Doña Isabel Morales , mother of the young millionaire Alejandro Morales , entered the mansion of Las Lomas with an old reinforced cardboard suitcase.
She wore a simple cotton dress, faded with age, and her rough hands spoke of a lifetime of hard work. Alejandro had insisted on bringing her to live with him to “compensate for so many years of sacrifice.”
But from the first day, Valeria Ríos , his beautiful, elegant and haughty fiancée, looked at her with a contempt that needed no words.
Valeria entered Isabel’s room without touching the door.
—Haven’t you changed yet, mother-in-law? —she said with a fake smile—. Alejandro is coming down soon, don’t embarrass him with that look.
She opened the closet and took out a wine-colored dress, expensive, which Alejandro had bought for his mother.
—This is cute —she sweetened her voice—. With this on you’ll look… more like a millionaire’s mom.
Isabel obeyed in silence. Valeria watched her change and let out a dry laugh.
—Okay, now we’re ready. Let’s go… and be careful with the stairs, don’t get your dress dirty, okay?
He squeezed her hand tightly, almost hurting her.
At the table, Valeria began her show. When Lucía , the maid, was about to serve Isabel some reserve wine, Valeria interrupted her:
—No, no. Give her regular wine. After all, she can’t tell those things apart. Don’t waste your money.
Isabel lowered her gaze, her cheeks burning. Alejandro was distracted by a call, oblivious to everything.
During the dinner, Valeria did not stop making fun of Isabel’s past poverty.
—Tell me the story of the guava tree, mother-in-law. Alejandro loves it, doesn’t he?
Then he laughed sarcastically.
—Did your house have a patio? I thought it was made of sheet metal. Sheet metal gets unbearable with the heat, right?
The cruelest bastard arrived with the chili-seasoned fish. Alejandro said enthusiastically:
—Mom, try it, it’s quite spicy.
Valeria deliberately served a generous portion of chilies. When Isabel began to cough and desperately searched for water, Valeria slid the glass a few centimeters away, just enough so that she couldn’t reach it.
Lucía saw everything and clenched her fists. Isabel almost choked. Valeria feigned alarm.
—Oh, my God! How exaggerated she is, mother-in-law…
After dinner, when Alejandro went out to answer another call, Valeria sat next to Isabel and spoke in a low, icy voice:
—Your role is simple: smile, nod, and keep quiet. Don’t bother anyone. You’re just a long-term guest.
The next morning, Alejandro left Valeria a credit card with no limit and went to work. As soon as the door closed, Valeria’s smile disappeared. She called a friend and spoke loudly enough for Isabel to hear.
—Having to put up with this old woman all day is getting on my nerves, but oh well… it’s for the future.
In the kitchen, he saw Isabel preparing instant coffee. He snatched the jar from her and threw it on the floor.
—Trash! I hate poverty and resignation in my home.
Then he imposed his “new rules”:
Do not sit on the main sofa. Do not talk to my friends. Do not use the pool.
Speak only when I allow it.
Lucia cleaned up the mess silently and then, secretly, prepared an espresso for Isabel in the luxury coffee maker.
—Sometimes good coffee helps to endure the vepee—he whispered.
The following days were fierce. Valeria humiliated Isabel in front of Lucia, in front of the staff, even in front of the mirror. “Accidentally” she pushed her down the service stairs.
Isabel managed to grab onto the railing, but ended up with her shoulder and arm covered in bruises. Lucía witnessed it and knew it wasn’t an accident, but kept quiet for fear of losing her job.
One morning, Alejandro sat alone with his mother in the library. He hugged her and apologized for not being attentive. As he took her arm, her sleeve lifted, revealing the bruises.
—Mom! What is that?
Isabel took a deep breath, about to tell the whole truth. At that moment, Valeria burst in with her hand.
“Love!” she cried excitedly. “The country club accepted the wedding date! Early June, only two months away!”
Alejandro forgot the bruises instantly and hugged her, jumping for joy. Isabel looked at her son’s unbridled happiness and the words caught in her throat.
“How am I going to destroy the happiest moment of her life?” she thought.
Valeria went further. She began to say that Isabel was “confused”, that she forgot things, that she talked to herself. Then she fabricated a fake brochure for a supposed luxury retreat center called Villa Serenity .
In reality, it was the cheapest and most miserable asylum in the region, hundreds of kilometers from the city.
Isabel overheard the conversation from her office. Her tea tray fell and shattered. Valeria rushed to take action.
—Suegra! Me asustó muchísimo. Seguro está cansada, vamos a sυ cu�arto.
Alejandro believed everything and asked Lucia to clean.
Valeria locked Isabel’s room and whispered:
—If he ruins my plans, he will regret it.
But Isabel was no longer the terrified woman of yesteryear. She decided to defend herself. The next day, she pretended to tidy the garden and hid behind some rose bushes near the pool. Valeria was sunbathing and talking on the phone with her friend Breda , on speakerphone.
—The old woman already found out about the nursing home, but Alejandro thinks it’s a luxury spa. Once I’m there, I’ll say there was a scam, that the contract is for a year and breaking it costs a fortune…
Then I’ll gradually stop visiting her, until she rots away in that hole. That will be my real wedding gift.
Isabel, trembling, turned on the recorder. She already had the proof.
Time was ticking. Valeria had planned to take Isabel to the retreat the next morning, just one day before the engagement party. Alejandro would have meetings all day.
That night, Valeria tried to pack a cheap plastic suitcase.
—Pack it. The car comes by tomorrow at nine. Alejandro doesn’t know anything… he’s too good to do this. Thank goodness he has me.
Isabel stared at her intently.
—I’m not leaving.
Valeria exploded. She grabbed her hair and dragged her out of the room. Isabel clung to the door frame, leaving fingernail marks on the wood. Lucía heard the screams and ran upstairs, paralyzed with fear.
Valeria threw Isabel onto the sofa and screamed out of her mind:
—You are a parasite! I feed you, I give you shelter, I allow you to live in my palace… and you dare to bother me! I will be the owner of this house, this money, and Alejandro.
He took Isabel’s most cherished picture: the photo of Alejandro at his elementary school graduation, and smashed it against the chimney.
Isabel screamed and crawled to pick up the pieces. Valeria laughed.
Then she put a stool and forced Isabel to sit down. As soon as she did, Valeria kicked one of the stool legs with her heel. Isabel fell onto the marble floor, with unbearable pain in her hip and ribs.
—Please… that’s enough… —she whispered.
At that moment, the main door opened. Alejandro entered with a bouquet of orchids. He smiled… until he saw his mother on the ground, the house destroyed and Valeria standing, triumphant.
He ran to pick Isabel up. Her cell phone fell to the floor, the screen cracked. Alejandro picked it up and pressed “play”.
Valeria’s voice filled the room:
—“…putting it in that hole… letting it die little by little… it will be my wedding gift…”
Alejandro froze. Valeria paled.
—Love, it’s not true… she’s crazy… she hurts herself…
Alejandro didn’t look at her. He canceled the card, blocked the accounts, and blocked his access to the house.
—You have ten minutes. Gather your things and get out. Don’t come near me or my mother again.
Valeria cried, she begged, but it was useless. She left in a taxi, with just one suitcase and its weight. Her “friends” closed the doors on her one by one.
When the taxi disappeared, Alejandro fell to his knees before his mother.
—Forgive me, Mom… I was an idiot… I left you to suffer alone…
Isabel stroked her hair.
—It’s over now, son. As long as we’re together, everything is fine.
A year later, the mansion was a home. Isabel was teaching Sofia , Alejandro’s new wife—a sweet pediatrician—how to make homemade bread. Sofia was pregnant.
Alejandro went outside and hugged the two women he loved most. He placed his mother’s hand on Sofia’s belly. Isabel felt the little kick and cried.
—Am I going to be a grandmother?
—Thank you for not giving up, Mom—whispered Alejandro. —All this is thanks to you.
Far away from there, at a roadside restaurant, Valeria was cleaning tables with a dirty face. On television, the news of Alejandro, Sofía and Isabel in the pediatric wing was playing.
Valeria clutched the rag, filled with hatred.
“Hey!” shouted a customer. “The coffee’s cold!”
Valeria trembled, dropped the cup, and it shattered into pieces.
Like the heart of a mother… which she never knew how to respect.
On the balcony of the mansion, Isabel looked at the stars with her son.
—Do you remember? —Alejandro said—. You said that each star was a kiss from Dad from heaven.
Isabel smiled.
—And he still kisses me every night.
Life sometimes takes time… but justice always returns. A mother’s love cannot be bought or stolen.
And yesterday’s tears… today are eternal smiles.
