My daughter had resigned herself to not entering university this year. She was going to work to help us pay the debt to you, she said, wiping away her tears.
"I'm sorry, but I won't allow that," I said, looking at her angrily. "You don't know it, but studying and working at the same time is very hard. I know it makes you strong, but it also exhausts you to the point that you forget your dreams. Do you want to do that to your daughter?"
"No," she replied, crying.
"Then we agree on that. Let her go to university and live her life. Be the mother you never had, and always support her."
"You don't know how hard I try not to repeat that cycle," she said through sobs.
"Tell me something, has your daughter already gotten a place at the university?"
"Yes, she got into Boston University, but she declined the offer because she decided to help us instead."
"I understand. What did she want to study?"
"Medicine," she replied proudly.
"Wow, she's going to be part of a family of doctors," I commented, half laughing. "I'll talk to my wife so she can recommend her and help her get back in."
"No, you've already done so much for us," she said, embarrassed. "Your daughter deserves it, so I won't accept a 'no' for an answer."
Lucía's tears appeared on her face again, but she didn't continue refusing, which relieved me a lot for her daughter's sake.
"Thank you," she said, her voice breaking. "Your wife seems really grumpy," she said, half laughing as she wiped her tears.
"A little," I smiled.
"At the supermarket, she almost killed the cashier with her stare, and me too," she laughed.
"She's a little jealous," I shrugged.
"Lucía, how about I see you this weekend with your daughter to talk? I'm swamped with work this week, as you can see," I said, looking at the papers.
"Yes, of course, I have no problem," she replied quickly. "I'll come here to the hospital."
"Of course not, I'll see you at my house. Let me write down your number," I searched for my phone, but I had left it in the car.
"I forgot my phone; I'll give you my number instead," she said, and I wrote it down. "You can call me after 8, not earlier—let me sleep a bit more on Saturday," I pleaded.
"Okay, I'll call you on Saturday," she got up to leave.
"Take care, cousin," she said goodbye.
"You too, take care," I replied.
When our baby was a month old, we moved to a house because the penthouse was no longer just for the two of us; now we had to think about our baby as well. We wanted her to have a big yard to play in, and we wanted a pool so she could swim on hot days.
We fell in love with a beautiful house and didn't hesitate to buy it quickly. So, we moved that same week. Although it took our baby some time to adapt to a new place, she did so quickly.
"Love, I'm home," I announced as I entered the house.
"Hello, love," my wife replied, greeting me with a kiss.
"Why so late?"
"Sorry, love, lots of work," I apologized.
"You still don't compare, love," she looked at me sadly.
"I already did, love. Tomorrow we can go pick up our little sunshine together," I kissed her. "By the way, where's our little sunshine? She didn't come to greet me," I smiled excitedly.
"She's playing in the living room with Gina," she informed me, taking my hand to go to the living room.
"Hi, my love," I greeted my daughter, who was in my sister's arms.
"Hi, sister," I greeted after approaching my daughter.
"Shanti," she said coldly, and when I tried to take my daughter, Gina avoided me.
"What's going on?!" I said, almost annoyed.
"Pau, could you hold my niece?" Gina said seriously.
"What's happening?" I asked, worried.
"How is it that Lucía went to see you and didn't tell me anything?" she demanded.
"And that makes you angry at me?" I frowned.
"Isn't it enough? Shanti, our cousins hated you!" she reminded me. "They almost killed you once!" she reminded me again.
"What?" Paulina exclaimed, outraged. "They almost killed you!? And you're asking me to help her, Shanti Natalia Vega?!" she shouted.
"Excuse me, help her?" Gina was even angrier.
"She's asking me to give a recommendation for her daughter, for Boston University," Paulina said, annoyed.
"The girl doesn't have to pay for her parents' mistakes," I defended her. "The day Lucía came to see me, it was to apologize and to try to return money I had lent her."
"What!? But you must be…"
"I'm sorry I don't have a heart of stone, sister," I interrupted, defending myself. "Besides, I know you don't either, and I know you would have helped her too," I reminded her.
"You know that's not what bothers me; it bothers me that you don't see they could hurt you. You know full well that now you must take care of Paulina and your daughter, and you don't even think about that, idiot," she reproached me.
"Of course I take care of them," I defended myself.
"And that's why you invite her to your house?" she bellowed.
Now I understood Gina's anger and also realized her point of view.
"You can't go through life thinking everyone is a good person, Shanti," she scolded me. "I say this because you are my sister, I care about you. You're my little sister, and I will always protect you, just like Paulina, and not to mention that I must look after my niece," she reminded me.
I lowered my head in shame because she was right.
"You're right, I'll cancel the appointment and see her somewhere else," I said, defeated.
"I don't want anyone near my niece until they prove they have no bad intentions," Gina warned me.
She kissed Solecito on the forehead, said goodbye to Gina, and left. Before Paulina could say anything, I took the floor and told her the story.
"When I was about three or four years old, we all went to the beach, and my cousins ruined my float. If it hadn't been for my father, who saw I was drowning and jumped in to get me, the sea would have swallowed me. That's why I hate swimming; it scares me and terrifies me. Even though she doesn't remember that incident, it left me traumatized."
"For God's sake!" Paulina was stunned.
"I don't remember the incident," I said honestly.
"As I told you, love, she herself told me they hated me because, according to them, I took my mother's love away from them," I said, ashamed.
"That's no justification. You almost died. No matter how much they hated you, they went too far," she said angrily.
"Gina is right. When Lucía calls me, I'll tell her to meet at a café," I said, trying to calm things down.
"I know that girl isn't to blame for her mother's actions, but if you had told me this before, I would have thought twice before sending that recommendation," she said, upset, as she walked away with Solecito.
...........................
"Trash. That's the only word I have for Shanti's family. What kind of people do something like that? They're insane," I told my mother while holding my daughter in my arms, and she listened attentively. "But do you realize, Mom, the worst part is that the one who gets angry at her is me," I said, annoyed.
"I know, sweetheart. You need to calm down. I know it makes you angry, but that's all in the past. Shanti has already turned the page, and you need to understand that," my mother said calmly. "I also felt helpless when she told me, but I understood her, because she doesn't carry hatred in her heart."
"You knew about this, Mom?" I asked, indignant.
"Yes, I knew," she replied calmly.
"Since when, and why didn't you tell me?" I asked angrily.
"Because do you think I would have accepted her again, Paulina, and allowed her to marry you?" she said matter-of-factly.
"You've known for so long," I said, incredulous.
"I know what her childhood was like, her adolescence, up until the day she met you. I wanted to understand her, so I asked her to tell me everything—from the moment she opened her eyes to this world—and she did. She told me everything, and like you, I was more than outraged. Even though what she did can't be justified, she still stayed focused on her goals. Everything became distorted when her father put those ideas into her head. He told her almost every hour that she had to make money by any means necessary.
"To be honest, Paulina, Shanti could have become a repulsive and monstrous person if she had wanted to. And do you know what the worst part is? It would have been completely understandable if she had turned into that. But she didn't, because the foundations of her life were built by that woman—her mother. They were so solid that no one managed to tear them down. I know they tried, and they cracked a little, but she rebuilt them on her own.
"Shanti already left all of that behind. She didn't cling to the pain; she let it go. That's why she now has a family with you, Paulina, and that's why she doesn't tell you about those events. To her, they don't matter anymore. Now, you are her life—you and my granddaughter," she said, taking my hand and squeezing it supportively.
Thanks to the conversation with my mother, my anger eased a little, but I still didn't like that they tried to take advantage of my wife. So, on the day she was supposed to meet her cousin, I was going to be there as well.
I was waiting for her outside because she was running late. I saw her coming in a hurry, trying to get to where I was, though she still hadn't realized I was right in front of her. She was sending a message and almost crashed into me.
"Love," I called out, making her stop abruptly.
"Sweetheart," she smiled happily. "Sorry, I'm late, but in my defense, Mary gave us an invitation to her wedding," she said, holding up the card.
"Seriously? I'll have to message Maddison, because she thought she lost the invitation," I laughed.
"Mary's mom finally accepted her—that's quite an achievement," she laughed as we walked toward the car.
"I think she resigned herself to the fact that I wasn't going to be her daughter-in-law," I teased.
"Too bad for Mary's mom, but you're already mine," she said proudly, opening the car door.
She got into the car, and we went to pick up our little sunshine.
"First of all, why did Mary's mom think you were her fiancée?" she asked curiously.
"Because after Mary's mom met Maddison, she forbade her from seeing her. She went to the office and they started arguing. In the middle of the scene, Mary described what Maddison was like, but at that moment I walked out, and she thought the one being described was me," I said, laughing.
"That makes no sense," she said, laughing. "I think when she saw you, she was blinded by your beauty and decided it had to be you, no matter what."
"It's possible, but I'm already married," I said, raising my wedding ring.
The day she was supposed to meet her cousin, I went with her. We met at my favorite café. And apparently, my little sunshine not only left me a few extra pounds, but also gave me an irrational obsession with dark chocolate. While we were waiting, we ordered hot chocolate with extra chocolate bars.
"Love, did we want to give little sunshine a little sister so quickly?" Shanti asked, curious.
"Why do you ask?" I replied, eating a chocolate bar.
"Because you're eating a lot of chocolate again," she said, looking at the open chocolate wrappers.
"It's your fault," I teased, playfully.
"Why is it my fault?" she asked, puzzled.
"Solecito left me with this addiction. Now I'm an adult addicted to chocolate, just like you two," I defended myself.
"And how is that my fault?" she asked, still confused.
At that moment, the door opened, and a familiar voice interrupted our conversation.
"Good morning!" said Lucía, entering with two girls, a boy, and an older man.
"Hello, Lucía!" I greeted, shaking everyone's hand.
"Good morning!" the children said in unison.
"Hi, Marcos," Shanti greeted.
"This is Paulina, my wife," I introduced her, and Marcos extended his hand.
"Nice to meet you, Paulina. I'm Marcos Torres, Lucía's husband," he introduced himself.
"Nice to meet you, please, have a seat," Shanti said kindly.
"Sorry, I didn't introduce my children. This is Rony, my oldest son. She is Luna, my second daughter, and the youngest is Danna," she introduced them.
"Nice to meet you," I smiled, looking at Luna, who was the happiest of the three and looking at me curiously.
"I'm just accompanying them for a while because I have to go to work," Rony said.
"Oh, okay," Shanti responded. "I didn't know you were here, Rony," she asked, somewhat surprised.
"I arrived two weeks ago," he replied. "I came for work; you know there's not much in our country," he commented.
"Of course, I understand," Shanti said, nodding.
"I was very surprised to learn you were married," he said. "And to think they used to try to pair us up when we were teenagers," he laughed.
"They tried to pair us up?" I asked, uncomfortable.
"Rony is only Marcos's son," Shanti explained.
"I'm sorry, Paulina. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," he apologized.
"No, it doesn't bother me at all," I replied, smiling to reassure him.
"Well, I talked to my wife and sent the letter so they would accept Luna, and well, they accepted her again," Shanti continued, changing the topic.
"Really?" Luna said happily. "I waited almost weeks to be accepted, and when they did, I rejected them," she said, somewhat distressed.
"Thank you, Shanti, for helping my daughter," Marcos said gratefully.
"The credit goes to my wife," Shanti looked at me, smiling.
"Thank you, Paulina," Luna thanked me. "I also want to say that you are the reason I chose to pursue surgical medicine."
"Really?" I asked, doubtful.
"You might think it's because you're helping me, but it's not. You see, about a year ago, when I started looking for a career, I was researching and saw an article of yours. Well, first, I noticed how beautiful you were," Luna blushed, and my wife raised her eyebrows, surprised. "Then I read it, and I was amazed at how easily you operate, not to mention that you're a genius," Luna praised me.
"I've followed your work and have many research articles," she said, taking out her tablet and showing me some articles. "Look at this one; it was the first I read, but the one that caught my attention the most was this one," she pointed to another.
"That was one of the first articles Paulina published," Shanti commented, looking at the articles as well.
"Yes, it was when I was in my third year, I think," I remembered. "I'm glad you're enthusiastic about your career," I smiled at her.
Deep down, I felt more than happy that my work was a motivation for her.
At that moment, Rony interrupted the conversation.
"Sorry to interrupt, but I have to leave. Nice to meet you, Paulina. Goodbye, Shanti," he said. "See you, Dad. Bye, Lucía. Goodbye, sisters," he said, leaving the place.
"Goodbye, Rony," we responded in unison.
"Don't be late," Marcos warned him, and Rony nodded.
"The first time Luna saw you, she almost had a fit," Lucía recounted.
"Was it at the supermarket?" Shanti asked.
"Yes, it was there. I was trying to recognize you, but when Paulina came by your side, my daughter recognized you, and I think her excitement caused her blood pressure to drop," Lucía said, laughing.
"Mom!" Luna complained, embarrassed, while I smiled at her.
"That's why I couldn't follow you. Later we saw you in a magazine wearing a wedding dress, so Luna bought the magazine and discovered that you married Shanti," Lucía recalled. "We were in shock. Well, I was in shock because my idol got married, but not because you married Shanti," Luna said, smiling.
"And we never thought to look for you at the hospital until Marcos told us you worked there. Then it made sense because you're Paulina's wife," Lucía added.
"How did you find my wife, Marcos?" I asked, intrigued.
"It was pure coincidence. A coworker had an accident, and we rushed him to the hospital because the ambulance wasn't coming. So, as I was leaving, I saw Shanti. She was walking with an older lady holding her hand. Well, I approached... By the way, how are you?" he asked, concerned.
"I'm very well, thank you. I don't think you've told Lucía," Shanti commented.
"Told me?" Lucía asked, intrigued.
"I had a heart transplant. That's why that day I was walking with the help of Paulina's mom," Shanti explained.
"Oh my God!" Lucía said, covering her mouth with her hands.
"But how did it happen? And are you okay now?" she asked, with a horrified look.
"I'm fine, thanks to Paulina. She saved my life," she smiled at me again.
"I'm glad to hear that," Lucía said, looking more relaxed.
At least Lucía understood I didn't want to talk about it, so she didn't ask any more questions.
"I'm glad everything is okay. And, well, I'd like to know about my cousins, Gina and Johanna. How have they been?" she asked, somewhat anxious.
"They're fine, they're working…" Shanti responded.
"The kids must be grown up by now. And if I remember correctly, Alejandra should be entering university this year," Lucía commented.
"Yes, my nieces and nephews are growing up. Little Sofía is in elementary school, my nephew Danny is in middle school, as is Amanda, and Alejandra also entered university this year," my wife responded happily.
"I'm glad to hear that," Lucía smiled. "And what is Alejandra going to study?"
"She's going to pursue medicine," I replied proudly, before Shanti could.
"Really? That's why you said 'a family of doctors'!" Lucía smiled, looking at Shanti.
"Yes," Shanti smiled. "Alejandra and I have been talking about medicine, especially now that she's on vacation. And if you want, Luna, you can come on weekend afternoons to talk about medicine, of course, if your parents let you," I offered, seeing Luna's excitement.
"Yes, yes, of course I want to go!" she accepted the invitation, excited. "Mom, Dad, can I go?" she asked, almost pleading.
"Okay, sweetheart," both agreed.
"Do you want to come home with us?" I invited, surprising my wife.
"We don't want to bother," Marcos and Lucía said.
"You don't bother us at all," I contradicted them, smiling.
They looked at each other for a few seconds before responding.
"Alright," they finally agreed.
"Great, let's go!" I said, getting up with Shanti.
...................
As we left the café to return home, Paulina asked me to stop to pay the bill, since there was an extra charge. I don't know when or at what time my wife ordered so much chocolate.
"Love, don't you think you have a problem?" I said teasingly as I paid.
"It's your fault, Shanti," she reminded me, taking more chocolates.
When we got home, my mother, Solecito, and my father-in-law were already there, but also my two sisters along with Dan, Ryan, and all my nephews and nieces.
"Is it someone's birthday?" I whispered to Paulina.
"You forgot again, Shanti," she looked at me angrily.
"Sorry," I murmured, feeling guilty.
"Today is barbecue day, because tomorrow we're going to that marathon you signed all of us up for without asking anyone for consent," she reminded me, raising an eyebrow.
"I thought it was a raffle, and I already apologized," I said, pouting.
"A raffle, sure. It clearly said 15K," she shot back.
"I thought it meant carats," I defended myself, smiling awkwardly.
At that moment, Lucía walked in, greeting everyone.
"Good morning," Lucía greeted as soon as she saw everyone. "Sorry for the intrusion," she said, a little nervous.
My in-laws greeted her warmly, and I introduced her along with my brothers-in-law, who also greeted Lucía and her family. However, my sisters gave me an annoyed look, although they still welcomed Lucía and her family. The children, meanwhile, ran out to play in the backyard, while Luna and Alejandra stayed behind talking in the same space. The atmosphere felt a bit uncomfortable, but Lucía began apologizing and telling the same story she had already told me. Despite the initial distrust, my sisters eventually accepted her, and we all went to prepare the barbecue.
Meanwhile, Solecito lifted herself from my mother-in-law's arms and began looking for something to eat.
"Sweetheart, the baby is calling you," my mother-in-law said, handing Solecito to Paulina.
"She's so beautiful, she looks a lot like you," Lucía commented.
"But…" Ryan began to say.
"Yes, my wife had blonde hair when she was a baby," my wife interrupted Ryan.
"Really?" he asked, still incredulous.
"Believe it or not, Shanti was very blonde. In our family, we're all blonde as children until we grow older. Although I think it's because of the hairdresser's bad hand," Lucía commented while Solecito kept eating.
"Yes, that's right. We all had green eyes, but over time we lost them," Gina said, while Ryan still looked very confused.
"Sweetheart, don't you think we should give Amanda a little sister?" Ryan said innocently.
"Do you want to check if that thing about our genes is true?" my sister said, raising an eyebrow.
"No, not at all. I'm just saying the girl should have some company," Ryan excused himself, trying to ease the tension.
We all laughed, while I shot Ryan a murderous look, since I still hadn't forgiven him for trying to get my sister pregnant so she would marry him.
When Solecito heard everyone laughing, she stopped eating and tried to stand up to look around. Paulina, of course, didn't let her.
"It's okay, love, you want to see who they are," Paulina said affectionately, turning her around so she could see everyone.
Solecito looked at Lucía and smiled at her until she hiccupped.
"Oh my God, she has our grandmother's eyes!" Lucía said, her eyes filling with tears.
"Come on, love, let's help with the grill," Paulina said, patting her little back.
At that moment, Luna came running over, very excited.
"Mom, Mom!" she said happily. "Did you know Alejandra is going to Oxford University?"
"Really, sweetheart? I didn't know!" I replied, surprised.
"I'm going to work hard, Mom, so I can transfer and study alongside her," Luna said excitedly.
"Of course, sweetheart, you just have to work hard," Paulina supported her.
"She also wants to pursue medicine," my mother-in-law commented excitedly.
"Yes, she's going to pursue medicine as well," Marcos confirmed proudly.
"That's wonderful!" my mother-in-law said, almost jumping with excitement.
At that moment, Amanda came running toward me, looking for Johanna.
"Mom, is it true that my aunt closed a deal worth more than 300 million dollars?" she asked excitedly, waiting for confirmation.
"Why do you ask that, sweetheart?" Johanna asked, confused.
"It's because my aunt makes a lot of money just by talking. I was telling Danna that it's better to study international business instead of medicine," Amanda argued enthusiastically.
"Are you arguing, Amanda?" Johanna asked in an annoyed tone.
"No, Mommy," Amanda assured her. "I'm just saying it's better to go into business. In one meeting you make that much money, while in medicine you have to keep studying and you don't earn as much."
I couldn't help laughing at my niece's innocence and how wrong she was, since I didn't study international business.
"Amanda, sweetheart," I called her. "First, I studied business administration, and second, that's not how it works. It's more complicated than just talking to someone. Also, it's not like I keep all the profits—you have to consider costs, income, expenses, profitability…"
"Love," my wife called me, interrupting me. "The girl doesn't understand that. If I don't fully understand it, imagine the child," she said, half laughing.
"I chose my words so she could understand," I insisted, while my wife simply shook her head.
"So, how much do you make, Auntie?" Amanda asked, interrupting us.
"My salary?" I said, thinking.
"Yes!" she replied impatiently.
"About 8 or 9 thousand," I said hesitantly, not being exactly sure how much I earned.
"Only that little?" she responded, disappointed.
"Sorry for not earning more," I said, rolling my eyes, a little annoyed.
"Sweetheart, let me explain it better," Paulina said, half-laughing. "Your aunt only has that hospital salary, but that doesn't include the bonuses or extra benefits she gets, not to mention the businesses she has. Apparently, she's forgotten about those," she teased.
"So how much does she make then?" Amanda asked, intrigued.
"She earns about 500 thousand dollars a year, maybe a little more," Paulina smiled. "That's approximately what she makes."
"That much!" she said, her eyes wide. "That's like..." She paused to think for a few seconds. "41 thousand dollars a month," she said, astonished.
"What a smart niece I have," Paulina said, rubbing her head. "Yes, that's approximately what your aunt earns."
"And you, Auntie Paulina, how much do you make?" Amanda asked, puppy-eyed.
"Enough, Amanda," Johanna scolded.
"Let the girl ask. This is very funny," Gina teased, laughing.
"Well, I make a little less than your aunt, about 250 thousand," Paulina replied, smiling.
"That's true, it's not much. Then I'll follow in Aunt Shanti's footsteps," Amanda said happily.
"I'll do the same," Danna affirmed, excited.
"Auntie," Amanda touched my hand, "you have to teach me your tricks," she said, thrilled.
"Me too," Danna requested.
"Tricks?" I asked, confused. "Like the ones you used with that tall lady, though a little less blonde than Aunt Paulina?"
I opened my eyes wide and covered the girl's mouth.
"Why don't you go play instead, sweetheart?" I said nervously, smiling.
"I hope you have a good explanation, sister-in-law," Ryan said, laughing. "I just hope my daughter is talking about business," he added, teasing, which made me glare at him, annoyed.
"You and I will talk later," Paulina threatened, making me swallow hard.
We spent the whole afternoon chatting while preparing the barbecue. In the evening, Lucía left with her family, and the next day, we went to run the marathon. No one made it to the finish line. Ryan and Johanna stopped at kilometer 3, Gina and Dan at kilometer 5. My nephews almost made it, but they got cramps and, just before the finish line, had to drop out. Paulina and I reached kilometer 2; we were the first to leave, since Paulina, according to her, wasn't in shape. And well, I don't run—I'm just for aesthetics. Although, to be honest, the night before, Paulina had left me exhausted.
Paulina was furious because she thought I was flirting with women, but what I didn't get to explain was that the woman was her grandmother, who had been looking for Paulina that day—the same day Amanda had come to give me her gift list, since her birthday was in two weeks.
When she finally let me speak and I explained what had happened, she had already applied the damn tips I had given her for when she got jealous.
Everything seemed in order in our lives until Roland, Paulina's cousin, showed up at my office, telling me that Paulina had always been in love with him. Of course, I sent him packing for his nonsense. However, Mary called me saying there was a problem at Paulina's office.
I arrived quickly and saw that idiot Roland begging Paulina.
"Paulina, please, I know you've always loved me," he pleaded.
"What the hell are you saying? Go away!" Paulina shouted at him.
"Love," I called, stepping in front of her to check if she was okay. "Why haven't they called security?" I growled, making a nurse go fetch security.
"I told you to leave!" I said, angry.
"Paulina has always loved me, you're just a facade because we're cousins," he said, testing my patience.
"You're crazy, Roland!" Paulina yelled, furious.
"What's going on here?" my father-in-law arrived, accompanied by Roland's father.
"Son, what are you doing here? Leave Paulina alone, she doesn't love you!" his father said.
"I know it's hard to understand, but she loves me, she told me so," he replied once more, making me lunge to punch him, but my father-in-law stopped me.
"Son, that's just in your head. Paulina never told you anything," he tried to make him understand.
"Father, I already told you, she looked at me with love at Christmas dinner. Paulina talked to me and later, at my aunt's funeral," he said, recalling.
"What?" we all said, confused.
"That was over eight years ago," Paulina recalled. "We were talking because you're my cousin, but I never said I loved you."
"And at my sister's funeral, six years ago, Paulina didn't even speak to you," my father-in-law reminded him.
"She didn't because I was with Molly, and I understand, she didn't want to get involved in a relationship. But I saw how you looked at me," he continued, spouting nonsense.
"Dr. Scott, we need you. How can we help?" the security guard asked.
"Get this idiot out of here and don't let him come back into this hospital," I ordered, not allowing Paulina or my father-in-law to speak.
"Yes, Mrs. Scott," the guard obeyed.
"Love, don't let them separate us again," Roland shouted as the guard took him away.
"I'm sorry, Omar, niece, I don't know what's wrong with him," my father-in-law's brother apologized.
"Sweetheart, are you okay?" my father-in-law asked Paulina, looking her over.
"Yes, Dad, I'm fine. But what's wrong with him?" she asked, disturbed.
"He's obsessed with you, love, but this won't end here. He needs professional help," my father-in-law said.
"Sweetheart, I'll take care of this. Don't worry, I'll handle it," he reassured her.
"Shanti, take care of her while I'm gone," he warned before leaving to make some calls.
We entered Paulina's office, and she was visibly shaken.
"Love," I took her trembling hands, "I'm here," I tried to calm her.
"I had nothing to do with him, for God's sake, he's my cousin," Paulina defended herself, clearly upset.
"It's okay, love, I believe you, and you know it," I said, caressing her cheek.
"I only told him I loved him, but as family. I don't know when he thought otherwise," she spoke, disturbed.
"Come, love," I took her hand and guided her to the sofa, letting her sit on my lap.
We stayed like that for a few seconds until I saw tears fall down her cheeks.
"I'm here, love," I kissed her tears. "It's not your fault. He's crazy. Understand that it's not your fault," I made her look at me. "Repeat after me: it's not my fault."
"It's not my fault," she repeated weakly.
"Again, love, it's not my fault," I made her repeat.
"It's not my fault," she said again, more firmly.
"That's right, sweetheart," I kissed her lips.
We stayed in that position until my father-in-law arrived, letting us know that the professionals were already handling the situation with Roland. I saw a weight lift off Paulina's shoulders, and she began to breathe normally.