The house grew cold again. Mateo cried for her. Diego tried to pretend he could move on. He even invited Cristina Vega, his polished executive assistant, to dinner. The evening was perfect—and empty. Cristina saw the truth and said what Diego refused to admit: he loved Carmen. She urged him to go after her.
The next day, Diego drove to Lavapiés with Mateo in his arms. He climbed worn stairs, knocked on a simple door, and when Carmen opened it, the baby threw himself into her arms, crying “momma” in desperation. Carmen wept as she held him. Diego entered the small, warm apartment, met Carmen’s mother and Javier, and finally said what had been choking him:
“I love her… and I want to marry her.”
Silence filled the room. Carmen trembled. Javier hesitated. Carmen’s mother, eyes wet, asked the only question that mattered: “What does your heart say?”
Carmen looked at Mateo, then Diego. She whispered that she loved them—but feared the world’s cruelty. Diego answered with the conviction not of a businessman, but of a father:
“If I can’t protect my family, then everything I’ve built means nothing.”