Chapter 2

Three days had passed since Diego threw those divorce papers in my face.

I woke up, walked into the bathroom, and stared at the mirror.

The woman in front of me looked unfamiliar. Puffy eyes with dark circles underneath them. Messy hair that had not been brushed for days. Pale skin from barely seeing sunlight, and this body, the body Diego said was worse than a pig's.

I touched my own cheek.

"You're not that bad," I whispered, but my voice sounded uncertain because for five years, Diego had successfully planted poison in my head that I was never worth anything.

I turned on the faucet and splashed cold water onto my face. The refreshing sensation spread across my skin. Instantly, my eyes felt a little more awake.

"I need to get out of here," I said.

I put on the loosest clothes I had, black jeans that were starting to feel tight and an oversized gray T-shirt that could hide the shape of my body.

It was half past six when I left the house. I decided to walk to the city park, about fifteen minutes away from home. I used to jog there often before getting married. After marriage, I stopped. Diego said jogging would not change anything because my body was already ruined.

"Come on, Lorena. Prove him wrong," I whispered to myself.

After walking for half an hour, I stopped at a wooden bench beneath a shady tree.

I took my phone out of my pocket, and there were no notifications. Diego had not contacted me at all for the past three days. Maybe he was happy somewhere with Isabella, or maybe he had already moved into his new apartment.

I opened the search app and typed one word: "divorce lawyer."

Hundreds of results appeared within seconds. I bit my lower lip, a bad habit I could never get rid of. I did not know which one to choose, especially because I did not have that much money to pay for an expensive lawyer.

I put my phone back into my pocket and stared at the lake in front of me.

"A pig?" I murmured.

I stepped closer to the lake, and my reflection in the water showed clearly just how fat I was.

My phone vibrated. I opened it with a small hope that it might be Diego.

"Lore, it's Mom. Your Dad was admitted to the hospital last night. Can you come?"

I pressed the call button and heard Mom's voice on the other end. It sounded hoarse, like someone who had been crying all day.

"Mom, what happened to Dad?" I asked in panic.

"A heart attack, Lore. He's in the ICU right now. Can you come?"

"I'll be there immediately. Please stay with Dad for now!" I replied.

I gripped my phone tightly. Should I contact Diego? No. He would not care.

I took a taxi to the hospital. Once I arrived, I walked quickly toward the ICU following the signs on the wall, and there I saw Mom.

"Mom," I called softly.

Mom turned around, and tears immediately fell again.

"Lorena, you finally came."

"How's Dad?" I asked.

"He's still critical. The doctor said his heart is weak and he needs a heart transplant."

"How much will it cost?" I asked.

"One hundred thousand dollars for the surgery alone. That doesn't include the post-surgery care, medications, and our debts."

"Debts?"

Mom nodded slowly. Her face was filled with guilt.

"Your Dad borrowed money from the bank for his business, but the business went bankrupt three months ago. We didn't tell you because we didn't want to burden you, but now the debt is overdue. The total is almost seven hundred thousand dollars."

"Ask Diego to lend us the money first. You've been married for five years, so Diego must have money. His family is rich, his business is huge, and surely he can help us," Mom said.

I fell silent.

"Lorena? Did you hear me? Borrow the money from Diego and tell him this is an emergency."

"Diego and I are getting divorced," I said.

"What? Divorced? You said divorced?"

I nodded slowly. "He already prepared the divorce papers, and he has another woman."

"What is wrong with you? You want a divorce? At a time like this, when your father is sick? When we need money?"

"Mom, calm down first!" I said.

"You're useless! Five years married to a rich man, and what did you accomplish? What? You never sent us money. You never asked whether your Dad and I were struggling. Now your Dad is sick, and you're telling me you're getting divorced? Where do you think the money for your father's surgery will come from? The sky?"

I really was a useless daughter. During five years of marriage, I had been too busy trying to become the perfect wife for Diego that I forgot I was also a daughter. I forgot that Mom and Dad needed me too.

"I don't care! Call Diego right now."

"Diego won't help. He already hates me. He doesn't even want to look at my face anymore," I said.

"Whether he hates you or not is your problem! The important thing is that he's still your husband, right? As long as those divorce papers aren't signed, he still has responsibilities toward you, and you still have responsibilities toward your father and me. So stop making excuses, Lorena. I don't care how you do it. Your Dad must get the surgery, and the debts must be paid."

I closed my eyes.

In the darkness behind my eyelids, I saw Diego's face. His cold expression, his disgust-filled eyes, his insulting words, and now Mom was telling me to ask him for help. The same man who compared me to a pig.

I stood up and walked away from the ICU, searching for a quieter place.

My phone was already in my hand. The screen glowed brightly in the middle of the night. I opened Diego's contact. My thumb hovered over his name.

Then I pressed the call button.

"Yeah?"

Diego's voice sounded breathless. I could even hear the sound of a woman moaning.

"I need to talk to you," I said.

"Talk fast. I'm busy."

"Oohh... aaaah, faster baby!"

I could hear a woman's moans and cries. It had to be Isabella.

"My Dad is sick and needs surgery immediately. We need a lot of money. Can we borrow money from you?" I asked.

"You called me just to ask for money? You're shameless."

I bit my lip. "This is an emergency, Diego. Dad needs..."

"I don't care about your Dad. He's nobody to me, and you think after everything you've said, I'm going to give you money?"

"I'm begging you. I'll return the money. I'll pay you back in installments every month," I said.

"I'm not giving you even one dollar. You know why? Because you're no longer my responsibility. Sign those divorce papers, and your life is no longer my problem. Solve your own problems."

He hung up.

I let out a long breath and slipped my phone back into my pocket.

I turned around and walked back toward the ICU. Mom was still sitting there, head lowered, shoulders trembling as she held back her tears.

"Mom," I called.

Mom looked up. Her eyes immediately searched my face for an answer.

"Diego refused to help."

Mom's expression changed instantly. Anger appeared once again. She opened her mouth, probably to curse at me again, but I spoke first.

"But I'll find the money as soon as possible," I said.

One name came to my mind at that moment: Julian Mendoza, Diego's uncle and the CEO of Mendoza Corporation.