My husband’s mistress walked into the family party on his arm, slapped me, and sneered, “Soon this family will be mine.” My husband didn’t even try to stop her. I wiped the lipstick mark from my cheek and didn’t say a word. Then my father-in-law gently slammed his hand on the table and announced, “Now it’s my turn”… what he later revealed changed the future of his only son.

PART 1

“So you’re Mariana? Perfect. I’m going to tell you this in front of everyone: Rodrigo doesn’t love you anymore. And if you have any dignity, sign the divorce papers and disappear from his life.”

The woman’s voice fell upon the New Year’s dinner like a glass shattering in the middle of a church.

Mariana remained motionless.

She had spent two days organizing dinner at her in-laws’ country house near Valle de Bravo. She had gotten up before six to check the cod, the romeritos (a type of Mexican greens), the pork loin, the salads, and even the dessert table. Doña Teresa, her mother-in-law, was demanding when it came to family gatherings, and Mariana had been in charge of everything for three years.

Only one person was missing.

Her husband.

For weeks, Rodrigo had been coming home late, hiding his phone, and wearing a cologne Mariana had never bought. She knew something was wrong, but she had clung to the hope that, at least for that night, he would respect his family.

At nine twenty, the main door opened.

Rodrigo entered wearing a gray suit.

On his arm he was leading a young woman in a red dress, with impeccable makeup and a confidence that silenced thirty people at the same time.

“Dad, Mom,” Rodrigo said without looking at his wife. “This is Valeria.”

Mariana felt her stomach empty.

Valeria smiled.

—Rodrigo and I have been together for almost a year.

Someone dropped a fork.

Doña Teresa put a hand to her chest.

At the head of the table, Don Ernesto Salazar, Rodrigo’s father and founder of the business group that his son led, slowly placed his glass on the table.

Mariana looked at her husband.

—Tell me he’s lying.

Rodrigo avoided her eyes.

—Don’t make a scene here. We’ll talk later.

That phrase hurt more than the confession.

Mariana had closed her small painting studio when she got married because Rodrigo had told her she didn’t need to work. She had invested her savings in his first business venture. She took care of her in-laws, organized every family gathering, and had turned her own dreams into something she could always look forward to.

And now he was asking her not to make a scene.

Valeria took a step forward.

—You heard. He chose. You’re just delaying the inevitable.

Mariana stood up.

—Let me go.

But Valeria grabbed her wrist.

—Don’t act so high and mighty.

Mariana tried to push her away.

Then it happened.

Valeria raised her hand and slapped him in front of the whole family.

The bang echoed in the dining room.

Mariana’s face turned to one side. She felt her cheek burn and a metallic taste in her mouth.

Rodrigo did nothing.

He didn’t even touch Valeria to stop her.

Don Ernesto remained motionless.

One.

Two.

Three seconds.

Then he put down his silverware, stood up, and looked first at the red mark on his daughter-in-law’s face, then at his son.

—Mariana —he said with a calmness that was more frightening than a scream—, give me three minutes.

Rodrigo paled.

Valeria was still smiling, convinced that the old man would end up defending his only son.

I had no idea what Don Ernesto was about to do.

And Mariana couldn’t believe what happened when those three minutes started ticking away either…

PART 2

Don Ernesto asked the family members to come into the main room for coffee.

When the dining room doors closed, only Mariana, Rodrigo, Valeria, and his parents remained.

“First,” the man said, “someone bring ice for Mariana.”

Doña Teresa exploded.

—Rodrigo! Have you lost your mind? You bring your lover to our house and let him hit your wife?

Valeria intervened.

—We love each other. A marriage without love doesn’t make sense either.

Don Ernesto looked at her.

—I’m talking to my son. Nobody gave you the floor.

The young woman blushed.

Rodrigo clenched his jaw.

—Dad, Mariana and I aren’t working anymore. I want a divorce and to marry Valeria.

Don Ernesto looked at his watch.

Twenty seconds remained.

—Are you finished?

-Yeah.

The man stood up.

—Then listen carefully. From this moment on, you are removed from the general management of the Salazar Group.

Rodrigo opened his eyes.

-That?

—I founded that company. I’m still the majority shareholder. I put you in charge because I believed you were responsible.

—You can’t take away what I’ve built!

—You built it with family money, family connections, and, when you were in debt, with the savings of the woman you just humiliated.

Rodrigo was speechless.

Don Ernesto pointed to the door.

—And you, miss, leave my house. If you touch Mariana again, the next conversation will be with my lawyers.

Valeria took Rodrigo’s arm.

—Tell them something.

Rodrigo couldn’t.

That same night he confessed something else.

According to him, Valeria was two months pregnant.

The news transformed Doña Teresa. She had dreamed of a grandchild for years, and Mariana had never been able to give her one. The next morning, when Valeria returned feigning remorse, her mother-in-law already looked at her differently.

“I made a mistake,” Valeria said, caressing her abdomen. “My hormones are making me very sensitive.”

Don Ernesto didn’t believe a word.

—Where are your studies?

—I forgot them.

Mariana, who was having breakfast in silence, heard enough.

He looked at Rodrigo.

—I accept the divorce.

He let out a bitter laugh.

—Perfect. But don’t come crying later when you find out you have nothing.

Mariana looked up.

—That won’t be your problem anymore.

He went upstairs, packed a suitcase, and decided to reclaim the life he had abandoned.

Don Ernesto found her storing old paintbrushes.

—What are you going to do?

—I want to go back to painting. I want to open another workshop.

He left a bank card on the table.

—Take it as a loan. Start over.

Mariana wanted to refuse.

—You can give it back to me later. Even if you’re no longer my daughter-in-law, you’ll still be family to me.

Days later, Mariana found a place near Coyoacán, surrounded by schools and cafes. She began painting walls, buying easels, and advertising children’s classes.

While she was rebuilding her future, Rodrigo was preparing something much darker.

He transferred investments to a friend’s name and fabricated million-dollar promissory notes to make it appear that during the marriage he had incurred debts that Mariana would have to share.

“When he sees that he owes millions, he’ll come back begging,” he told Valeria.

She smiled.

But he also hid his own secret.

I had never been pregnant before.

She planned to obtain fake qualifications with the help of an acquaintance and get pregnant after the wedding.

What neither of them knew was that Don Ernesto had already ordered an investigation into everything.

One afternoon, his assistant entered the office with a folder.

—Don Ernesto, we found Rodrigo’s movements.

—And the pregnancy?

The man left several documents on the desk.

—We also know the truth.

Don Ernesto read the first page.

Her face changed.

—Don’t tell Mariana anything yet.

He closed the folder.

See more on the next page.