Chapter 8: The Brother Who Had Been Watching
Tomás listened without interrupting.
I stood on the pavement outside Andrés's building and told him everything — the hospital, Daniela, the hallway, the loan application, the March document, the holding company, the 2.3 million in transfers.
I told him about Elvira's phone call.
I told him about the prenuptial agreement.
When I finished, there was a long silence.
"How long have you suspected?" I asked.
"Since February," Tomás said.
"Felipe noticed the account irregularities first.
We didn't say anything to Ricardo because we wanted to be certain before we confronted him.
We hired a private accountant to review the books quietly." Another pause.
"We found the holding company last month.
We didn't know it was in Daniela's name until right now."
"What were you going to do with it?"
"We were going to confront him at the next board meeting.
Next Thursday." His voice was flat and tired.
"Mariana, I'm sorry.
I should have called you.
I didn't know how much you knew, and I didn't want to be the one to—"
"To tell me my husband had another family."
"Yes."
I leaned against the building wall.
"It's all right, Tomás.
You were protecting yourself too.
I understand."
"It's not all right.
You were in that hospital taking care of my mother." His voice roughened.
"And she knew.
She was part of it.
That I cannot—" He stopped.
"I'll deal with my mother separately.
That's between us."
"She called me last night.
She said Ricardo won't contest the divorce."
"He won't have a choice about much of anything after Thursday." Tomás's voice steadied.
"Felipe and I are moving forward with the board meeting regardless.
Ricardo's transfers are a breach of his shareholder agreement.
We have grounds to remove him from the company entirely."
"Will you?"
"Yes." No hesitation.
"He built that company with our money and our trust.
He used it to fund a second life.
Felipe has a daughter.
I have a wife.
We don't do things this way." A pause.
"I want you to know — whatever you need from me as a witness, as a character reference, as anything — I'm there.
You were always the right person in that family, Mariana.
Everyone knew it except the people who should have said it out loud."
My throat tightened.
I had not expected that.
"Thank you, Tomás."
"Don't thank me.
I'm seventeen years late." His voice dropped.
"How is Sofía?"
"She's carrying a lot.
She knew for months and didn't know what to do."
"She's a good girl.
She was protecting you the only way she knew how." He paused.
"Tell her her uncle is proud of her.
And tell her this is not her fault.
Not one piece of it."
I said I would.
We ended the call.
I stood on the pavement for a moment longer.
The afternoon had gone grey and cool.
People moved past me on the street — a woman with a shopping bag, two men in work clothes, a child pulling at her mother's hand.
Ordinary Tuesday life.
I thought about the Tuesday three years ago when Ricardo had first chosen Daniela.
Whatever Tuesday that had been.
Whatever ordinary afternoon.
I had probably cooked dinner that night.
I had probably asked him how his day was.
I put my phone in my pocket and walked to my car.
There was one more conversation I needed to have.
The one I had been putting off since the café.
I needed to go back to Sofía.
Not to tell her what I had learned.
To tell her what I should have said the moment she sat down across from me with red eyes and both hands wrapped around her cup.
That none of this was hers to carry.
May you like
That I was her mother.
That I was still standing.
