The silence that followed was deafening. Elena cleared her throat slightly and opened the first folder. “Damián, you have three options legally. The first is for Cristina to file a criminal complaint for embezzlement. Given the amount involved, you could face a prison sentence of two to six years.”
Damián paled visibly. Option two: return the entire sum of €79,147 within 30 days. No interest, no penalties, just a full refund. Elena, I don’t have that much money, not even a tenth of it.
I know, that’s why there’s a third option.” Cristina leaned forward, resting her hands on the table. “I came up with the third option myself, and it’s the one I prefer for our son.”
Damián looked up, a glimmer of hope for the first time in hours. “I’m listening.” Cristina took a deep breath before speaking. “You will continue to be the administrator of Hurtado’s renovations. But your salary will be reduced to €1,500 a month for the next four years.”
The remaining €2,000 of your current salary will go directly to paying off the debt. But Cristina, I can’t even afford the rent on €1,500. That’s not my problem, Damian.
That’s the problem you need to resolve with your wife. The word “wife” sounded strange coming from him, as if it were a foreign language. Elena intervened, consulting her documents. With that payment plan, the debt would be paid off in about three years and four months.
Furthermore, Cristina is willing to waive the interest. And if I agreed? What guarantees would I have? Cristina smiled for the first time in the entire conversation, but it wasn’t a warm smile.
The same guarantees I had when I used my inheritance to save you from bankruptcy. The same ones I had when I trusted you for seven years of marriage. None, just my word.
But if I accept, how will I explain it to Ruth? She had hoped, she had hoped for a different life. Ruth had hoped for a life built on lies and stolen money. Cristina stood up slowly.
Now you’ll have the life you truly deserve. An honest life. Elena placed several documents on the table. Damian, I need an answer now. Cristina has an appointment with her criminal lawyer at 11:00.
If you don’t sign this agreement by then, she’ll file a complaint. Damian looked at the clock on the wall: 9:30. He had 30 minutes to decide between prison and poverty, between total destruction and the chance for a second life.
If I sign this, we can work together for the sake of the child. Cristina approached the window, watching the morning traffic on Balmes Street. Damian, I don’t hate you, but trust is as fragile as glass.
When it breaks, you can glue it back together, but the cracks will always be visible. She turned to look at him. We can be civil for our son’s sake. We can be business partners, but we’ll never be friends again.
And if Ruth can’t adapt to the new circumstances, Cristina shrugged indifferently. Ru made her decisions knowing the consequences. Now she’ll have to live with them, just as I had to live with yours.
Elena placed a golden pen on the documents. “What’s your decision, Damian?” He took the pen with shaking hands. Images of the past few months flooded his mind: the lies, the deceptions, the nights Ru had made him believe they deserved a life of luxury.
But he also thought of his son, who would be born in a few weeks and would need a father present, not a father in prison. One last question, Cristina: why are you doing this? Why are you giving me this chance instead of sending me to prison?
Cristina touched her belly, where her son was gently kicking, because he needed a father of integrity, and men of integrity pay their debts. Damian signed the document without reading the fine print.
When he left the office 20 minutes later, he walked like a free man, but also like a man who had just discovered the true cost of his decisions. Pedralves apartment, 11:30 a.m.
