Suddenly, Alejandro looked at me.
And his expression… wasn’t one of pride or satisfaction. It was painful.
Mariana whispered something in his ear, and they both walked toward me.
I clenched my fists under the table.
“Congratulations…” I managed to say.
Alejandro raised his hand, his voice breaking:
“Brother… forgive me.”
Mariana took a deep breath:
“Santiago, you’re misunderstanding everything. Ale and I… we’re not together like you think.”
“Then what is this?” I managed to ask.
Alejandro took out a thick envelope and placed it in front of me.
I opened it.
It was medical testing. The diagnosis was written in letters that felt like they were burning me:
“Advanced Carcinoma – Terminal Stage.”
Patient’s name: Alejandro Ruiz.
I felt like the world was collapsing.
Mariana said, her voice breaking:
“Ale found out three months ago. He didn’t want to tell anyone.” But when he knew he didn’t have much time left… the first thing he wanted was to talk to you.
Alejandro lowered his gaze:
“I always knew I owed you something. Ten years ago… I fell in love with Mariana first. But when I saw the way you looked at her, I stepped aside.
I thought I’d moved on… until you divorced.
And I felt guilty. I thought maybe… I had unwittingly influenced things between you two.”
I immediately denied it:
“No, brother. I was the one who messed up.”
But he smiled sadly:
“I wanted to use the time I have left to make amends to you. This wedding…” He swallowed hard. “…was just a way to force you to come.
I was afraid of leaving without telling you all this… and that you would carry this pain forever.”
I felt something inside me break.
The wedding was a farce.
A staged performance… to help me heal.
In his final days, Alejandro was still thinking about protecting me.
I hugged him tightly, not caring who was watching.
“Thank you…” I stammered. “Thank you for continuing to be my brother.”
He hugged me back:
“Brother until death. And beyond.”
Two weeks later, Alejandro passed away in a hospital in Guadalajara. Mariana was with me during the funeral, not out of romantic love, but because we had finally learned to talk… like two people who no longer owed each other anything.
I stood before his grave, placed the fake invitation on the fresh earth, and murmured:
“I promise to live better… for you too.”
A warm breeze drifted through the trees, as if Alejandro were still there, smiling with that calmness of his that always saved me.
And for the first time in a long time… I felt I could move on.
