The lie that us tore us apart

Felipe's POV

Epilogue

I never loved Laura. Never. That word, "love", has always been so distant from me that when I hear someone use it, it feels like a strange language, something I don't fully understand. For me, things have always happened out of obligation. Marriage was a requirement of my father, a need to guarantee the continuity of our lineage and our image. It wasn't my choice, it wasn't something I wanted.

Before we got married, I hardly knew who she was. We'd had a few formal conversations, but nothing very deep. It wasn't necessary. She was just a woman with whom I would be forced to share the rest of my life, by a contract that made no sense to me. When I saw her for the first time, it was like seeing someone very far away from me. She had a calmness in her eyes, a tranquillity that I could never understand. I didn't expect anything from her, and she didn't seem to expect anything from me either.

My father had always been distant. And my mother... well, she died in a terrible accident when I was still a child. I had no time to know what a mother's affection could be. The only figure who tried to give me some kind of affection was my nanny, who looked after me when I was little. But that didn't compare to what other children might have had with their mothers or fathers. She was the closest to something I could call "love", but even she didn't have the ability to show me what it was like to really love someone.

That's why, when I was forced to marry Laura, I accepted, because I didn't know how to do anything different. I didn't know how to say "no" to my father. I had no choice. The contract was signed, and my only alternative was to move on, without revolt, without resentment. But deep down, I didn't expect anything from that marriage, neither from myself nor from Laura. She would just be another presence in my life. And I was just another obligation to her.

But at first, Laura was more than that. Not in the romantic sense, of course, but she became a constant part of my routine. She didn't pressure me, she didn't force me to give anything I didn't want. I respected that. She accepted her position. But over time, something subtle began to happen. Something I didn't know how to name. It wasn't love, or at least it didn't seem like it. It was... something else. Something I couldn't recognize, but which was there, growing little by little.

In our first more personal conversation, when we got to know each other better, she said something that I've never forgotten: "Felipe, I don't know if either of us will find anything else here. But we'll do whatever it takes, okay?"

At that moment, I could only agree. What else could I do? What did I know how to do? I didn't know how to give love or understand what it meant. What I did know was how to do what I was told. Every day, Laura became a constant presence in my life. Not a presence of affection, but a comfortable presence that didn't disturb me. And somehow, this comfort was transformed into something more. But I couldn't name that something else. It wasn't love, because love for me has always been something absent, something I've never had. It was just a connection, perhaps, or a familiarity that came from living together every day.

I didn't love Laura, but maybe it was something close to that. But even so, this feeling was something I didn't know what to call it. I didn't know what to do with it, or how to deal with the fact that, even without love, she was becoming important in a way I'd never imagined. I wasn't ready for that. I didn't know what it meant for me.

Now, with everything that has happened, I know that what I began to feel, even if it wasn't love, wasn't indifferent. And, in the end, perhaps that's exactly what made me lose control. I wasn't prepared to deal with these feelings that arose, because what I had always known was coldness, obligation and the absence of affection.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was alone in my office, as usual. Checking contracts once again. I liked to have everything under control, to review everything myself. After all, it's my company, and as I always say, it's the owner's eye that fattens the beast. The people who work with me already knew: if they were going to enter into a partnership with me, they would have to do it my way. And nothing could go wrong or not be more favorable to me. Nothing.

But that day, something took my concentration away. My cell phone vibrated. The unknown number on the display made me hesitate for a moment. I didn't like anonymous messages. But my curiosity was stronger. I went to it, unlocked it and saw what was written:

"It would be good if you checked your wife's phone. Do you trust her?"

I froze in front of that message. The question echoed in my mind, repeating itself in an endless loop. "Do you trust her?". I did. I trusted her completely. But that strange number made something inside me start to twist, that doubt you don't even know you have, but which turns your whole core inside out and leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

I couldn't resist and left the office. I went to the bedroom. My mind was foggy, as if something was pushing me to do it. I never imagined that she could betray me. I never imagined that she was capable of this, after all, we must honor our family names.

I got to the bedroom. Laura was in the shower, and her cell phone was lying on the bedside table. The same cell phone that, until that moment, I never thought I would touch. I never thought I would have to touch it. But now I was standing there in front of it. I couldn't help myself.

I picked up her cell phone. I ran my fingers over the screen, scrolling through the messages. And that's when I saw it. The words started jumping into my eyes, like sharp knives digging deep into my skin. A conversation between her and Lucas, my best friend. The messages were clear, unambiguous.

"Wow, I still miss you so much. What about that kiss yesterday? When are you going to see me again?"

The other message came from Lucas: "Let's arrange another day, but not too soon, Felipe might get suspicious of us."

I froze. The world around me collapsed. I started pacing back and forth, trying to process what I had just seen. I couldn't believe it. Laura? My wife? And Lucas? My best friend? Were they cheating on me?

My mind exploded in anger. The pain was eating me up inside. I ran down the stairs out of control, thinking of nothing. I couldn't believe what was happening. The anger was blinding me. I got to the kitchen and started breathing hard. I couldn't process it. Was this real? Was it really happening?