Genoveva's face turned pale. This had to be a joke. Santiago saw the bewilderment in her eyes and approached her, taking her chin to force her to look at him. He whispered:
"My love, don't be surprised. I know you were planning behind my back. You're such a naughty girl. But maybe, just maybe, a naughtier little mouse switched your pills for some nutritious vitamins, and here's the result. Two precious babies are in here," Santi said, kissing her belly.
Genoveva felt a hole open up beneath her feet, yet she smiled at her husband. Seeing him happy was the most important thing to her. From that pregnancy, little Alana and Ricardo were born.
When the twins turned one year old, Santiago expressed the need to buy a bigger house. He decided to purchase a very large and beautiful country house on the outskirts of the city. It was a bit isolated, but the peace it offered was very gratifying.
Her little ones were already two years old, and with this event, she concluded the mental summary she had been making of her life as she continued to wait for her beloved husband. More than an hour had passed, and there was no sign of him.
Genoveva picked up her phone and dialed. On the third ring, Santiago answered.
"Hello?"
"Hi, honey. Where are you? I'm worried."
"I'm having dinner with a partner, but since you're still awake, wait up for me. I'm on my way. Don't go to sleep. I need to talk to you."
"Sure, honey. I'll wait for you here." Genoveva hung up and got up to put the food away. It was common for her husband to have dinner out, as he had been doing for the past three months before his trip. That's why she planned this magnificent idea, to rekindle the flame of passion between them, but it seemed her evening was destined to fail.
Twenty minutes passed, and Genoveva poured herself a glass of champagne. It was one of the few bottles she had for social visits, although since they moved, no one had come to visit them again, not even for the children's birthdays.
Of course, Santiago would excuse himself, saying he didn't want to share such special moments with anyone, and for this ambiguous reason, he didn't invite them, which is why it always ended up being just the four of them celebrating.
The sound of the gate announced her husband's arrival. She went to the mirror, touched up her lipstick, smoothed her hair with her fingers, and adjusted her dress slightly.
When she heard the door open, she walked towards him, hugged and kissed him in surprise. But Santiago pushed her away, wiping his mouth while looking her up and down with a scornful gaze.
"Hey, what's wrong with you? Are you drunk? What are you doing dressed like that? You look like a washed-up harlot in that old, faded dress. It's not even your size anymore! What kind of example are you setting for my children?"
Genoveva was in shock. She had barely regained her balance from her husband's shove. It had been a long time since she had walked in heels. But what she was hearing was worse than if she had fallen to the floor.
"What's wrong, Santiago? Why are you treating me like this? I know you don't like me wearing these kinds of clothes, but I put it on just for you. There's no one else here. It's our anniversary, honey. Ten years of marriage," she said, trying to hold back her tears while mentally justifying his behavior. Maybe he was startled by the hug, or perhaps he was tired, and it wasn't the right time. She understood all of that.
She tried to approach him again, but only extending her hand to take his. But Santiago stepped back and raised his hands to prevent her from touching him. Instead, he moved away from her, giving her a cold look as he spoke.
"Look, Genoveva. I don't have time for your melodrama. It's true, we've been married for ten years today, and I think that's a long time to be together. But it's not the same anymore. I don't feel complete with you. Genoveva, things between us have deteriorated a lot. That's why I've decided we need to take a break."
Genoveva was paralyzed. She felt her world collapsing. She felt as if there was an earthquake inside her, destroying everything in its path. She clasped her hands together against her lips, remaining silent, praying to God that this was a joke, a terrible joke by her husband. That any minute now, Santiago would burst out laughing, and she would lightly hit him for the fright he gave her.
But Santiago had already begun to destroy their marriage and was not willing to back down, but she thought quite the opposite. So she took a deep breath and although she didn't want to speak, knowing she would break down, she wanted to fight for her marriage or at least get a logical explanation. Because so far, what he was trying to explain was that their marriage was valid for ten years, and that time was up? But until death do them part is what the priest said.
"Santi, I understand you're tired from the trip. You're probably exhausted. Get some rest, and tomorrow, when you're calmer, we'll talk, okay?" Genoveva said, turning her back to him to go to her room.
"I want a divorce," Santiago stated, walking toward the table and placing his briefcase down to pull out a document as he took his pen out of his shirt pocket.
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