We walked up the long hallway on the first floor. Each footstep was too loud on the polished floor. In front of the office door, I paused for a second.
Inside, I could hear two voices.
Alejandro’s, calm. Valeria’s, soft, almost musical.
I wanted to break down the door.
I knocked once and entered without waiting for an answer.
Alejandro looked up, annoyed.
“Rafael, what does this mean?”
Valeria was by the bar, a glass in her hand. Perfect. Serene. As if the whole world were a room made just for her.
“Mateo came home hurt,” I said.
Valeria didn’t even blink.
“He fell at school,” she replied before I could continue.
She lied with monstrous ease.
Alejandro frowned and looked at his son.
“Did you fall?”
Mateo lowered his head instantly.
That’s when I saw it clearly.
He wasn’t afraid of the truth. He was afraid of her.
I took a step forward.
“He didn’t fall.”
Valeria looked at me for the first time with that coldness some people hide beneath a pretty smile.
“I think you’re forgetting your place.”
“My place,” I replied, “is next to the boy you hit with a belt.”
The office froze.
Alejandro put his glass down on the table.
“What did you just say?”
Valeria let out a short, incredulous laugh.
