Maria was reading to them. An old book, with worn covers and yellowed pages. Her voice, which he had barely heard beyond a “Yes, sir” or “Excuse me, sir,” was sweet.
It was a soft, nuanced melody that enveloped the children in an aura of calm and wonder.
Her children, clinging to her like little magnets, gazed at her with an adoration that Don Ricardo, with all his money and expensive gifts, had never managed to inspire in them.
In their childlike eyes, there was no trace of boredom or the usual impatience. Only pure fascination.
It seemed as if time had stopped in that small circle of affection, oblivious to the cold luxury of the mansion.
Suddenly, Maria closed the book with a smile. She hugged the children, one by one, with infinite tenderness.
They clung to her with genuine happiness, their small hands clutching her uniform. The scene was so pure, so full of a love that Don Ricardo could barely remember ever having felt or given.
A painful lump formed in her throat. She felt a pang, a bitter envy, a deep shame.
And then, he saw something else. Something that moved him to the very core of his being, beyond logic or business.
Maria took a small candy wrapped in shiny paper from her pocket. It was a simple candy, the kind that costs a few cents at any corner store.
With surprising gentleness, she broke it into three almost identical pieces. She gave them to the children, one by one.
To their children, that humble sweet treat seemed like the greatest treasure in the world. Their little faces lit up with overflowing joy, as if they had just received the most coveted gift.
While Maria smiled at them tenderly, little Camila, with her big, bright eyes, asked her something with the innocence that only children possess.
“Maria, why do you never eat sweets with us?”
Maria sighed. Her smile faded slightly, replaced by a sad look, but one filled with unwavering maternal love.
He bent down, stroked Camila’s hair, and answered them in a barely audible voice.
The words that Don Ricardo heard next broke his soul into a thousand pieces and made him see life in a completely different way.
continue to the next page.”
