Episode 1

Lorena is thirty years old, a beautiful woman with dark hair and grayish-green eyes. She married Alberto Calle when she was twenty and has been a loving wife, devoted to her home and her husband. She has never been able to give him a child, something she has always regretted.

Tomorrow marks their tenth wedding anniversary, and she is preparing everything for the celebration. As she does every year, she wants to make it special, and this time she has chosen to decorate with orchids. However, she is looking for a specific one for their aluminum anniversary, but none are sold near where she lives. So, she takes the metro to a flower shop she saw advertised on social media, which seemed very appealing.

When Lorena enters the shop, she is captivated by the lighting fixtures—they are identical to the ones in her living room. She walks calmly until a boy of about five with light brown eyes runs past her and bumps into her.

Lorena smiles at him. It’s astonishing how much he resembles her husband, Alberto.

"I'm sorry, Betito is a very mischievous boy," says the young woman chasing after him. She takes the boy with her toward the back of the shop.

Lorena continues looking at the flowers, though she feels a sense of melancholy. She assumes the little boy is probably named Alberto, given the diminutive "Betito." She can’t help but think that if she had been able to give her husband a child, he might have looked just like this boy and been named the same way. It’s a painful subject for her.

When she pushes those thoughts aside, Lorena finds herself staring at some Cymbidium orchids, which she finds beautiful. They are very similar to the ones her husband gave her when he proposed.

"I’d like to buy these orchids," Lorena tells a saleswoman.

The saleswoman hurriedly prepares the orchids while Lorena goes to the counter to pay. She swipes her card and signs the receipt.

As she hands the receipt back to the cashier, she notices a photo of the little boy she saw running earlier, blowing out the candle on his birthday cake. The boy has the same dimples as her husband. "What a strange coincidence," she thinks to herself.

"He’s such a lively boy. Is he related to any of you?" Lorena asks, feeling a strange urge to learn more about the child.

"He’s the son of the owner of this flower shop. She had to go to the doctor for a pregnancy check-up and left him in our care," the cashier replies.

The cashier’s phone rings, and she asks Lorena for a moment to answer the call.

"Yes, ma’am, Beto is fine. As always, he’s very restless and asking for you. (The interlocutor says something.) Yes, ma’am, don’t worry. Mr. Alberto’s ticket is already purchased—I’m holding it in my hands right now," the cashier says. But as she tries to end the call, the ticket slips from her hand and flutters to the floor like a leaf in the wind.

Lorena kindly picks up the ticket but freezes when she sees the passenger’s name: Alberto Calle. Could it be a coincidence? Almost instinctively, she checks the ID number on the ticket. It’s impossible—it’s the same number as her husband’s.

"Thank you for picking it up," the cashier says, taking the ticket from Lorena’s hand.

"Excuse me, is Mr. Alberto Calle related to the owner?" Lorena asks, her voice trembling with nervousness.

"I’m sorry, but that’s personal information," the cashier replies.

Lorena takes out her phone and shows the cashier a photo of her husband.

"Is this the same person?" she asks, barely able to stay calm.

The saleswoman, who has returned with the orchids, exchanges a glance with the cashier. They can both see that the woman who came to buy flowers has suddenly turned pale.

"He’s the owner’s husband and the father of the little boy who bumped into you," the saleswoman reveals.

Lorena steps back, her anguish evident from her trembling lips. She struggles to breathe as the truth sinks in. Her world is crumbling before her eyes. Her ten years of marriage mean nothing. The man she loves has another family—a five-year-old son and another child on the way. She cannot stop the tears that well up in her eyes, blurring her vision. She cannot escape the heartbreak. The betrayal cuts through her soul, leaving a trail of desolation.

***This work has been signed with NovelToon, and piracy such as reprinting without permission is strictly prohibited.***

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***