“Then… what do you want?”
I thought for a moment.
Then I answered.
“Justice.”
I placed another document on the table.
“We’ll divide the company equally.”
His family’s eyes widened.
“You keep the northern stores.”
“I’ll take the southern ones.”
“But from today forward… our lives will be completely separate.”
Alejandro stared at me like he was trying to understand something he had never noticed before.
Then finally, he signed the divorce papers.
The sound of the pen on paper echoed strangely.
Like a door quietly closing.
The judge officially declared the divorce final.
People began to leave.
But Alejandro remained seated, staring at the table.
When I stood to go, I heard his voice.
“Wait.”
I paused.
“What is it?”
His voice sounded different now.
Quieter.
More tired.
“I never thanked you.”
I slowly turned around.
“For what?”
He let out a small, bitter laugh.
“For being there in the beginning. Without you… none of this would have happened.”
For the first time in years, he sounded sincere.
And strangely, it no longer hurt.
It just felt… distant.
“Take care, Alejandro,” I said.
Then I walked out of the courthouse.
The Monterrey sun was bright overhead.
Warm air brushed against my face.
And for the first time in years…
I could breathe freely.
Three months later, life changed quickly.
The southern stores thrived under my leadership.
But this time, I did things differently.
I hired professional managers.
I worked fewer hours.
And for the first time in a decade… I started living.
I took yoga classes.
I began reading again.
I even traveled.
