“You worry too much, Mariana.”
Eventually, he began accusing me of forgetting conversations we had supposedly already had.
If I asked twice, he sighed.
If I became upset, he told me I was proving his point.
There were also late nights.
Business meetings in Santa Fe.
Shirts carrying traces of perfume that wasn’t mine.
Messages deleted before I could read them.
And a strange distance in his eyes whenever Emilia entered the room.
Still, I tried to protect our daughter.
I told myself that whatever was happening belonged between two adults.
I did not want Emilia to feel forced to choose sides.
I didn’t realize Ricardo had already begun choosing for her.
For illustrative purposes only
The First Day in Court
The Family Court stood on Juárez Avenue, surrounded by traffic, vendors, and people hurrying toward lives that had nothing to do with mine.
I arrived wearing a gray blazer that pulled awkwardly across my shoulders.
It was the most professional thing I owned, but that morning it felt like a costume.
My lawyer, Patricia Rivas, met me outside the courtroom.
She was sharp, calm, and direct.
“Whatever he says, don’t react,” she warned me.
“What if he lies?”
“He will.”
“What if he says something about Emilia?”
“He probably will.”
My throat tightened.
Patricia placed a hand on my arm.
“You breathe. You let me speak. In court, the person who stays composed often appears more believable than the person who is hurting.”
That frightened me because Ricardo had spent years mastering composure.
He could stand in the middle of a disaster he had created and look like the only calm person in the room.
Ricardo had insisted that Emilia attend the hearing.
He told the court that she was old enough to “understand the truth.”
But when I saw my daughter sitting on a wooden bench, her feet barely reaching the floor, I knew she did not belong there.
She wore her black school shoes and a pale cardigan.
Her back was unusually straight.
Her hands rested tightly together on her knees.
Beside her was an old tablet inside a purple protective case.
I wanted to cross the room, take her into my arms, and carry her somewhere far away from lawyers, accusations, and adult cruelty.
Before I could approach her, Ricardo stepped between us.
“Please don’t upset her before the hearing,” he said quietly.
He sounded concerned.
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