Chapter 22

The night was cold, the wind swirled dry leaves through the streets, but Margaret hardly noticed. Her decision was made, her conversation with Adrien had brought her to her senses.

As she drove toward the airport, her mind was a whirlwind of emotions. She had spent too many years hiding the truth, trapped between fear and love. Lorenzo deserved to know. He had the right to meet Mateo, to know that he was his son.

She tightened her grip on the steering wheel, fighting the tremble in her fingers.

- Enough - she told herself, as if the words could calm the storm raging in her chest. This is the right thing to do.

As she parked the car at the airport, her heart pounded. Lorenzo was about to take a flight to Colombia, and if she didn't tell him the truth now, she might not have another chance. She walked quickly toward the terminal, the sound of her heels echoing on the pavement.

When she saw him, her heart stopped. Lorenzo was standing by the gates, looking elegant and hurried, talking to someone she knew very well: Clarisse, his assistant and the perfect daughter-in-law for his mother. The woman had always been a shadow in Lorenzo's life, a loyal ally to his mother, manipulative and shrewd. Margaret felt a pang of discomfort seeing her there.

She stopped a few meters away, hesitating. Lorenzo seemed tense, gesturing as he spoke with Clarisse, who was smiling in a calculated way. Margaret took a step toward them, but stopped dead when she saw how Clarisse leaned toward Lorenzo and kissed him.

Time seemed to stop. Though Lorenzo quickly pushed Clarisse away, the impact was like a punch in the stomach for Margaret. She watched as Lorenzo spoke to Clarisse, looking angry, but Margaret could no longer hear anything. Her vision blurred, and the determination that had brought her here crumbled in an instant.

Her heart was broken. Again.

She backed away, each step heavier than the last, as the tears began to fall. How could she have even thought about trusting him with the truth? How could she have imagined that Lorenzo still felt something for her?

She got into the car, slammed the door shut, and let the tears overwhelm her. The images of Lorenzo with Clarisse repeated in her mind, crueler each time, more devastating.

- How could I have been so stupid? - she whispered through her sobs.

She slammed the steering wheel with both hands, trying to release the rage consuming her. Lorenzo didn't deserve to know anything. Not after what she had just seen.

At the airport, Lorenzo looked at Clarisse with eyes full of fury.

- What the hell do you think you're doing? - he snapped, wiping the trace of the kiss from his mouth.

Clarisse gave him a calm smile, as if nothing had happened.

- I just wanted to say goodbye, Lorenzo. I don't understand why you're so upset. Remember, I have to stay here to continue the collaboration with Margaret.

- Don't ever do that again - he warned, his tone firm and cutting. This means nothing, Clarisse. Absolutely nothing.

Clarisse looked at him with a mix of defiance and flirtation.

- We'll see about that, Lorenzo. My mother and I think you'd be better off letting go of impossibilities and accepting what's in front of you.

Lorenzo felt a knot in his stomach. His mother was always behind everything, trying to manipulate every aspect of his life. But this time, he wouldn't allow it.

- Tell my mother to stay out of my life - he replied firmly, turning to head toward the waiting area.

Meanwhile, Margaret was driving back home, her mind a mess of conflicting emotions. The memories of the kiss between Clarisse and Lorenzo played on a cruel loop in her head, becoming more vivid, more unbearable. Adrien had been right: Lorenzo deserved to know the truth. But how could she trust a man who still allowed people like them to be a part of his life? It had been a mistake to think that anything had changed. Lorenzo was still the same man, trapped under his mother's shadow and surrounded by opportunists like Clarisse.

She drove on autopilot, barely noticing the scenery around her, her chest tight with pain and anger. At some point, she had to pull over to the side of the road, unable to continue. She rested her forehead against the steering wheel, letting the tears she had kept inside for so long flow freely.

- Why does it hurt so much? - she whispered, her voice broken.

She took a few minutes to regain her composure before continuing on her way, telling herself she had to be strong. For Mateo. He was all that mattered.

When she got home, the stillness of the night enveloped her. Everything was silent, except for the soft ticking of the clock in the living room. Margaret walked toward Mateo's room, her steps light, as if afraid of disturbing the peace of her son.

She opened the door and found him asleep, his small figure curled up under the blankets, hugging his favorite stuffed animal. Margaret stood for a moment in the doorway, watching him. Her chest filled with an infinite love and crushing guilt. She approached carefully and sat on the edge of the bed, gently stroking his hair.

- You're the only thing that matters - she murmured, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. I don't need anyone else.

Mateo sighed in his sleep, murmuring something incomprehensible, and Margaret smiled faintly. But as she said those words, she knew they weren't entirely true. Every time she looked at Mateo, she also saw Lorenzo. The same mole on his palm, the same crooked smile when he was happy, the same eyes that seemed to see beyond appearances.

She stood up carefully so as not to wake him and returned to the living room. The clock marked three in the morning, but Margaret knew she wouldn't sleep that night. She collapsed onto the couch, hugging herself as the thoughts consumed her.

Lorenzo had the right to know. No matter how much she tried to convince herself otherwise, the truth always weighed more. But what would she gain by telling him? What would guarantee that Lorenzo wouldn't accuse her of hiding Mateo from him out of revenge, of using the child to hurt him? And what would happen to Mateo if Lorenzo decided to take his son away?

Margaret closed her eyes, remembering the last time she saw Lorenzo before leaving everything behind. His words of disbelief, the pain in his eyes when he accused her of lying. That night, she had decided to disappear, convinced they would never cross paths again. But fate had other plans.

Now, everything was too tangled, and she was tired of fighting against the circumstances. For a moment, she thought about waking Mateo up and taking the first flight back to Europe, leaving this nightmare behind. But that wouldn't be fair to her son. Mateo deserved stability, not a mother running away from her problems.

The decision was made: she would continue keeping the secret, even if every passing day consumed her a little more. As long as Lorenzo was under the influence of people like Clarisse, she could never trust him with the truth.

She looked out the window, where the first light of dawn was beginning to appear.

- This is for the best for everyone - she whispered, as if saying it aloud could convince herself.

But deep down, she knew it was only a matter of time before everything came to light. And when that moment came, she would have to face it, no matter the consequences.