“I know,” Lisandro sobbed. “And I don’t deserve your forgiveness. But Tadeo… Tadeo is dying, Mireya. He won’t eat. He won’t move. He just taps his finger. He’s calling for you.”

At the mention of the boy, Mireya’s mask shattered. “Is he okay?”

“He’s fading. I have all the money in the world, and I am useless. You are the only thing keeping him alive. I beg of you… save him.”

Mireya looked at the broken man at her feet. Her pride wanted to leave him there, but her heart heard the tac, tac, pum of a lonely child. “Get up,” she ordered. “I’m not coming back for you. I’m coming back for him. But there are conditions: Griselda is gone. And you… you are going to learn how to be a father, not an owner.”

The New Time

Three months later, the Montemayor mansion was unrecognizable. Windows were flung wide open. Tropical music echoed through the halls.

In the garden, Lisandro stood with open arms. Fifteen feet away, Tadeo stood between parallel bars. His legs trembled, but his eyes burned with fierce determination.

“Go on, champ!” Mireya cheered from the side. “On your own!”