In the same place.
The same mark that my mother had always had on her collarbone.
I raised my hand, trembling.
—That mark… why do you have it?
Celia closed her eyes and took a step back.
The air grew heavy. The room stopped feeling like a suite and began to feel like a trap.
“Because I can no longer remain silent,” she whispered.
And when she opened her mouth to tell the truth, I understood that she couldn’t believe what was about to happen…
Not her dresses. Not her house. Not her money.
I fell in love with the way he listened to me as if I were worth something.
When I confessed at home, I almost got kicked out.
“That woman has you under a spell,” my aunt said.
“What you want is a mom, not a wife,” my cousin spat.
“He’s going to use you and then throw you away,” my father said, hurt.
But I held on. I fought for her. I defended her in front of everyone. And even though the whole town labeled me as ambitious, crazy, or a freeloader, I didn’t back down.
The wedding was at a former hacienda , lit with candles, decorated with white, and featuring musicians playing as if it were a party for powerful people. There were too many men dressed in black, too many radios in their ears, too much security for a simple wedding. I noticed it, yes. But I was so blinded by what I felt that I decided not to ask.
That night, when we were finally alone in a huge bedroom, Celia closed the door with trembling hands. Then she placed a thick envelope and some keys on a table.
“It’s your wedding gift,” he told me. “One million pesos and a truck.”
I smiled nervously and pushed the envelope back.
—I don’t need any of that. With you, I’ve already won.
Then she looked at me in a strange way. Sad. As if she were about to break.
— Son… I mean, Efraín … before this goes any further, I have to tell you something.
I felt a chill.
Celia slowly removed her shawl. And when my gaze fell on her left shoulder, I froze.
It had a dark, round moon with an irregular edge.
The same.
In the same place.
The same mark that my mother had always had on her collarbone.
I raised my hand, trembling.
—That mark… why do you have it?
Celia closed her eyes and took a step back.
The air grew heavy. The room stopped feeling like a suite and began to feel like a trap.
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