In the car, Pablo was shaking. Mariana took his hand tightly. Everything will be fine, she said, smiling comfortingly.
Manuel ran out of the car, excited, passing Mercedes as if she were invisible. He immediately ran to his mother and hugged her tightly. Hello, my love, Adriana said, hugging her son.
She stepped back a little and asked, where is Mariana? She didn’t want to come in. Manuel shook his head excitedly. She’s outside with a new friend.
You’ll really like meeting him. Adriana frowned. A new friend? Before she could ask any more questions, Manuel grabbed her hand and led her outside.
Come on, mom, you have to see him. Mercedes, curious and with a strange feeling of discomfort in her chest, followed them. At that very moment, Alfonso’s car also drove into the garden of the mansion.
Alfonso got out of the car with a confident step, frowning at the movement. He was still adjusting his suit when he saw Mariana open the car door and Pablo get out. Alfonso stopped when he saw the boy.
His face immediately turned pale. He froze, unable to hide his surprise. Full of enthusiasm, Manuel pointed at Pablo and said, mom, look, he looks just like me.
Mercedes covered her mouth with her hand, not knowing what to do. Adriana felt her heart beat faster. Her eyes fixed on Pablo.
Without saying a word, she began to walk towards the boy. Each step felt like a ton. She stared at his dirty little face, at his blue eyes, the same as hers and Manuel’s.
When she finally reached him, she slowly knelt down in front of the boy, raised a trembling hand to his face. And feeling his touch, her eyes filled with tears. Pablo felt his eyes filled with tears too.
Without thinking, Adriana hugged him tightly to her chest, feeling the baby’s small, rapidly beating heart. I knew it, she whispered, her voice shaking. At that moment, memories flooded her mind.
When she was pregnant and newly married to Alfonso, Adriana clearly remembered the feeling of two beings inside her. She ran her hand over her belly and said, my dear, there are two, I’m sure. With that rehearsed smile, her husband replied, we’ll find out tomorrow.
She smiled hopefully. Tomorrow is the ultrasound. You have no idea how much I want to see our princes or princesses, my dear.
They talked for a while and Adriana, full of dreams, asked, when are you finally going to show me your company? We’re already married and you always find an excuse. If you didn’t take me on so many trips into expensive restaurants, I’d say you’re lying. She laughed jokingly, sure that her husband was the most real man she knew.
Alfonso changed the subject and said, soon, my love, my life is hectic, but I promise to show you everything. She believed every word, unsuspectingly kissed her husband on the cheek and went to work. As soon as Adriana left the house, Alfonso took the car keys and headed to the simple apartment where Mercedes was waiting for him.
As he entered, he paced back and forth, running his hands over his head. I’m starting to get nervous. What if she finds out everything? Mercedes, lying on the couch, said with a disdainful smile, she will find out about Alfonso sooner or later and not two children will save you.
You screwed up this time. In fact, you spent all our money trying to impress Adriana. What if she finds out? We’ll have nothing left.
What a disaster. Alfonso stopped and looked at her. I’ll fix it.
I’ll take it on. I know I can. The man was an experienced con man.
His entire life had been built on deception. His marriage to Adriana had been his most ambitious achievement. He had posed as a big businessman, using dirty money from other scams to maintain the fiction.
And now, under mounting pressure, he needed an even more daring plan to keep from losing everything. And it was at that moment that the most perverted idea of all was born in his head, to sell one of the babies. If there are two, he thought out loud, why not sell one? If the children were like their mother, they would be blonde and blue-eyed.
The children desired by the many millions of families, desperate for an heir. Mercedes jumped up, frightened. Are you crazy, Alfonso? Are you going to judge your own child? What’s wrong with you, man? Alfonso, with a cold glint in his eyes, replied, if it helps preserve this life and guarantee our future, then I will.
You know, I never needed children, Mercedes. My only love is you. At the gates of the huge mansion, years later, Alfonso watched the scene of Adriana hugging Pablo, knowing that her past was about to come to light.
Adriana, still completely excited, could not stop hugging Pablo. It seemed that by touching him, she could finally fill the emptiness that she had carried in her heart for many years. With each passing second, the invisible bond between them became stronger, growing in a way that words could not describe.
My son, my son, she repeated, caressing Pablo’s dirty face, feeling that she did not want to let him go ever again, as if the fear of losing him was once again taking over her soul. Pablo looked at Adriana with tears in his eyes and asked in a broken voice, am I really your son? Before the millionaires could answer, Alfonso hurried up to them, clearly worried. What are you doing, Adriana? He asked, trying to sound calm, but the tension in his voice was obvious.
She turned to him, still kneeling next to Pablo, and said, Alfon, look at him. Look, this is our son. This is the child I always knew I was carrying in my womb.
Look how much he looks like Manuel. Manuel, excited, came over and stood next to his mother and Pablo. The two boys standing next to each other were exactly alike, like mirror images of each other.
Alfonso, pale, tried to maintain his composure. You are mistaken, my dear. This boy does not look like Manuel.
They are completely different. Mercedes, who had been watching everything closely, almost stuttering, supported Alfonso. That’s right, Adriana.
You’re going crazy. Look more closely. They are very different.
Alfonso insisted. You only had one child. I saw the ultrasound and I remember it perfectly.
One child, only one. Mercedes took a step forward, trying to influence Adriana’s mind. Think about everything we discussed today.
Cleverly, you yourself said that you succumb to absurd thoughts. This boy is not your son. He is a homeless child.
He is blonde, like Manuel. But that’s all. Alfonso, seeing that soft words were not working, tried to use more decisive measures.
He took a step forward, trying to take Pablo from Adriana’s arms. Leave this child alone. He is not our son.
He belongs on the street. He’s all dirty. How can such a child be our son? But Adriana hugged Pablo even tighter, protecting him like a lioness protects her cub.
No, she screamed, tears rolling down her face. This is my son. I don’t know how, but he’s mine.
I’ve always felt like I was missing something. And now I know. Manuel, his eyes shining and excited, came up to her and said, Mom, look at the birthmark.
We have the same birthmark. We look alike. Adriana, still hugging Pablo, looked at the birthmark on her stomach, feeling a mixture of happiness and confusion.
But how is this possible? She asked almost to herself. Alfonso lost control again, and his voice sounded harsh. This child is disgusting.