Paulina always put me in situations that made me debate with myself for quite a while, since her proposals were always very tempting. The one now, for example, was taking her in the car—but my in-laws were literally just a few meters away from us. So, reluctantly, I told her no, but someday I would get my revenge.
As I entered the living room, something stopped me in my tracks—my legs wouldn't move, and my mind wasn't prepared for this moment. I thought the encounter would happen tomorrow, but not that day. While I stood frozen, lost in my thoughts, a warm hand intertwined with mine, giving me the support I needed to move forward. Finally, I was able to proceed into the living room, where my in-laws were sitting together on the sofa, while my sister, my nephews, and her husband were on a nearby armchair. More than three years had passed, perhaps even more, since the last time I had seen them—a period in which I had been run over, had undergone a heart transplant, and my sister had never been there. Those damn years in which I only wished she were there to console me, but she wasn't, due to her stupid prejudices.
So much time had passed, yet the pain and sadness remained intact in my chest, just like the first day I distanced myself from them.
"She regrets leaving you. That's why she's here," Paulina whispered in my ear.
How did she know what I was thinking? It must have been my facial expression, as I've never been able to hide what I feel. Lost in my thoughts, my sister suddenly leapt toward me, embracing me, leaving me immobile.
"I'm so sorry," she said, sobbing.
That was all I had longed to hear for so long. Without thinking, I returned her hug.
"I missed you so much," I replied, my voice breaking, trying not to cry.
"And I missed you," my sister answered, sobbing.
Finally, I was able to release the sadness I had kept tucked away in a deep corner of my heart. I didn't know how long we had been hugging, but I felt so comfortable, so safe in her arms.
"Auntie," a small voice interrupted, breaking the moment.
I pulled away from my sister's embrace, wiping the tears running down my face. I didn't need to guess who it was, and I bent slightly to see my niece, Sofía, who must have been about seven years old.
"Hi, Sofi," I smiled, stroking her hair.
"Auntie, I thought you had forgotten about me, that's why you weren't coming back," Sofía said, sobbing. "I won't be bad anymore, please come back home," she pleaded, tears in her eyes.
"Sofi, we've already talked about this. Auntie was working, that's why she wasn't coming home," Alejandra lied, trying to calm her down.
"But Mommy and Daddy Dan told me they could pay you to come back home. They promised me," she said, pleading, her little eyes breaking my heart.
"Sofi, darling, I had an accident at work. That's why I couldn't come back sooner, but I'm better now, and I'll be able to see you. Or you can come here whenever you want," I tried to reassure her.
"You won't live with me again?" she asked, her eyes glassy from tears.
"I live here now, not in this house, but in another. But I promise, Sofi, you can come whenever you want," I explained, caressing her cheek to give her some comfort.
"But you promised you would come back with me," she said, throwing a little tantrum. "At least if you got married. You told me that."
She paused, and suddenly her eyes opened wide, as if she had just discovered something.
"Auntie, did you get married?" she asked, frowning.
"No, darling," I replied quickly, in a soft tone.
"Sofía, that's enough!" Gina said firmly, interrupting the conversation.
Embarrassed, Sofía looked down, stopping her questions.
"Please, sit down," my mother-in-law asked, trying to change the subject.
"I'm sorry, Mother, I didn't greet you," I said, embarrassed, extending my hand, since I had also forgotten to greet her.
I greeted everyone, though the hug with my nephews and my brother-in-law lasted a little longer. However, I still had something very important to do: introduce Paulina to everyone.
"I think you already know my mother… well, my mother-in-law and father-in-law," I said, catching everyone's attention. "This is Paulina," I took her hand, intertwining it with mine. "She is my fiancée," I said, smiling at her.
"Nice to meet you," Paulina greeted with a warm smile.
"Pleased to meet you, I'm Gina Vega, Shanti's older sister," my sister greeted, extending her hand.
"I'm Dan Torres, her brother-in-law," he also extended his hand with a kind smile.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Alejandra," my niece greeted, smiling.
"I'm Danny," my nephew said, with a shy smile.
"Hi, I'm Sofía," my niece greeted, with a curious look.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Paulina," Paulina replied, waving her hand friendly.
"So, you're our aunt," Danny murmured, a little surprised.
Alejandra elbowed him, and I couldn't help but laugh.
"Yes, she's your aunt," I responded, smiling.
"So, you left me for her?" Sofía asked, looking at Paulina with a disappointed, puppy-eyed expression.
"Sofía, that's enough," Gina scolded her firmly.
We sat on the sofa to be more comfortable, but it didn't go unnoticed that Sofía sat next to me, and she got upset when Paulina sat at the other end. We spent most of the morning talking about what they had been doing over the past few years.
My sister had continued with the business, although it took her a while to learn to manage it alongside Dan. Alejandra was about to graduate from high school, only a month away. Danny was standing out as a promising football player. And Sofía… well, Sofía was still the family favorite.
"You know, Johanna also wanted to see you, but she's been very busy," my sister told me, trying to soften the situation.
"Really?" I asked, a little incredulous.
"She's also regretful about everything," Gina said sadly.
"And Dad?" I asked, out of courtesy.
"Well, he doesn't…" Gina sighed.
"I understand, he doesn't accept who I am," I said, disappointed.
"That doesn't mean he doesn't miss you," she tried to excuse him, though I knew it wouldn't help.
"Alright," I replied, resigned.
I knew my father was a homophobic man, and deep down I knew he would never accept me. It was more than a fact.
"How about we all move to the dining room?" my mother-in-law suggested, changing the subject.
"What time is it?" Paulina asked, a little scared.
"A little past noon," Dan replied, looking at his watch.
"You should take your pills," Paulina said, concerned, getting up to fetch my medicine from her purse while we moved to the dining room.
We were all seated, and Paulina asked for a glass of water to take my medicine, though it was actually vitamins.
"How did you meet Aunt Paulina?" Alejandra asked, curious.
"Well…" I said, pretending to think.
"Actually, I ran over your aunt."
The room fell into absolute silence. We all stayed quiet for a moment, shocked by the revelation.
"You ran over my aunt?" Sofía said, furious.
"I thought it was a lie…" Alejandra commented nervously.
"It's not, unfortunately," Paulina replied, embarrassed. "That's how I got close to her. But I actually met her in London; your aunt stole my taxi, and later I saw her two more times during my stay there."
"Wow, really!" Alejandra said, impressed.
"Yes. Although the moment we really got close was at the London airport. I was amazed that a high school student was allowed to travel alone," Paulina commented, making everyone laugh.
"I must admit it was hard to believe you were 28," my father-in-law said.
"But you also look very young, dear!" my mother-in-law said, looking at Gina. "How old are you? About 29, maybe?"
"I'm 38," Gina responded, happy.
"Wow! I want that genetics for my grandchildren; they'll always look young, no matter their age," my mother-in-law said, excited.
"And your birthday is coming up," Gina looked at me.
"Oh, yes," I said, not giving it much importance.
"That's true, darling, now we can really celebrate your birthday," my mother-in-law exclaimed, excited.
"Can I just ask to go on a trip…?" I asked my mother-in-law, pouting.
"I don't think so, dear. You're turning 29, and it'll be the last time you see the number two in front of another number," she said nostalgically.
"Actually, I'm turning 30," Paulina announced.
"Oh my God!" everyone exclaimed.
"I still can't believe I'm 30," my father-in-law argued. "I'd like to see your medical record to verify your birth date."
We all laughed at my father-in-law's comment.
"My aunt has always had a baby face," Alejandra said. "I remember they used to ask for her ID to believe her age."
"Oh, when the cashier told her she had to be of legal age to make a deposit and she was 26," Danny said, laughing.
"And when the hairdresser asked her what her secret was to staying young, and she told her age, she was 26," Alejandra continued.
"Oh, when they asked for your ID at the club, and you had just turned 28," Paulina commented.
"I don't see any benefit to your 'problem,' Auntie," Alejandra teased me.
"At least I have a baby face, which everyone wants to have," I replied, proud.
"Enough, both of you!" Gina raised her voice. "It's incredible that you're fighting with your niece, who is younger than you."
"Yes, Auntie," Alejandra said.
"And you stop bothering your aunt," Gina scolded.
Paulina looked at us with an amused smile.
So this is the childish side of my fiancée, in all its glory. I knew she had it, but it seemed like she repressed it. Now I can see it, and it's so funny.
After finishing our meal, we went out to the backyard to continue telling them how I met my fiancée.
"Well, I went to that restaurant because a new one opened and I wanted to try the food. While crossing a crosswalk, a car that was apparently fleeing from the police saw that it was being chased and accelerated. I managed to dodge it," Shanti recounted.
"But then, thinking the traffic light was green, I also started moving and… I ran her over," I continued nervously. "Yes, it was an accident, but afterwards I took care of everything and looked after her. We gradually got closer until one day she asked me to be her girlfriend. And here we are."
"Sounds like a movie," Dan commented, impressed.
"Shanti and I were apart for a while…" I began, but stayed silent for a few seconds. I felt Shanti squeezing my hand, and I realized no one knew anything about Valentina. "Because of entanglements with my cousin, who was in love with Shanti, but she didn't pay attention. I, being very jealous, let myself be carried away by that jealousy, and that stupid mistake almost made me lose Shanti," I said, distressed.
"Was the transplant complicated?"
"Oh, well. Some thought it was genetic because of my mother's history and her heart problem, but it wasn't. My heart suffered a tear, but the real culprit was the broken heart that affected me, which resulted in a heart disease that worsened until they finally did a transplant."
"Those operations are high-risk," Alejandra commented, concerned.
"They are," my mother confirmed. "Shanti was without vital signs for more than a minute."
"But thanks to Paulina, I'm still alive," Shanti defended herself, looking at me with gratitude.
"Mrs. Scott told us how, from the moment they learned my sister-in-law was in the hospital, they were desperate. She also narrated how they couldn't get in, and how Paulina, without caring about anything—not even her medical license—entered the operating room to make Shanti's heart beat again," Dan commented.
"Thank you so much, Paulina," Gina said, wiping her tears. "I won't have enough time in my life to thank you for saving my sister's life."
"I couldn't let her go," I replied, tears in my eyes, remembering that critical moment.
And at that instant, Gina looked furiously at my fiancée.
"And you, why are you saying goodbye in my dreams?" she hit her on the arm.
"Ouch! But what…?" Shanti asked, confused.
"The worst part is that all that happened while she was sleeping soundly," Alejandra added mischievously, making everyone laugh.
"And how is that my fault?" Shanti complained.
"I forbid you to ever do that again," Gina told her, hitting her arm again. "Ouch! Why is it so hard?" she complained.
"And I haven't even been exercising," Shanti commented, receiving a murderous look from her sister.
"Well, you know it was our mother who made me come back," she told us, staring at Gina, who still seemed intrigued.
After my sister-in-law had exerted physical violence against my fiancée, she seemed to calm down a bit.
Shanti told me everything my mother-in-law had said to her while she was without vital signs, and how it was thanks to those words that she came back to life. However, she didn't remember it when she woke up. It was a month later, when she gradually began to remember everything and decided to share it with me. When she told me, I couldn't help but cry and thank my mother-in-law for bringing her back.
"Basically, she forced me to come back to marry Paulina," Shanti said jokingly, provoking a murderous look from my father, who glared at her.
"It's a joke," Shanti hurried to clarify, seeing my father's expression.
"It's incredible that even Mom has to be telling you these things," my sister-in-law said, gently scolding her. "This happens because you weren't disciplined. It's my fault," she added, clearly distressed. "Apologize to Paulina, but I promise she will marry you. If possible, in two months, but she will do it—when she says she'll do it, she will," she said firmly, as if leaving no room for doubt.
"What?" Shanti asked, confused.
"Wow, Auntie, you're going to get married?" one of the kids said, surprised. "And you said you'd never get married," he emphasized the word never.
"People can change their minds," I said to Shanti, looking at her tenderly.
"Sounds like they're forcing you," Danny commented, teasing.
"It's true, look—having my grandmother tell you that, now that's serious business," Alejandra laughed.
Shanti was about to protest, but I quickly stopped her, seeing that her nephews, just as playful as she was, were teasing her.
"Auntie, you won't be coming back home because you're going to marry her," Sofía said angrily, looking at me.
"Sofía!" Gina scolded her.
"It would be terrible if we told her we want to give her a cousin," I whispered in Shanti's ear, making her smile.
"We should leave now," Dan said. "It's getting very late."
"Aren't you going to stay overnight? I prepared the rooms for you," my mother said, smiling.
"We don't want to bother you," Dan replied politely.
"Of course, you're not bothering anyone," we all said in unison.
Dan and Gina looked at each other for a few seconds before nodding, as if reaching a mutual conclusion.
"All right, we'll stay just tonight," my sister-in-law agreed.
"And why don't you take a little vacation?" my mother insisted.
"Darling, don't scare the family, or they won't come back," my father said, laughing.
"We really appreciate your hospitality, but the kids have school on Monday, so we must return," Gina commented, looking at the children.
"When do you graduate, darling?" I asked Alejandra.
"Next month, the 25th," she replied, visibly excited.
"And have you thought about what you want to study?" I asked, interested.
"I want to be a doctor," she replied, smiling with great enthusiasm. "And to be more specific, a surgeon," she added excitedly.
Shanti, hearing this, just shook her head in disapproval.
"Really, did you hear that, darling?" I said, surprised, looking at her.
"For years," Shanti replied calmly.
"If you ever have doubts, you can ask me. I'm a surgeon, just like my parents," I said excitedly, hoping I could help Alejandra on her path.
"Really?" Alejandra said, surprised and excited. "I have so many questions and no one has been able to answer them."
"What university are you thinking of attending?" my mother asked. "If you want, I can recommend one."
"I've applied to so many universities," Alejandra replied, with a mix of pride and exhaustion. "In fact, I'm applying for a scholarship."
"I'll pay for it," Shanti interrupted quickly, leaving everyone in silence.
"Really, Aunt?" Alejandra said, visibly moved.
"If that's the problem, you can go to Yale. I can pay your tuition," my father commented with a smile.
"I can pay for it too, sweetheart. It's not just Omar who can do it," my mother offered generously.
"You know I can help you too, Alejandra," I said, smiling. "Besides, not to brag or anything, but the medical genius in this family is me," I added, winking at her, trying to lighten the mood.
"That won't be necessary," Gina replied, clearly uncomfortable. "First, we want her to get in on her own merits. I'm not sure she'll be able to handle the pressure of the program," she added worriedly.
Both my parents and I frowned upon hearing that comment. The irritation was evident on our faces.
"You have to trust your daughter, Gina. Of course she'll be able to handle it all and become a great surgeon," my mother said firmly, supporting Alejandra.
"I agree with my mother. I know it's hard at first, but then…" Shanti began, with a mischievous smile—
"It gets worse," she finished the sentence, provoking a murderous look from me. Feeling uncomfortable, she quickly looked away.
"I say this because the young lady present here," she said while looking at Shanti, "couldn't handle the pressure of a psychology degree, according to her, because it involved too much reading and she didn't have good information retention."
Shanti simply kept staring at the ceiling, avoiding our gazes.
"I know our resources aren't enough to pay for Alejandra's entire degree, but if she's given half the scholarship, we'll be able to cover the rest," Gina concluded, sounding relieved.
"Psychology?" I reproached Shanti.
"What?" she said, surprised, trying to excuse herself. "I have a bad memory!"
"I understand the situation, Gina, but now we're family, and we always support each other. You won't be the exception," my mother said, returning to the main topic.
"Don't worry, sister, about my nieces' and nephews' university. I'll cover everything. In fact, I was thinking of doing the same for Amanda," I said, supporting Gina.
"Gina, this is not up for discussion. It's the children's future," my mother said firmly.
"Thank you very much," Gina and Dan replied, deeply grateful.
"Aunt," Alejandra called timidly.
"Yes?" she replied, smiling.
"No, I meant your aunt—Aunt Paulina. If you don't mind me calling you that…" she said, a bit embarrassed.
"Of course not, sweetheart. You can call me aunt," I replied with a smile, moved by her gesture.
"And you can call me grandma," my mother added, her joy evident.
"And you can call me grandpa," my father chimed in, joining the conversation with a warm smile.
"Thank you all so much for welcoming us into your family," Dan said gratefully.
"There's nothing to thank us for, Dan," my father replied with a kind look.
Sofía, the youngest in the family, looked around with a bit of unease and, suddenly, decided to make her own comment.
"Aunt, so… can I come live with you?" she murmured hopefully, wishing she would be accepted.
"No, you're not going to live with your aunt, young lady, you're my daughter," Gina scolded her firmly.
"That's not fair, she left me to go with her," Sofía pointed at me with her finger and started to cry; we all tried to console her.
"We'll talk later, young lady," Gina said, visibly angry at her daughter.
Ever since I met Shanti, I had always noticed how she attracted a lot of people, especially girls, even though she usually didn't realize it. My role was always to scare them away, and usually, I succeeded. However, now it was impossible for me to do that, because a seven-year-old girl who clearly hated me seemed determined to claim Shanti as her own.
"Sweetheart," I said as I crouched down to her level, "if you want, you can stay with us when you're on vacation. Does that sound good?"
"No," Sofía crossed her arms and shook her head firmly. "I want my aunt all to myself, I don't want to share her with you. You want to take her away from me," she started to throw a tantrum.
Shanti, seeing the situation, also approached Sofía and bent down to speak to her tenderly.
"Sofía, you have to go back to school, but you can always come here whenever you want. I'll be waiting for you along with Pau," she said gently.
"When you come, we can go to the amusement park, the movies, the water park, the beach, the aquarium..."
"Wow! Can I go too?" Danny exclaimed excitedly.
"Of course, sweetheart, the three of you can come," I offered without thinking.
"And you'll buy me ice cream, right?" Sofía asked, pouting.
"Of course," I smiled at her.
"Okay," Sofía murmured, taking Dan's hand.
After dinner, the conversation continued, and what seemed like a calm chat soon turned into a real memory-filled party at Shanti's expense.
"She would always tell everything to Mom, and since she was the favorite, everyone believed her," my sister-in-law Gina said with a laugh.
"Sometimes we would just brush her arm and she'd run to tell Mom, saying we hit her," Gina continued, amused by the story.
"I don't even remember that," Shanti defended herself, blushing.
"I can't believe it!" Mom said, surprised by the revelation.
"She was very mischievous too. She said she fixed things, but really she just broke them. One day she tried to fix a DVD and ruined it. But since she was the youngest, nobody said anything," Gina continued, laughing.
We laughed for a long time until it was bedtime. In bed, while I was checking my emails, Shanti got comfortable next to me.
"I'm ready," she said, tucking herself under the sheets.
"Psychology, really?" I asked, incredulous.
"Sweetheart, are you still hung up on that?" she complained.
"You never told me that before," I reminded her.
"Well, it's not something I'm proud of talking about. You're a doctor, and I was embarrassed to say that I couldn't handle the psychology program," she confessed, ashamed.
I looked at her intently.
"Alright, I understand. But why scare your niece like that?" I raised an eyebrow, concerned.
"Because she's just like me. I don't want her to be disappointed, or at least, I want her to be prepared," she said, with a sad look in her eyes.
I didn't fully understand her fear, but I began to glimpse it.
"That's wrong. You should support her. What does it matter if she chooses the wrong career? She can pick another one," I told her, annoyed.
"It's easy to say, but for some people, it's either you succeed or you fail. There's no in-between," she replied, visibly frustrated.
"I completely understand," I said, but she didn't perceive it the same way.
"No, you don't. You've never been in that position," she said, sitting down abruptly.
I looked at her in surprise, trying to understand her reaction.
"No, I haven't. But you don't have to be rude because you haven't," I replied, also annoyed.
"Exactly, you haven't been," she repeated, getting up to leave the bed, but I quickly stopped her.
"Don't even think about leaving," I ordered, holding her hand firmly.
We stared at each other intensely, and before she could say anything else, she sighed deeply.
"When I finished high school, I also wanted to be a surgeon, but I didn't get a high enough score on the university entrance exam, so as a consolation, I chose psychology. At university, I had a class similar to one in medicine, and it was pure torture. Not just because the lecturer hated me, but because I was so stressed with so much information, and my brain couldn't retain anything. That's when I realized that if I had followed the career I wanted, I wouldn't have made it past the first year. I couldn't retain anything, and I would have failed. That wouldn't have just destroyed me, it would have hurt my family too, because they'd have to tell everyone I wasn't following medicine..."
Now I understood her fear. It wasn't just about her; it was the fear that Alejandra could feel just as incapable if she ever failed in her career.
"I understand, love. But your niece isn't you, and if she fails, she has you as her aunt to support her," I said, stroking her shoulder.
"And if I can't… if I don't even know what to say, how can I help her later?" her voice trembled.
"I'll help you if you don't know what to say to her. I'll be with you, always," I comforted her.
I saw her shoulders relax, as if a weight had lifted off her.
"Thank you, love. And I'm sorry for earlier," she said, embarrassed.
"You'll always have me," I replied, gently caressing her face.
"Thank you, darling," she said, getting up from the bed.
But I didn't let her.
"You're not getting up," I said firmly, sliding gently over her and pulling her back onto the bed.
"Darling, we're at your parents' house, and your parents are here, also my sister and my nephews," she stammered, nervous.
"So you don't want me to take you right here on this bed, where you used to sleep as a teenager. Have you ever wondered, darling, what would have happened if you had met me back then? We would have done it on this bed," I whispered, rubbing against her softly.
Shanti's eyes widened in shock at my revelation.
"Tell me, how many times would you have made me yours?" I murmured into her ear, feeling the excitement between us grow.
But Shanti, a bit nervous, tried to wriggle away from me.
"I wouldn't have done anything. I wouldn't risk going to jail," she replied, trying to get out from under me.
"Darling, you're killing the excitement," I complained.
"We need to sleep. Tomorrow we have to wake up early," she quickly changed the subject, slipping out from under me.
"I haven't seen you in a whole month, and you won't let me touch you," I complained in frustration.
"Love, we already did, and besides, darling, not everything is about sex," she replied, trying to downplay it.
I was about to take her hand to pull her toward me and throw her onto the bed, but she got ahead of me, quickly moving to the other side, lying down and covering herself with the sheet to avoid being caught.
"Love, please, turn off the light," she asked from her spot.
"But you and I make love, we don't just have sex," I said as I turned off the light, trying to soften the atmosphere.
"I'm not falling for it, Paulina. Go to sleep," she demanded, her voice firm.
"Are you going to ignore me?" I asked, hurt, with the tone of someone about to give up.
"Yes," she replied without hesitation.
I sat on the bed, looking at her with a mix of desperation and desire. I tried again, trying to hug her, but there was no way; she had put up her wall.
"No, Paulina," she refused firmly.
She was stubborn, I knew it, and after a few minutes, seeing that I couldn't pull the sheet off her, I gave up. My head was full of thoughts, but finally sleep overtook me, and I reluctantly fell asleep, resigned.
The next day
I woke up a little tired, and Paulina, as if nothing had happened, was hugging me from behind, holding me tight and causing a painful friction. It seemed like everything that had happened the night before hadn't affected her much.
"Good morning, love," she whispered in my ear, kissing my neck as she got up.
"I'm going to make you pay for this," I said, a little annoyed, getting out of bed, determined to make her feel the weight of her attitude.
Paulina looked at me confused, but when she saw my dark circles, she quickly understood that I hadn't slept well.
"Love, didn't you sleep?" she asked, with a teasing smile.
"No," I replied, letting my voice sound deeper. "And now you're punished. For a week, no sex," I said, a little frustrated.
"Darling, I don't think you can last a week," she challenged me with a mischievous smile.
"We'll see," I smiled back, slyly. I headed to the bathroom to finish my routine.
"Can we do it together?" she offered from outside the bathroom.
"No!" I shouted, visibly annoyed.
I finished my shower and quickly got dressed. Paulina still hadn't come out of the shower, so while I waited for her, I checked my phone. I was so tired I didn't feel like doing anything, but my mind was distracted by the work I still had pending.
Suddenly, I heard the bathroom door open, and without looking, I responded to her request.
"Love, could you pass me the cream?" she asked.
I handed her the cream without looking, feeling how her presence overwhelmed me. She was completely naked in front of me, but I gathered all my strength to stay firm.
"Shut your mouth, love," she laughed playfully.
I took the cream, gave it to her without another word, and quickly left the room. I needed a bit of space. I headed to the kitchen, where I saw my mother-in-law. I approached to greet her, remembering that my sister was also there.
"Good morning, mother," I greeted, kissing her cheek.
"Hello, sister," I also greeted her with a kiss on the cheek.
"Good morning, darling," my mother-in-law replied, happy to see me.
"Good morning, little one," my sister greeted warmly.
"And Paulina?" my mother-in-law asked, scanning the room.
"She'll be down in a few minutes," I replied, trying to hide my discomfort.
My mother-in-law looked at me with concern, noticing the dark circles under my eyes.
"Didn't sleep well?" she asked, gently touching them.
"Something like that," I replied, tired.
"I'll talk to Paulina again; it's been a while since you had dark circles," she said, worried.
"I'll put on the cream," I said, trying to avoid further questions.
Gina was about to say something else, but my phone rang. I quickly excused myself and went to the backyard to take the call. It was my secretary, Alex, who needed me to review some documents. Even though they had already been sent, I asked him to double-check that they arrived correctly. Something told me someone was trying to sabotage the work.
I hung up and called security to make sure no one could access the office until I arrived. While thinking about everything I had to do, I wondered if Valentina, or perhaps her mother, had anything to do with the recent problems.
After breakfast, we decided to go out for a walk. However, something caught my attention: Sofía had forgotten about me. Paulina had been buying her everything she wanted—sweets, toys, clothes—and even considered buying her a cellphone, but that's when Gina intervened, saying she was too young for one.
Paulina and my in-laws bought everything for my nephews, carrying bags full of things. We weren't making any progress, so we had to call the driver to take the bags.
Sofía was so happy that she now called Paulina "aunt," but I knew it was just to manipulate her. Sofía was just like me, and from a young age, she had learned to play with other people's feelings.
At that moment, I saw that Sofía was in the bathroom with my sister, so I decided to take the opportunity to warn Paulina about Sofía. I approached cautiously, just as Dan was talking to my father-in-law, and my mother-in-law was looking at an antique shop with my other nephews.
"Darling," I whispered, "you know Sofía is manipulating you."
"I know," she replied calmly, without changing her expression. "She's just like you," she added with a slight smile.
"And are you okay with that?" I asked, surprised.
"You mean you trying to deceive me or get your way?" she looked at me, raising an eyebrow.
"No… we're talking about the girl, not me," I said quickly.
Paulina smiled confidently.
"In the end, I'm going to win," she said. "She already likes me; she's not manipulating me. I'm just playing along, and she's falling into her own trap."
"How do you know?" I asked, curious.
"Because she's no longer paying attention to you," she replied confidently. "And because kids adore me."
"Who would have thought my fiancée would be a child manipulator?" I joked, but then I paused, thoughtful. "Wait, is that how you'll be with our kids?"
"Of course, darling," she replied, laughing. "I'll be their favorite, and you'll be their enabler, apparently," she looked at me, judging me with a mischievous smile.