“And he saw me.”
Her voice breaks just slightly.
“I thought it was love,mija.”
I close my eyes.
“She says it like she’s back there.
Young.
Hopeful.
“I had your hair,” she says softly. “Tu fuego.”
Your fire.
“And my mamá’s curse.”
My chest tightens.
“What curse?”
She lets out a small, sad laugh.
“El corazón que ama demasiado.”
A heart that loves too much.
That lands.
Deep.
“He stayed for months,” she continues. “Building. Planning. And we… we had a love affair.”
The words feel too big.
Too real.
I grip the phone tighter.
“I thought he would marry me,” she says.
There’s no bitterness in her voice.
Just truth.
“But he left.”
My heart drops.
“To Cancún. To build more. More hotels. More money. More life.”
Her voice cracks now.
“And he left me behind.”
I can’t breathe.
