Don't Make My Daughter-in-Law Suffer

I dropped my younger daughter off at school, where I ran into Lucia, who was also dropping off Jamilec. Both Nancy and Jamilec walked in together. Juliana moved to the back seat to give Lucia the passenger seat. We greeted each other with a kiss on the lips and drove straight to the university to drop off Juliana. While I drove, I listened to their conversations — they were like mother and daughters, and I liked that. I liked that they had such a good bond.

When we arrived at the university, Juliana said goodbye with a kiss on Lucia's cheek. The truth was, the relationship between them was strong, and it inspired me to keep things going with Lucia. I invited her to breakfast. The restaurant meal was nothing compared to the delicious breakfast Aurora had made. I barely ate. Afterward, I drove Lucia to work. The bank was just opening its doors. We said goodbye with a long kiss, as though we'd never see each other again.

"I'll be waiting for you tonight so we can have dinner together. You can bring the girls," Lucia said.

"Can we make it Friday instead?" Jose said.

"That's too long."

"It's only two days' difference. I have some parts I ordered coming in today."

"I thought you wanted to spend time with that bland wife of yours," Lucia said.

"Don't call her that. She's the mother of my children," Jose said.

Lucia fixed her eyes on him. "When are you going to leave her? It's bad enough that you still share the same bedroom. Do you still find her attractive? Are you lying to me, giving me false hope? Are you having sex with her? Does she still make you want to be intimate?"

"I promised you ten months ago that I wouldn't have sex with her anymore, and she doesn't inspire that in me. Why the distrust?" Jose said.

"I'll believe you. But I'm getting tired of waiting." She got out of the car.

Lucia was already pressuring me. I watched her walk away and smiled, because I loved the way she moved — that walk that had been driving me crazy lately. As I drove back to the workshop, Lucia's words echoed in my head. She had a point. Aurora still stirred in me that desire to have her. Last night, seeing her naked in front of me and then in that silk nightgown where I could make out her still-firm breasts — it made me hard. But I wanted her to stop loving me, so I turned my back to avoid looking at her. I heard her cry softly. I know I'm hurting her. Part of me wanted to hold her and kiss her, but another part kept thinking about Lucia. To calm that ache, I just swallowed hard and clenched my jaw.

During the night I couldn't sleep. I rolled over and she was already asleep — her breathing was steady, that's how I knew. That silk nightgown made her look spectacular. I wanted to hold her. I wanted to breathe in her scent. I pulled her close. Our love wasn't the same anymore — routine had taken the throne in our home. For the first time, I felt truly divided. My heart was with Aurora, but my mind was with Lucia.

"Boss, the parts we were waiting for came in. You seem pretty lost in thought today," the assistant said.

"It's nothing. Did they leave the invoice?" Jose said.

"Yeah, here it is. Your wife also brought juice — she gave us some too. Really helped with the midday slump."

"Juice? What kind?"

"Tree tomato with alfalfa. Delicious. Here's the thermos."

Jose took the thermos and poured some juice into a glass. As he drank it, memories flooded in — how she used to prepare juice and bring it to him at lunchtime, how it gave him the energy to keep working. The juice felt like it lodged in his throat. He coughed and struggled to breathe until his employees had to rush over.

"You okay, boss?" the assistant asked.

"Time to get to work," Jose said.

After regaining his composure, he thought about Lucia's dinner invitation. He picked up his phone to call her, but when he saw the thermos of juice again, he changed his mind. Tonight he wanted to eat his wife's delicious home-cooked meal. The hours flew by as he threw himself into work until one of his assistants reminded him he had to pick up his daughter from school. He checked the time, wiped the grease from his hands, washed up, and took off his blue work overalls.

Meanwhile, Aurora had finished making lunch when she got a call from the school. Her daughter had a severe headache. This alarmed her — Nancy suffered from migraines, and only an injection could ease the pain. She needed to take her daughter to the doctor right away. As she was rushing out of the house, Berta, her mother-in-law, arrived for a visit. Seeing her daughter-in-law in such a state, she grew worried too.

"What's wrong? You're pale and nervous," Berta said.

"My daughter has a headache. I need to take her to the hospital for an injection," Aurora said.

"Let's go, dear. The girl needs you. She's just like her grandfather — every time he got a headache, he'd vomit," Berta said.

Aurora hailed a taxi to the school, and Berta went with her. When they arrived, Jose's car was already there — but he was in deep, affectionate conversation with Lucia. The closeness between them struck Aurora as strange, but now wasn't the time to make a fuss. When Jose saw them arrive, the blood drained to his feet — his mother was there too, and he had no way to explain the situation.

"Mom? Aurora? What are you doing here?" Jose said.

"Sweetheart, they called me — the baby's had a migraine attack," Aurora said.

"Well, let's go in and see her," Jose said.

Jose completely ignored Lucia, who had already stepped aside. She furrowed her brow when she heard Aurora call Jose "sweetheart." Berta, sharp-eyed as always, shot Lucia a withering look. What Aurora had in beauty, she also had in trusting nature.

Jose carried his daughter out in his arms. They got into the car, ignoring Lucia's presence, and sped straight to the hospital. Nancy was treated in the emergency room and kept under observation for an hour. Aurora didn't leave her daughter's side for a single moment — she just watched her sleep, pressing tender kisses to her delicate hand. She felt pain whenever her daughters were sick. Out in the hallway, on the waiting benches, sat the others.

Jose was answering Lucia's messages. He smiled, pleased that she was jealous. Berta, who'd been watching him, couldn't take it anymore and smacked him on the back of the head. She knew her son was cheating on her daughter-in-law. Jose looked at her, stunned — his mother hadn't treated him like that in a long time.

"How dare you cheat on my daughter-in-law," Berta said.

"That's not true, Mom. Aurora—"

"I know that grin all too well. Are you betraying Aurora with that woman from the school?" Berta said.

"No, Mom. She's the mother of Nancy's best friend," Jose said.

"I wasn't born yesterday, Jose. You're an adult and I shouldn't have to meddle in your life. But if you don't love Aurora anymore, tell her you don't. That way she'll suffer a little. But if she finds out some other way, she'll suffer a great deal. She's like a daughter to me, and I can assure you — a woman like her, you won't find anywhere else. Think carefully. Don't make the same mistake your father made," Berta said.

"But you stayed with Dad despite all his affairs," Jose said.

"Yes, because I was married to him. In those days, a marriage was meant to last. Let me remind you — you never married Aurora. And not all women forgive infidelity. The separation between you two would be easy because you're not bound by any legal papers. Don't make my daughter-in-law suffer. And I'm warning you: no other woman will enter my house — not as your wife, not as your woman. To me, Aurora will always be my daughter-in-law. I will not accept you bringing another woman into my home," Berta said.

Jose breathed deeply. His mother had always had a wonderful relationship with Aurora and loved her like a daughter. Getting her to accept Lucia would be nearly impossible. But reflecting on his mother's words, he understood he needed to talk to Aurora. The upcoming weekend at the beach would give him time to think through his decisions.

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