did.””
He looked down.
“I know.””
I sat across from him.
“Why didn’t you tell me?””
He was quiet for a long time.
Then he said:
“Because if you knew everything…”
He stopped.
“Because what?””
His voice broke.
“I was afraid you would see me the way I saw myself.””
I frowned.
“What does that mean?””
He looked at me.
“I was ashamed.””
I didn’t expect that answer.
For a second, I saw the person behind the secrets.
Not the husband.
Not the son.
Just a man who had made choices he couldn’t undo.
But shame did not erase damage.
“What else is there?””
He looked confused.
“What?””
“There’s something else.””
“No.””
“Mateo.””
I leaned forward.
“I know you.””
His eyes moved away.
That was enough.
“Tell me.””
He stayed silent.
Then his phone rang.
He looked at the screen.
And his face changed.
I saw fear.
Real fear.
“Who is it?””
He didn’t answer.
The phone kept ringing.
Finally, he picked it up.
“Hello?””
A few seconds passed.
Then all the color disappeared from his face.
“What happened?””
He listened.
Then whispered:
“That’s impossible.””
I stood.
“Mateo?””
He looked at me.
His voice was barely audible.
“Valentina was right.””
My heart tightened.
“About what?””
He looked at the folder.
Then at me.
“There’s another document.””
“What document?””
He swallowed.
“The original agreement.””
I waited.
“The one my family signed.””
“And?””
His eyes filled with panic.
“And it says the house was never the biggest secret.””
A cold feeling moved through me.
“What was?””
Mateo looked at me.
May you like
Then he said the words I would never forget.
“The agreement included a child.””
