Lisandro ran to his office and checked his hidden security cameras—ones even Griselda didn’t know existed. On the screen, in high-definition clarity, he watched Griselda steal the watch and place it in the backpack. He watched her look at a photo of Tadeo and make a gesture of pure contempt.

Lisandro let out an animal scream of rage. He had thrown an angel to the streets and kept a demon in his home.

The Penance

Lisandro drove like a madman to the San José market, a labyrinth of mud and poverty. He found Mireya in the loading docks. She wasn’t dancing; she was hauling heavy wooden crates, her back bent, covered in dirt and tomato stains.

“Mireya!”

She turned, fear crossing her face. “I didn’t do anything! I’m already gone!”

Lisandro didn’t stop. In front of all the workers, in the middle of the rotten mud, the arrogant billionaire dropped to his knees.

“Forgive me,” he pleaded, tears streaming down his face. “I know everything. I saw the camera. I was a fool—a miserable, blind fool.”

The market went silent. Mireya looked at him, her chest heaving. “You humiliated me,” she said harshly. “You treated me like a criminal.”