A completely different man stood before Sofia.
Young, tall, and athletic.
“Who are you?..” she barely managed to say.
“Victor Alvarez,” the man replied. “But now you need to learn my darkest secret.”
Three years earlier, Victor had nearly died in an assassination attempt. That was when he realized that someone among his closest relatives wanted to take control of his fortune.
So Victor staged the appearance of severe illness and began appearing in public wearing a special suit. He wanted to look like a
But there was another reason.
He had stopped trusting people.
Every woman he was introduced to was primarily interested in his money. Some even laughed at his appearance, thinking he couldn’t hear them.
When Sofia’s father offered his own daughter in exchange for the debt, Victor initially wanted to call the police.
But then he decided to test the girl.
“So that’s why you behaved so terribly all this time?” Sofia asked.
Victor nodded.
“I wanted to see whether you would laugh at me, humiliate me, or try to get my money. But tonight, you were the only person in that room who treated me normally.”
Sofia remained silent for a long time.
Then her expression suddenly changed.
“So all of this was atest?”
“Yes.”
“Then you’re no better than my father.”
Victor clearly hadn’t expected that answer.
Sofia took off her wedding ring and placed it on the table.
“One man decided he could give me away to settle a debt. And another decided he could test me like an object. I don’t belong to either of you.”
She headed toward the door.
Victor didn’t stop her.
The next morning, Sofia learned that her family’s debt had been completely paid off. Moreover, an account had been opened in her name containing enough money for her to live on for the rest of her life.
But she didn’t take a single peso.
Nearly six months passed.
One evening, Victor appeared at her doorstep.
Without the wheelchair, without the enormous stomach, and without the disguise.
“Last time, other people made the decision for you,” the man said. “So this time, only
you will decide. I didn’t come here for a wife. I came to ask if you would simply have coffee with me.”
Sofia looked at Victor.
And unexpectedly, she smiled.
