3. Fairy Tale

The place she once considered hers, the halls that screamed of security, turned alien after one incident.

Esperanza's walk was steady. Too firm, too measured to be considered a human walk. She may have looked like a petite girl with tear stains barely dry on her face, but her controlled movements to the first floor predicted the life she was about to live: stoic and impassive.

There was no unconscious swing to her arms, no rise in her chest as if she wasn't breathing. She moved like a machine, covering every step with the exact distance as the previous one.

Reaching her room, she found no memory flashing in her head that could tell her she had once been loved, but only reminded her of the betrayal she had been living with for months. Or maybe… Years.

She grabbed her ivory duffel bag, gifted by her mother, and stuffed it with a few essentials that she would need to survive.

Money, shoes, clothes, and a few picture frames that reminded her of her mother. After all, she was the only one who loved her unconditionally.

"I wish you hadn't left. Or... Maybe told me that except for yours, everyone's love will come with a price that I have to pay."

Her eyes were stuck on the face of the woman who told her what love was, unable to understand why her father couldn't love her the way her mother did.

Without glancing at anything else, she walked straight out of her room, directly to the entrance of the house which was her exit from hell for once and all.

"Mark my words, Esperanza, if you leave, you'll never be allowed back in this house and you will not get a single penny from me."

Her father calls after her, but she doesn't look back.

"As if this house and money ever belonged to you in the first place," She bitterly chuckled and left.

Standing on the street with nowhere to go, she realised she had to find work and a place to stay. With her small savings and no family support, she must start completely from scratch.

A life where she was only Esperanza, not someone's wife or daughter.

****************************

After spending six days in a hotel, she finds herself in a neighbourhood, looking for ways to pass the days and for employment.

She'd already spent six days looking for a decent apartment in her budget, and her savings were already flowing like water.

The sun was setting as she walked down an unfamiliar street, exhausted and discouraged. Her feet hurt from walking all day, and desperation has begun to set in. If she didn't find a job soon, she would not be able to fix the scars that had been imprinted on her heart.

Seeking a job at some company wasn't an option, everyone knew she was Carlos Mendoza's wife and Don Ricardo's daughter. And by now, Juliana and Evangelina must have spread words about her that were never true.

Her eyes searched through the crowd of restaurants, cafes, hoping she would find at least one decent place to start with.

Her eyes found a "Help wanted" sign glowing on the window under the sun's rays and she approached it with a hope lingering in the back of her heart.

As soon as she reached the door, a tall, well-dressed man with an expensive watch and confident demeanour exited the establishment. Something about him seemed familiar, though she couldn't place where she might have seen him.

The man's eyes widened with recognition, "Well, well... if it isn't the famous Carlos Mendoza's wife. What brings the senora to this part of town?"

Esperanza felt heat rising to her cheeks, both from embarrassment and anger. "Ex-wife," she corrects sharply. "I'm his ex-wife."

The man raises an eyebrow, clearly intrigued by this information, "Ex-wife? How interesting. The business circles were all talking about the Mendoza heir's marriage to the wealthy heiress. What happened to the fairy tale?"

His mocking yet curious tone broke Esperanza's control. She was already worn out and humiliated from the whole day of job-hunting and his description of her fairytale life brought a need upon her where she found herself spilling the beans before realising it.

She bitterly laughed, ​"A fairy tale? There was no fairy tale. I wasn't loved, I was played for a fool. Carlos only married me to get his hands on my mother's inheritance. And his precious girlfriend, Juliana? She was the one pulling all the strings."

As words poured out of Esperanza's mouth with her voice growing heavier and emotional, the man found himself more invested in the story.

She was talking about things that people didn't know. And things like these always come in handy in a world where they live.

Tears streamed down her face, but she couldn't bring herself to stop, "I signed divorce papers just to see my son's face on a video call for thirty seconds. That's all I got! Thirty seconds with my own child before they threw me out with nothing! Juliana didn't want to ruin her figure by getting pregnant, so they used me like a... like a breeding animal. They took my baby from me the moment he was born!"

The man studied her with a mixture of sympathy and calculation, understanding the strong build of the Mendoza empire.

"So the great Carlos Mendoza's empire was built on lies and stolen inheritance. And you're here now, looking for a job and a place to live."

As realisation drew upon her, Esperanza quickly wiped her face and turned her head away, "I shouldn't have said all that. I don't even know who you are."

The man brought his hand forward with a slight smile on his face, "My name is Rafael Montenegro. And I think, senora, that we might be able to help each other. I have some business dealings with the Mendoza family that haven't gone as planned. Your story gives me a very different perspective on Carlos's recent... acquisitions."

Esperanza eyed him with deep suspicion, "What do you mean?"

"I mean that a woman who's been wronged the way you have might be interested in ensuring that justice is served. And I might be able to help you rebuild your life in the process."

'A... Revenge...?' Esperanza thought.

She wants to get back at him, bring her son back to her, and live with dignity again but wasn't trusting a stranger risky?

This was the first stroke of luck she'd had since her world fell apart. But she had learned to be cautious about trusting anyone, especially men who seemed too good to be true.

"I need to think about it," she carefully answered.

Rafael nodded and pulled out an elegant business card from his pocket, "Of course. When you're ready to reclaim what was stolen from you, your dignity, your child, your inheritance... Call me."

As Rafael walked to his lavish car and vanished in the busyness of the city, Esperanza clutched the business card.

Was this stranger the key to rebuilding her life, or just one more person planning to use her?