Maria Gabriela
I thought about how quickly everything had changed.
Just a few days ago, Diego had called—and for the first time, his voice had sounded… human. There was a vulnerability in the way he asked, almost begged, for Arthur to meet his little sister.
It was clear he was trying to do the right thing, maybe to make up for some of the damage he’d done.
While those thoughts circled in my mind, Max, somehow sensing the shift in my mood, trotted in from the living room. He looked happy, tail wagging, until I noticed what he had in his mouth.
My heart froze for a second.
The vibrator. Again.
He was wagging it from side to side like it was his favorite toy, his tail going a mile a minute in that way only Max could manage. The scene was so ridiculous—and somehow so perfectly timed—that I burst out laughing harder than I had in a long, long time.
“Max, you little troublemaker!” I said between laughs, trying to compose myself as I walked toward him.
He backed up, thinking I wanted to play, and started shaking the damn thing even harder, which only made me laugh more.
That dog had an uncanny talent for showing up at the most inappropriate moments just to… well, be Max.
“Come here, buddy!” I tried to sound firm, but the laughter gave me away.
Finally, I managed to get close enough to grab the vibrator from his mouth. When I did, Max looked up at me with those mischievous eyes, like he knew exactly what he was doing.
“You really don’t have a clue, do you?” I said, petting his head while still laughing. “At least you know how to make me forget about my problems, even if it’s just for a minute.”
After tucking the vibrator away somewhere much safer, I sank onto the couch, and Max curled up at my feet. He let out a content sigh, and I felt a pang of guilt for laughing at something so trivial when there was still so much weighing on my mind.
Diego’s request lingered in my thoughts. Maybe Max had the right idea, in his simple, dog way. Maybe I needed to find a way to let go a little too—to stop holding on so tightly to my fears and just let Clara have a relationship with her brother.
But that was easier said than done.
Deep down, I knew I wasn’t just protecting Clara. I was protecting myself. From Diego. From everything he represented. And maybe… from something I wasn’t ready to admit yet.
Max gave my hand a gentle lick, as if he knew I needed a little comfort.
“We’ll see how this all plays out, Max,” I murmured, staring up at the ceiling. “One step at a time.”
In the end, I’d accepted that it was inevitable.
Diego was coming to my apartment with Arthur so he could meet his little sister. As much as I wanted to keep my distance, I knew I couldn’t keep Clara from having some kind of relationship with her brother—no matter how complicated things were between Diego and me.
The buzzer rang, announcing their arrival. I took a deep breath and tried to brace myself for what was coming. I hated the way my heart sped up, as if some part of me was still tethered to the man who had hurt me so many times.
I knew his presence still got to me—and I hated that, too.
When I opened the door, I saw Arthur first, his curious, wide-eyed expression so much like the day I’d found him lost in the company hallways months ago.
He smiled at me, that pure kind of smile that had nothing to do with the tangled mess of feelings I had for his father.
“Hey, Arthur,” I greeted warmly, trying to push the weight of the situation aside. “Ready to meet your baby sister?”
Arthur nodded, eyes shining with excitement, but then his gaze drifted toward Diego, standing just behind him. My smile faded the instant our eyes met.
“Hi,” Diego said quietly, his voice careful, like he knew he was stepping onto dangerous ground.
“Hi,” I replied, colder than I meant to, unable to hide the resentment still burning somewhere inside me.
Even if I tried, I knew he could feel it—the way my eyes challenged him, questioning every word, every move.
Arthur, blissfully unaware of the emotional storm hanging between us, ran into the apartment with all the energy of a kid about to discover something wonderful.
He went straight to Clara’s crib, and I followed, pushing the tension aside for the kids’ sake.
“This is Clara, your baby sister,” I said softly, trying to let him feel all the love I had for my daughter through my tone.
Arthur’s eyes went wide with wonder as he looked at Clara’s tiny sleeping face. He hesitated to touch her, so I took his hand gently and guided it to her arm. Clara stirred slightly at his touch.
“She’s so little…” Arthur whispered, as if he were afraid of waking her.
“She is,” I said, smiling. “And you’re going to be an amazing big brother—I can already tell.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Diego watching us, his expression unreadable. He looked torn—between emotion and restraint—as if he wasn’t sure how to fit into this new picture.
“Can I hold her?” Arthur asked suddenly, pulling me from my thoughts.
“Of course.” I carefully lifted Clara and placed her in his arms, helping him steady her tiny body.
As Arthur held Clara, Diego stepped closer. He was nearer than I wanted him to be, and the closeness made every muscle in my body tighten.
He noticed. Of course he did—he always noticed.
“I… wanted to thank you for letting Arthur meet Clara,” he said quietly, his voice formal, almost cautious.
“I didn’t do it for you, Diego,” I replied without looking at him, keeping my eyes on Arthur, who was now whispering softly to his sister.
“I know.” He sighed, and for a moment, there was something raw in his tone. “I know there’s still a lot between us that needs to be worked through.”
“There’s a lot that can’t be worked through,” I shot back, finally meeting his gaze.
There was so much resentment there—so much pain I still couldn’t let go of. And he knew it. He could see it in my eyes, hear it in my voice.
Diego stayed quiet, his gaze locked on mine, like he was searching for a way past the wall I’d built. But I wasn’t ready for that. Not now. Not anytime soon.
“Maybe one day things will change,” he said finally, his voice low, almost resigned. “But until then, I’ll keep trying. Not just for Clara… but for us.”
His words hit harder than I expected, and for the first time in a long while, I felt vulnerable in front of him. But I didn’t let it show.
Instead, I took a step back, keeping the distance I needed to stay safe.
“Not everything’s about you, Diego,” I said firmly. “This is about Clara. If you really care, then focus on her. Because I… I’m not part of this anymore.”
Diego opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, Max padded into the room, tail wagging, like he could sense the tension.
He trotted straight to Arthur and Clara, his presence lightening the atmosphere instantly.
Arthur giggled when he saw Max, and for a moment, everything felt a little softer. Diego glanced at the dog, then at me, and something in his expression eased.
“He seems to like Arthur,” he said, maybe trying to find some neutral ground.
“Max has good taste,” I said, my tone lighter this time.
Diego smiled—a small, genuine smile. And for one fleeting moment, the cold, distant man I’d known so well seemed to disappear.
“Stay in the car for a second, buddy.”
“Bye, Maria Gabriela. I loved meeting my baby sister.”
“And she loved meeting you too, I’m sure of it,” I said with a warm smile.
Once Arthur climbed into the car, Diego stayed there, watching me for a few seconds, clearly searching for the right words. But, as always, I knew whatever was coming next wouldn’t be simple.
“Maria Gabriela…” he began, his voice softer than I was used to hearing. “I need to tell you something. Something I’ve never told anyone outside my family.”
I folded my arms, keeping my face neutral even as my heart picked up a beat. I didn’t know what to expect, but I was bracing myself for anything.
“Go ahead,” I said flatly, giving him no space to see how much this was unsettling me.
Diego drew in a deep breath, like he had to summon the courage to force the words out.
“In the past, I was…” He hesitated, glancing away for a moment before continuing. “I was betrayed. I caught my ex-wife with another man—in our house. The house we’d picked together, where we’d started our family. After that, she left our son and walked out. Deep down, she’d only ever wanted money.”
I kept my expression steady, but inside a flicker of surprise broke through.
“After that, I never trusted another woman,” he went on, and I could see the pain in his eyes.
“Every relationship I had after that was superficial, no real bond. I just… shut down. Convinced myself they were all the same, that none of them were worth it. And when you came along, I made the same mistakes all over again.”
I watched him as he spoke, feeling a knot of conflicting emotions. Part of me wanted to understand, to see the human side of him. But another part was so wounded it couldn’t let this slide.
“That’s not an excuse,” Diego said quickly, his voice firmer now. “I know I screwed up. I know I was an idiot not to trust you, to treat you the way I did. I’m not telling you this to make you forgive me. I just… needed you to know.”
In that moment he looked so vulnerable, so far from the arrogant, controlling man I’d known. And for a split second, I almost felt sorry for him.
I walked slowly toward him, close enough for him to see the seriousness in my eyes. I took his hand firmly, feeling the tension hanging in the air, forcing myself to stay in control.
“Diego, if you want me to believe every word you just said, you’re going to have to do a lot better than that,” I said, my voice low but edged with steel.
“You’d have to cry in front of me, show me these apologies are actually coming from your heart, and maybe—just maybe—look credible.
Six out of ten for this performance so far.
You could improve. So… are you going to start crying now or wait a few seconds?
Who knows, maybe you’ll get a seven. That’s up to you. ”
Yes, maybe I was being the worst woman alive, but a sad story from his past wasn’t going to soften me.
What we go through doesn’t give us a free pass to take it out on others.
His jaw tightened, and for a moment I thought he’d retreat back into his defensive posture. But instead, he just stood there, staring at me, like he was trying to absorb everything I’d said.
I let go of his hand, a small flicker of satisfaction rising as I saw the confusion in his eyes.
“Why are you doing this?”
“Do I really need to answer that? Apologies aren’t what’s going to fix us, Diego,” I said, stepping back to put some space between us.
“You’ve got a lot of work ahead of you, and it won’t be easy.
Because apologies don’t erase what you did or undo what I went through.
I don’t care what happened with another woman—every person is different.
I’m me, she’s her. Lumping all women together was your biggest mistake.
Telling me about your past doesn’t make what you did to me any better. ”
He stayed silent, his face blank, but something in his eyes told me my words had hit deeper than he wanted to admit.
“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have more important things to do than listen to more explanations,” I said, turning away.
“Maria Gabriela…” he called after me, his voice still carrying a mix of frustration and something heavier. “I’m going to prove I’m telling the truth. And one day, you’re going to forgive me.”
I glanced over my shoulder, allowing myself a small, ironic smile.
“Good luck with that, Diego. It’s going to take more than pretty words to convince me—maybe actions… maybe not even that.”
“The other day I wasn’t just talking,” he said quietly. “I love you, Maria Gabriela.”
“But I don’t love you. I never did. Face the consequences of what you did like a man.”
I left him standing there, alone with the weight of my words. And as I walked away, a strange sense of relief washed over me. I knew he’d stirred something in me, but I wasn’t about to drop my guard.
If Diego wanted another chance, he’d have to work much harder for it—and I’d be the toughest woman he’d ever have to win over.