Inevitably, Roxana became another member of the family — though one entirely unwanted by me. I tried to cling tooth and nail to the idea that it was fine for my husband to have a female friend. I didn't want to be that toxic woman who ruins her relationship with pathological jealousy, and I stupidly, naively believed that under my own roof, in the home we'd built together, nothing bad could ever happen. My heart pounded wildly, fighting with all its strength against the mistrust that had settled like a dark shadow in the depths of my chest.
But it all came crashing down in one fell swoop a week later — one night when I came through the door exhausted, drained from a business trip that had left me without an ounce of strength. The living room was cold and empty. As I crept through the house step by step, I heard soft voices coming from the terrace — that terrace that was my pride, my refuge, my favorite place under the sky, where I'd spend hours reading or lost in the beauty of the sunsets. In that instant, my breath caught in my throat as if an invisible hand were strangling me.
I slipped off my shoes at the entrance, moving so silently that there was absolutely no way they could have known I was there, watching from the shadows. As I drew closer, I could see with horrifying clarity Roxana wearing an incredibly sensual nightgown — a fitted black slip that clung to her like a second skin. Across from her, Octavio sat in his most comfortable house clothes. On the table between them, a bottle of red wine glinted in the light, the glasses nearly empty, alongside some light food. The soft candlelight cast a romantic glow over them both, and the sight of it destroyed my world in a single glance.
The scene itself was unbearably raw, but what truly shattered me was the conversation they were having in hushed tones. Roxana asked him in a voice as sweet as honey, thick with nostalgia:
"You know... I never, ever forgot you. The best years of my life were spent by your side. But it hurt me so much" so much "to find out you got married. Why did you do it? Didn't you love me anymore... so you just forgot about me?"
"You know better than anyone that I always loved you," "Octavio replied, his voice heavy with a sadness that cut to the bone."
"Then why?"
"Because you left. I waited for you day after day, month after month... until one day I understood I had to move on with my life, the same way you were doing with yours."
"Do you love her?" "Roxana asked, direct, no beating around the bush."
"Briella is a wonderful woman... and she loves me very much."
"I asked if you love her, Octavio."
"I care about her," "he said, his head bowed, unable to meet her eyes."I've had a good life with her. But I could never love her the way I loved you, Roxi. No one in the world can compare to you in my heart. I thought that by marrying her, with her sincere love, I could forget about ours... but...
"But she could never compete with the memory of me,"Roxana finished, a victorious smile lighting up her face. "I don't blame her. Any woman would fall head over heels for someone as incredible as you, Octavio. I was a complete idiot to lose you."She let out a deep sigh. "If I hadn't, I'd be the one who was your wife right now, the one by your side, the one sharing your life. We were each other's first love... first everything... and that's something you never, ever forget."
"That would be beautiful,"Octavio murmured, "but Briella is my wife. I respect her as such... so let's stop talking about the past."
I couldn't take it a single second more. I turned on my heels and ran out of my own house as if hell itself were opening beneath my feet, fleeing to a nearby park where I let my anguish pour out in screams. I didn't know what hurt more — discovering that I was nothing but a replacement, a consolation prize to fill the void she'd left behind, or the terrible realization that my husband had never truly loved me. What would happen now that his real love had come back to claim the place she said had always been hers?
Maybe the two of them had already been together from the moment that woman set foot in my house... and they'd been laughing behind my back, laughing in my face while I knew nothing, while I was building dreams of a future that never existed. I didn't want to go back. I didn't have the strength to make a scene. So I got a hotel room and let loose all the pain that only betrayal can provoke — tears that seemed to have no end, a loneliness that squeezed my chest until I couldn't breathe, and an overwhelming shame at having been so blind, so foolishly blind.
I spent two days in that place — two interminable days during which I didn't receive a single text, a single phone call from Octavio asking where I was. Though I'd already resolved with absolute certainty that I wouldn't stay with him, I still needed to clear my mind before taking the next step — the hardest one of my life. Roxana had only been in the house for two months. Two miserable, filthy months were all it took to destroy three years of marriage, of shared dreams, of effort and sacrifice.
I went back home pretending nothing had happened, wearing a forced smile that ached down to the bones of my face. I walked in and found her there — Roxana, alone. I tried to pass by her, ignoring her existence as if she weren't there, but she stepped into my path and blocked the door with her hand, with an insolence that made me tremble with rage. What she said next didn't just surprise me — it gave me the key to how I'd proceed.
"You know... nobody wants to tell you the truth. I'm not really the good family friend you pretend to believe I am... I'm Octavio's ex-girlfriend," "she said, with a tone of superiority that made my stomach turn."But I think it's only fair you know, so you understand who you're dealing with.
"You know... I think your unlimited stay in my house leaves a lot to be desired... especially since you can't even clean up after yourself," "I replied, without looking her in the eye, holding back the fury that was consuming me with every ounce of willpower I had."
Her face turned a deep red with anger — a sight that was worth seeing. It was the first time since she'd arrived that we were alone, and I wasn't going to waste the chance to let her know exactly how much I hated everything about her... including her very presence in the home that was mine.
"Octavio loves me... and you're just my replacement!"she screamed at the top of her lungs, as if volume could make her words more true. "Though I have to admit, you're too cheap to fill my shoes. You don't compare to me in anything" not beauty, not brains, not anything.
"You want him back?" "I asked, with an icy calm that surprised even me."
"What...?"She went mute, thrown off by my question.
"If you want back everything that supposedly belongs to you... everything that I, according to you, have been using at my leisure all these years."
"Of course I do! You had yourself a nice life taking advantage of my absence, but now that I'm back... I'm going to reclaim everything. Absolutely everything,"she declared triumphantly, her head held high.
"Good. Then get Octavio to sign the divorce papers... and I'll leave without another word."
"Really?"
"I have no reason to lie to you." You said it yourself "I enjoyed everything that was yours until I was sick of it. I rolled around with Octavio so many times there's no thrill left... and now that you're here, I don't see the point in staying in a place that isn't even mine anymore, because you've flooded it with your things, your scent, your shadow."
"I don't believe a word of it. Why would you give all this up so easily? Aren't you afraid of losing everything?"
"Easily?"I smiled coldly. "None of this has been easy. But I don't like taking what isn't mine... and I'm not going to waste another second of my life beside someone who doesn't love me, who never loved me the way I deserved."I pulled the divorce papers from my purse with steady hands. "Here they are, so all that's missing is his signature. You can read them over as much as you want... no tricks, no traps."
"Good... I'm glad you're being sensible and understand that he will never love you the way he loves me. You'll never fill the void I left in his heart."
"Whatever," "I replied, indifferent."Just make it quick... and keep him away from the house so I can pack my things without him knowing, without having to see him, without having to hear him.
"You're really not planning something? Why don't you want to face him? Why slink off like a rat with your tail between your legs?"
"Because I have no desire to hear a single cheap excuse about how he had fun playing with my feelings,"I answered, my voice firm and steady. "Besides, you should be the most grateful that I want to do it this way. You know, I could take the opportunity to seduce him one last time... and if I got pregnant, I could postpone the divorce indefinitely... and also get a nice chunk of money, plus the perfect excuse to keep seeing him forever, to stay in his life for good."
"You're a shameless, greedy, cruel woman!"she shouted, indignant.
"Thank you,"I laughed, coldly, without a shred of remorse. "I'm proud of it, too. So you know what to do" keep him away from the house. I don't want to see him again.
The truth was, I didn't want to see either of them ever again, not even in a photograph. But I would take everything that truly belonged to me — my dignity, my hope of love for the future, and the little miracle growing inside my womb, a secret I guarded with my life... without anyone knowing.
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