This time, he refused to leave without at least trying to speak to her.
After several minutes, she finally agreed to see him in the sitting room.
She entered wearing a simple dress, with her hair tied back. Her eyes were swollen from crying, and she looked exhausted.
Raúl rose immediately.
“Raquel—”
“Why didn’t you warn me?”
Her voice was quiet, but it cut through the room.
He froze.
“Why didn’t you tell me your family would see me as a disgrace? Why did you bring me there without preparing me for what I would hear?”
“I thought they would give you a chance.”
“You thought?” Her voice trembled. “Raúl, I’m sixty years old. I’ve been married four times. I’ve been betrayed, humiliated, and used. Do you understand what it cost me to believe that I could begin again?”
He swallowed hard.
“I do now.”
