Assistant.
Anything.
No one responded.
Some companies recognized her name and quietly refused.
Others had already seen the headlines.
“Sebastián Luján divorces unemployed wife.”
“The dramatic fall of Mrs. Luján.”
“The woman behind the billionaire scandal.”
To the public, Mariana had become a cautionary tale.
An ex-wife discarded by a powerful man.
No one knew the truth.
No one knew she had built half the empire from behind the curtain while Sebastián stood in front of cameras pretending to be a self-made genius.
Money disappeared frighteningly fast.
She survived on instant noodles and cheap coffee.
Washed clothes in the bathroom sink.
Walked everywhere because taxis became impossible to justify.
The hardest part wasn’t the poverty.
It was Emiliano.
Every time she called the school asking about her son, she received the same answer.
“Mr. Luján requested no contact until the situation stabilizes.”
Stabilizes.
As if she were some dangerous threat instead of his mother.
One night during a violent thunderstorm, Mariana sat alone on the edge of the motel bed staring at unpaid bills scattered around her.
Her phone rang.
Unknown number.
She ignored it.
