“You have to understand,” he stammered. “I was young. I didn’t know how to raise kids. I didn’t have enough money…”
“Didn’t have money?” María cut in, pulling out another document. “Is that why you collected my mother’s life insurance? Why you sold her jewelry? Why you emptied her savings account?”
Every lie crumbled. María had tracked every financial move Eduardo made after her mother’s death. He hadn’t thrown them out just out of cruelty—he had stolen everything Carmen worked for.
“The bank records show it all,” María continued. “Gambling, Eduardo. Gambling and alcohol—while two children slept on the streets.”
The man who once ruled through fear now sobbed like a terrified child.
“What do you want from me?” Eduardo asked, broken. “Money? An apology?”
“We want you to pack your things,” María said calmly. “You have 48 hours to leave our house. And you will sign this document acknowledging your debt.”
Ten years of rent, interest, legal costs, and stolen money—it was a sum Eduardo could never repay.
“But we’ll offer you something,” María added. “If you leave peacefully, return what’s left of our mother’s money, and write a letter apologizing for what you did, we’ll forgive part of the debt.”