Patricia’s face goes white, then red.
She looks at Alejandro like she expects him to apologize for his wife.
Alejandro doesn’t flinch.
He just says, “We’re done living in fear.”
The silence that follows is thick and strange, like the room is learning a new weather pattern.
Some relatives stare at their plates.
Some pretend to check their phones.
A couple of them, the ones who’ve always been quiet, look relieved.
Patricia gathers herself with stiff movements.
“Fine,” she says through her teeth.
“But you’ll regret this.”
She leans toward Lucía and whispers something you can’t hear.
Lucía’s shoulders tense.
Her eyes flick to you, frightened.
And you understand instantly: Patricia didn’t just threaten legal trouble.
She threatened emotional sabotage, the kind only a parent can do properly.
You step in before Lucía can fold.
“Whatever you just said,” you tell Patricia, calm as a blade, “say it out loud.”
Patricia freezes.
The room leans in without moving.
