Chapter 6 - The Woman Everyone Judged
The next morning, the entire country knew Beatriz’s name.
News channels replayed the wedding footage.
Social media exploded with opinions.
Some people supported Ricardo.
Others blamed him.
But the person receiving the harshest judgment was Beatriz.
Because people always judged the woman they knew the least.
Comments appeared everywhere.
“She disappeared for years.”
“Why come back now?”
“She ruined a wedding.”
“She wants money.”
Beatriz saw all of it.
But she had survived worse.
She had survived being abandoned.
She had survived raising three children alone.
She had survived being called a failure.
What she could not accept was her children being hurt.
At school, Mateo saw the headlines.
He came home quietly.
Beatriz noticed immediately.
“What happened?”
He placed his backpack down.
“Everyone knows.”
She sat beside him.
“What do they know?”
“That you were called a liar.”
Her heart broke.
“Mateo…”
“They said Dad didn’t want us.”
Beatriz reached for his hand.
“Listen to me.”
Mateo looked at her.
“You were never unwanted.”
A tear rolled down his face.
“Then why didn’t he come?”
Beatriz had no answer.
Because sometimes the truth hurt more than a lie.
Meanwhile, Ricardo arrived at Valente headquarters.
His father’s former office had remained untouched since his death.
Old files.
Old contracts.
Old secrets.
Ricardo searched through everything.
Then he found another envelope.
His name was written on it.
Inside was a confession.
Not from Beatriz.
From his father.
The letter explained everything.
He admitted that he had separated Ricardo and Beatriz.
He admitted that he had hidden the pregnancy.
But there was one sentence that shocked Ricardo the most.
“Juliana knew.”
Ricardo stopped.
He read it again.
Impossible.
Juliana?
The woman he married.
The woman who claimed she wanted honesty.
She had known.
For years.
He immediately called her.
She answered after several rings.
“Ricardo?”
His voice was cold.
“How long did you know?”
Silence.
That silence was the answer.
Juliana finally spoke.
“I can explain.”
Ricardo closed his eyes.
“No.”
His voice shook.
“You knew my children existed.”
“Ricardo…”
“You knew Beatriz was telling the truth.”
A long pause.
Then Juliana whispered:
“Yes.”
The confession felt worse than betrayal.
Because this was not a mistake.
Not an accident.
It was a choice.
Years of choices.
Ricardo looked out the window.
The woman he married had not just lied about the past.
She had helped erase it.
“Why?”
Juliana’s voice cracked.
“Because I loved you.”
Ricardo laughed bitterly.
“No.”
He shook his head.
“You loved winning.”
Silence.
And in that moment, Ricardo understood something.
The wedding had not been destroyed by Beatriz returning.
The wedding had been destroyed because it was built on a foundation of secrets.
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And now every secret was coming back.
One by one.
