He stood.
“I won’t ask you to approve of everything I do. I am asking you to treat the woman I love as a human being.”
For the first time, Nadia had no immediate response.
The Woman Who Refused to Be Bought
Several weeks passed.
Raúl did not contact Raquel.
He respected her request for distance, even though every day felt longer without her.
Meanwhile, Raquel tried to return to her routine. She attended meetings, answered calls, and carried out her responsibilities. To everyone around her, she appeared composed.
But María noticed the change.
One evening, she found her mother sitting alone in the garden, looking at the ring Raúl had returned.
“You still love him,” María said.
Raquel looked up.
“I don’t know whether love is enough.”
“Maybe it isn’t always enough by itself. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t real.”
