Chapter 1: The Cake

“Mom, why can’t we buy the cake?” the boy cried.

The CEO watching nearby did something that changed everything.

“Mom, why can’t we buy the cake?” Mateo’s voice cracked on the last word. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he hugged his teddy bear tight against his chest.

Sofia felt the world stop. She knelt in front of her son in the middle of the Dulce Encanto pastry shop, conscious of the stares from other customers. Her knees touched the cold marble floor.

“My love, it’s just that… we couldn’t finish saving.” The words stuck in her throat like broken glass.

“But we saved, Mommy. We counted every coin.” Mateo pointed to the display case where the chocolate bear cake shone. The same one they had visited every Sunday for two months. The same one her son had given up sweets, toys, and everything else for.

“I know, my heaven, I know.” Sofia swallowed the tears that threatened to destroy her. She had to be strong. She always had to be strong. “It’s just that this cake costs more than we thought. It costs 180,000. And how much do we have?”

The innocence in those brown eyes shattered her. “85,000.” Mateo processed the numbers. At six years old, he knew how to count. He knew it wasn’t enough.

“But… but it’s my birthday.”

“I know, love. I promise we’ll get another cake, one just as pretty—”

“But I want that one. I’ve been looking at it every Sunday!” The boy’s voice rose an octave.

The other customers turned. Sofia felt the weight of their gazes like stones. Constanza, the employee behind the counter, looked away. At least she had the decency to look uncomfortable.

“Mateo, please, don’t make a scene.”

“It’s not fair!” The boy hid his face in his mother’s shoulder. His sobs shook his small body.

Sofia hugged him tight, breathing in the smell of baby shampoo in his hair. She closed her eyes. She wished the earth would swallow her whole. Six years. Six years of working until her feet ached. Six years of double shifts, and she still couldn’t buy a birthday cake for her son.

“Let’s go home, my love.”

“I don’t want to go home. I want my cake. Mateo… all the kids at school have nice cakes. Santiago had one with a huge dinosaur.”

Every word was a knife in Sofia’s chest. “I know, my heaven, I know.” She stood up, gently pulling Mateo toward the exit. The boy resisted, looking back one last time at the display case. The chocolate bear seemed to mock them from its tower of cream.

“Excuse me.”

Sofia froze at the door. It was Constanza.

“Yes?”

“A customer. A customer just paid for the cake for your son.”

The world wobbled beneath Sofia’s feet. “What?”

“The bear cake. Someone paid for it. He said it was a gift for the boy.”

Mateo lifted his head. His eyes lit up for a second before Sofia pulled him against her, protective. “Who?”

“I can’t say who.”

Fury replaced humiliation. Sofia scanned the bakery. A man in a navy blue suit was walking toward the exit, his credit card gleaming in his hand. Sofia recognized him. Dark hair, perfectly styled, shoes that probably cost more than her rent. The kind of man who never had to count coins.

“You.”

The man stopped and turned slowly. His eyes met hers—gray, cold, rich.

“Excuse me, did you pay for the cake?” It wasn’t a question.

The man hesitated for a second. Sofia saw something in his expression. Guilt? Pity? That was worse.

“I just wanted to help.”

“Help.” Sofia practically spat the word. She left Mateo with Constanza and walked out to the street, following the man. “Wait.”

He stopped on the sidewalk. Santa Fe Avenue roared with traffic around them.

“I don’t need your charity.”

“It’s not charity. It’s a gift for a child on his birthday.”

“A child you don’t know. A child whose humiliation you just witnessed as entertainment.”

The man recoiled as if she had hit him. “It wasn’t… I wasn’t enjoying the show, feeling good about myself for helping the poor. It was an impulse. I saw your son crying and—”

“And what? Decided to play God for a day?” Sofia was trembling. Six years of rage, of exhaustion, of fighting the entire world alone, exploded. “Do you know what it’s like not to be able to give your child what he deserves? Do you know what it’s like to count every peso? Do you know what it’s like to work until your feet bleed and still come up short?”

“No, I… of course not.”

“Look at your suit. Look at your watch. I bet it costs more than I earn in a year.”

The man closed his mouth. He didn’t deny it.

“We are poor, but that doesn’t mean we are your charity project.”

“I didn’t think about that. I just saw a sad boy and wanted…”

“What? To feel better about yourself? To be able to tell your rich friends at your private club that you helped a single mother?”

“That’s not fair.”

“Fair?” Sofia laughed. It was a bitter, broken sound. “You’re talking to me about justice? You, with your designer shoes and your face that looks like it’s never suffered a day in its life.”

Something changed in the man’s eyes. They darkened. “You don’t know me.”

“I don’t need to know you. I know exactly who you are. You’re the type of man who thinks money fixes everything.”

“You’re angry. I understand.”

“You understand nothing.” Sofia took a step toward him. She had to tilt her head back to look at him. He was tall, rich, handsome—everything she could never have. “Stay away from me and my son. We don’t want your cake. We don’t want your money. We don’t want your pity.”

“Ma’am…”

“No.” She turned around and went back into the pastry shop.

Mateo was waiting, confused. “Mommy, what happened? Why are you mad at the man?”

“Well, that man isn’t good, my love. Let’s go home.”

“And the cake?”

“We aren’t accepting that cake.”

She took Mateo’s hand and left through the back door of the shop. She didn’t look back.

But Sebastián Navarro stood on the sidewalk of Santa Fe Avenue, watching the most fascinating woman he had ever met disappear. His assistant called three times. He ignored the calls. Something had just changed. Something deep, inexplicable. He had known hundreds of women. None had made him feel so alive, so awake. None had made him feel so ashamed of who he was.

He took out his phone and dialed a number. “Ricardo, I need information on someone.”

He didn’t know her name, he didn’t know where she lived, but he was going to find out.

Chapter 2: The Search

Three days later, Sebastián still saw those dark eyes full of rage. He couldn’t concentrate in meetings. Financial reports became blurry. His sister Luciana had called him four times asking if he was sick.

“Ricardo, did you find her?”

His assistant entered the office with a thin folder. “Sofía Guzmán, 28 years old. She works at La Esquina Porteña in Almagro. Noon to closing shifts, six days a week.”

Sebastián opened the folder to a printed social media photo. Sofia smiling with Mateo in a park. She looked years younger in that photo, happier.

“Anything else?”

“Single mother. The father disappeared when she was pregnant. She was studying Business Administration at UBA. Second year. She had to drop out.”

Sebastián closed his eyes. Of course. Talent wasted by circumstance.

“Thank you, Ricardo. That is all.”

“Mr. Navarro, are you sure you want to—”

“I said that is all.”

Ricardo left. Sebastián looked at the restaurant’s address. It was a bad idea. The worst idea. He called his chauffeur.

La Esquina Porteña smelled of empanadas and broken dreams. Sebastián felt out of place immediately. His Armani suit shone like a lighthouse among the worn wooden tables and checkered tablecloths.

A woman approached. She had gray hair tied in a bun and eyes that had seen too much.

“Good evening. Table for one?”

“Yes, in the section of… where Sofía Guzmán works.”

The woman’s eyes narrowed. “Who’s asking?”

“A friend.”

“Sofía doesn’t have friends who wear $50,000 watches.” Sebastián resisted the urge to cover his wrist.

“Please. I just want to talk to her.”

The woman studied him. Finally, she nodded. “Table seven. But if you make her cry, I’ll kick you out. I don’t care how much money you have.”

“Understood.”

Doña Beatriz—he read her name tag—guided him to a table by the window. Five minutes later, Sofia appeared with a menu. She froze when she saw him.

“Hello.”

The menu fell to the floor. Sofia didn’t bend down to pick it up. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to have dinner. In this restaurant.”

“Coincidence? I didn’t come to see you.” Sofia crossed her arms. Two men at the next table turned, interested. “You are stalking me.”

“I came to apologize properly. You already apologized in the street after humiliating me.”

“I didn’t mean to humiliate you.”

“But you did.”

Sebastián took a deep breath. He had rehearsed this. Careful words, a perfect speech. It all evaporated under her furious gaze.

“I want to invite you and Mateo to dinner for his birthday. A real dinner. No charity. As friends.”

Sofia laughed. It was a harsh sound, without humor. “Friends? You and I? Why not?”

“Because you live in Puerto Madero in a 300-square-meter apartment. I live in Almagro, in an apartment with mold on the walls. That matters.”

“It implies—”

“Of course it matters. You probably spend on one lunch what I earn in a week. Money defines everything.” Sofia leaned over the table. Sebastián smelled her perfume. Something cheap but sweet. “You don’t understand what it’s like to count coins for the bus. You don’t understand choosing between paying the electricity or buying medicine. You don’t understand my world.”

“You’re right. I don’t understand it. That’s why I want to know it.”

“For what? To write a book? To tell your millionaire friends how the other half lives?”

“To know you.” The words came out softer than he intended, more honest.

Sofia recoiled as if he had burned her. “No.”

“Sofía…”

“Don’t call me by my name. You don’t know me.”

“Mommy!” A high-pitched voice pierced the restaurant. Mateo ran between the tables, his backpack bouncing on his back. Doña Beatriz followed him, smiling.

“Sorry, Sofi. He ran off as soon as he saw you.”

Mateo stopped short when he saw Sebastián. His eyes went wide as plates. “The Cake Man!”

Sebastián smiled without being able to help it. The boy radiated pure joy. “Hello, Mateo. Happy belated birthday.”

“Thank you! How did you know my name?”

“Your mom told me.”

Mateo turned to Sofia, confused. “Do you know the man?”

“Well, he’s not… he isn’t…” Sofia closed her eyes. Sebastián saw the tension in her shoulders, the fatigue in her posture. “Mateo, go with Doña Bea. I have to work.”

“But I want to talk to the man.”

“Mateo, your mom and I were talking about something important.” Sebastián knelt to the boy’s eye level. Mateo was still carrying his worn teddy bear. “Is that so? You like pizza, right?”

Mateo’s eyes shined. “I love it.”

“There’s a place I know. It has games, pizza, and music. I thought maybe you and your mom would want to come tomorrow to celebrate your birthday properly.”

“Really? Mommy, can we go?”

“Mateo, no.”

“But Mommy, the man is good. He wanted to give us the cake.”

“We already talked about that.”

“It’s not fair! We never go anywhere.” Mateo’s voice cracked.

Sofia paled. “My love, it’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just… it’s just that I’m always working and we never have money for anything fun.”

Tears rolled down the boy’s cheeks. Sebastián felt every word like a punch.

“I want to go eat pizza. I want to play. I want us to have a nice day like the other families.”

“Mateo, please, don’t do this.” Sofia knelt next to her son. Her own eyes shone with held-back tears.

“It’s just a dinner, love. We can’t.”

“Why not? The man is good. He’s not like Daddy who left.”

Silence. Sofia tensed. Sebastián saw something break in her expression.

“Okay.”

“What?”

“A dinner. Just one.”

Mateo wiped his tears, incredulous. “Really?”

“Really. But only because it’s your birthday.”

The boy screamed with joy and hugged his mother. Sofia held him tight, looking at Sebastián over his head. There was warning in those eyes, and something else. Fear.

“Maybe tomorrow at 6:00? I’ll give you the address.”

“Perfect.”

“But let it be clear, this doesn’t make us friends. This is for my son. Nothing else. Understood?”

“Understood.”

Sebastián stood up. He left 500 pesos on the table. “For the trouble.”

“I don’t need your—”

“It’s a tip for the service.” He left before she could protest.

On the street, his chauffeur was waiting. Sebastián leaned against the car, breathing the cold night air. His hands were trembling slightly. He had met company presidents. He had negotiated million-dollar contracts. He had given speeches in front of hundreds of people. Nothing had made him feel as nervous as this woman and her son.

Sofia put Mateo to bed three hours later. The boy hadn’t stopped talking about the “Good Man,” the pizza, and the games.

“Mommy?”

“Yes, my love.”

“The man is going to be my friend.”

Sofia tucked the blanket around her son. “I don’t know, my heaven.”

“I want him to be my friend. He’s good. I like him.”

“Sometimes good people can’t stay in our lives.”

“Why not?”

“Because they live in different worlds. Because money always wins. Because men like him don’t stay with women like me. Because that’s life, love. Now sleep.”

She kissed his forehead and turned off the light. In her own room, Sofia sat on the edge of the bed. The mattress creaked under her weight. She had accepted the dinner. God, what was she thinking? That man was dangerous. Not because he was bad, but because he made Mateo smile. Because he made her racing heart forget the lessons she had learned.

Men always left. Her ex had taught her that. Her father before him. But the way Sebastián had looked at Mateo—as if he really cared.

No. She couldn’t think like that. One dinner. That was all. Afterwards, she would never see him again.

Sofia lay down and closed her eyes. She didn’t sleep all night.

Chapter 3: The Date

Sofia changed her dress three times. The blue one was too elegant, the black one too funereal, the gray one was… gray.

“Mommy, it’s time!” Mateo jumped at the door, shining in his yellow shirt—the only shirt without stains he owned.

“I’m coming, my love.”

She stuck with the gray. It was the most neutral, the most invisible. She didn’t want Sebastián to think she was dressing up for him, even though she had put on makeup and done her hair twice. God, she was pathetic.

The family entertainment center Diversión Total glowed with neon lights in Palermo. Sofia saw the sign and her stomach sank.

“Mommy, look how big it is!”

“Yes, my love.”

They didn’t belong here. This was the kind of place where families with new cars and brand-name clothes went.

Sebastián was waiting at the entrance, dark jeans and a white shirt with no tie. He looked normal. Handsome, but normal. That made it worse somehow.

“You came.”

“I said I would come. I thought maybe… I don’t break my promises. Especially not to my son.”

Mateo ran toward Sebastián with open arms. “Mr. Seba!”

Sebastián crouched down and the boy hugged him. Over Mateo’s head, his eyes found Sofia’s. There was something soft in that look, something that made her heart skip a beat. No, she couldn’t think like that.

“Ready for the best night of your lives?”

“Yes!” Mateo practically vibrated with excitement.

Inside, it was a chaos of colors and sounds. Kids running, machines beeping, music at full volume. Sofia tensed immediately.

“Are you okay?” Sebastián’s voice was too close. She took a step sideways.

“I’m fine.”

“You look like you’re in an interrogation.”

“It’s just… a lot of people.”

“Do you want to go somewhere quieter?”

“No, Mateo is happy. That’s what matters.”

Sebastián studied her face, then nodded. “Mateo, what would you like to do first?”

“The games! The games!”

Three hours later, Sofia had forgotten why she was tense. Sebastián was terrible at video games. Mateo beat him at everything. The boy laughed hysterically every time the CEO of a multi-million dollar corporation lost to a dinosaur character.

“It’s not fair. This controller is broken.”

“It’s not broken, Mr. Seba. You’re just bad.”

Sofia stifled a laugh. Sebastián heard her and smiled. “Are you making fun of me too?”

“A little.”

“Treason. Pure treason.” But his eyes shone—not with arrogance or condescension, but with something genuine.

At the basketball game, Mateo taught him the correct technique. Sebastián listened with serious attention, as if the six-year-old were an expert.

“Like this, see? Bend your knees.”

“Ah, the knees. That’s why I was losing.”

“Exactly.”

Sebastián tried again. He scored three baskets in a row.

“You did it!” Mateo jumped and high-fived him.

Sofia watched them from the side, something warm expanding in her chest. It was dangerous, this feeling. Very dangerous.

The pizza arrived at 8:00. Mateo attacked his slice as if he hadn’t eaten in days.

“Slow down, my love. No one is going to take it away.”

“But it’s so good.”

Sebastián smiled, but Sofia saw something pass over his face. Sadness, perhaps.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Just… I never had this when I was a kid. Pizza. Family.”

The word floated between them, heavy. Mateo kept eating, oblivious. Sofia lowered her slice.

“What do you mean?”

Sebastián played with his napkin. “My parents were always traveling. Business in Europe, meetings in Asia. I grew up with nannies. Huge, empty houses.”

“But you had everything.”

“I had things. It’s not the same.”

Sofia observed him. Really observed him. The lines around his eyes, the tension in his shoulders.

“Birthdays were in fancy banquet halls with hundreds of people I didn’t know. My mother hired professional entertainers. She never played with me once.”

“That’s sad.”

“Yes, but that was how it was. Money buys everything except what really matters.” He looked at Mateo, who was now chasing a piece of pepperoni around his plate. “Mateo is lucky to have you.”

The words were soft, honest. Sofia felt something loosen in her chest, something she had kept tight for years.

“I am the lucky one to have him.”

Their eyes met. For the first time, Sofia didn’t look away.

“I know you think I’m just a rich guy who doesn’t understand anything. And you’re right, partly. But… but I understand loneliness. I understand feeling like the whole world is against you.”

“I doubt it.”

“When I was eight, I begged my father to cancel a trip. Just one. For my birthday. He said business was more important, that I would understand when I grew up.” Sebastián smiled, but it wasn’t joyful. “I never understood. And I promised that if I ever had a family, I would never do that.”

“And that’s why you never married?” The question came out before she could stop it.

Sebastián arched an eyebrow. “You investigated me.”

“Doña Beatriz did. She’s protective.”

“I noticed.” He laughed. It was a low, intimate sound. “I didn’t marry because I never found someone who saw me as a person. They only saw the bank account.”

“Must be hard.” Sarcasm leaked into her voice.

Sebastián wasn’t offended. “It is, in its own way. How do you know if someone wants you for who you are or for what you have?”

Sofia had no answer for that.

Mateo yawned loudly, breaking the moment.

“Tired, my love?”

“No…” Another yawn.

Sebastián smiled. “I think someone needs to go home.”

“I don’t want to…” But Mateo’s eyes were already closing.

Ten minutes later, he was asleep against Sebastián’s shoulder. Sofia tried to lift him.

“I’ll carry him.”

“He’s heavy.”

“I’ve carried heavier boxes of wine. I can handle a six-year-old.”

But Sebastián was already standing, holding Mateo carefully. The boy snuggled against his chest, his teddy bear trapped between them.

“He looks so peaceful.” Sofia felt something catch in her throat. Her son asleep in the arms of a man who wasn’t his father—a man who treated him with more affection in one night than his own father had in his entire life.

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For tonight. Mateo hasn’t smiled like that in a long time.”

Sebastián looked at her over Mateo’s head. “And you?”

“Me what?”

“How long has it been since you smiled like that?”

Sofia looked away. “Too long.” The answer was too much.

They walked toward the exit in silence. Sebastián’s chauffeur was waiting outside.

“I’ll take you home.”

“It’s not necessary. We can take the bus.”

“With a sleeping child? At 11 at night? No.” It wasn’t a question. Sofia was too tired to fight.

In the car, Mateo continued to sleep against Sebastián. Sofia sat on the other side, watching them in the dark.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Depends on the question.”

“Why are you alone? A woman like you?”

“A woman like me?”

“Poor, with a son, with baggage?”

“A strong, beautiful, dedicated woman.”

The words floated in the dark space of the car. Sofia felt her heart accelerate.

“Men don’t stay with women like me. I learned that a long time ago.”

“Then you met the wrong men. Or maybe… maybe you are just waiting for the right one.”

Sebastián smiled. It was sad. “Probably. But I’d like to try anyway.”

“Try what?”

“Knowing you. And Mateo. Not as a project. Not as charity. Just as people.”

The car stopped in front of her building. Sofia saw the dark windows, the peeling paint, the cracks in the walls. Her world. Her reality. Sebastián looked at the building without an expression of judgment.

“Can I see you again?”

Sofia took Mateo from his arms. The boy murmured something in his sleep.

“I don’t know if it’s a good idea.”

“Why not?”

“Because you live in a different world. And when this ends, Mateo is going to miss you. It’s going to hurt.”

“And what if it doesn’t have to end?”

Sofia looked at him. Really looked at him. She saw hope in those gray eyes. She saw something that looked dangerously like… No, she couldn’t name it.

“Maybe. Maybe we can see you again.”

A slow smile spread across Sebastián’s face. “I’ll take that ‘maybe’.”

Sofia got out of the car before she did something stupid, like smile back. Like believing this could work. But as she walked up the stairs with Mateo in her arms, she couldn’t help looking back.

Sebastián was still there, watching her from the car window. And for the first time in seven years, Sofia allowed herself to wonder: What would happen if I took a risk again?

Chapter 4: Courtship

The first book appeared a week later. Sofia found it in her locker at the restaurant. The Adventures of Captain Underpants, new, shiny, without a note.

“Doña Bea, who left this?”

The older woman smiled behind her coffee cup. “A very handsome man in an expensive suit. He said it was for Mateo.”

Of course. Mateo read the book three times that night. He fell asleep hugging it.

Three days later, flowers arrived. White daisies. Simple but beautiful. Again, without a note. Sofia put them in water. She told herself it was just to not waste them.

“That man is courting you the old-fashioned way.” Doña Beatriz was cleaning glasses at the bar, smiling.

“He is not courting me. He is just being nice.”

“Yeah, sure. And I am the Queen of England.”

Sofia rolled her eyes, but felt heat in her cheeks.

On Sunday, she saw him in the park. Mateo was playing on the swings. Sofia was sitting on a bench enjoying her only day off. Sebastián appeared with two coffees.

“What a coincidence to find you here.”

“It’s not a coincidence if you knew we would be here.”

“I never…” But he smiled, that damn man. He smiled. “Can I sit?”

Sofia should have said no. Should have walked away. “It’s a public park.”

He sat down, handed her a coffee. “Cappuccino, no sugar. I saw that’s how you ordered it at the restaurant.”

“You are spying on me.”

“I am getting to know you. There is a difference.”

Mateo saw them and ran toward them. “Mr. Seba! Did you come to play?”

“If your mom says yes.”

Two pairs of eyes looked at her. One brown, one gray. Both hopeful.

Sofia sighed. “One hour. I have to prepare dinner.”

Mateo screamed with joy. The hour turned into three. They played soccer. Well, Mateo and Sebastián played. Sofia watched from the bench, trying not to smile when Sebastián tripped over the ball.

“Are you sure you went to an expensive school? Didn’t they teach you sports?”

“They taught me tennis. Golf. Swimming. Country club sports.”

“How boring.”

They bought ice cream from a cart. Mateo chose triple chocolate. He ended up with his face covered. Sebastián cleaned him with a napkin. Patient.

“Is he always this disastrous?”

“You should see him with spaghetti.”

Sebastián laughed. That low sound that made Sofia’s stomach tighten.

When Mateo went back to the swings, they stayed on the bench. The silence was comfortable. Strange.

“Why are you doing this?”

“Doing what?”

“Coming here. The books. The flowers. What do you want from me?”

Sebastián turned to look at her. His face was serious. “Honestly? I don’t know. I just know that I can’t stop thinking about you. You don’t know me. I want to know you, every day a little more.”

Sofia looked at her calloused hands, cracked by years of work. “My ex left me when I was six months pregnant.” She didn’t know why she said it. The words just came out. “He said he wasn’t ready to be a father. That I had trapped him. As if I got pregnant alone.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I don’t need pity. I just need you to understand. Men don’t stay. Not with women like me.”

“What is ‘a woman like you’? Complicated? With a son? Poor? Real?” Sebastián took her hand. Sofia didn’t pull it away. “My father was the most successful man I knew. He built an empire. Earned millions. And… and he died alone in a hotel in Singapore. No one cried at his funeral except out of obligation.”

He squeezed her hand.

“I am afraid of being like him. Of having everything and having nothing. Of dying without having really lived.”

“You are not like him.”

“How do you know?”

“Because you are here in a public park playing soccer with a six-year-old. Your father would never have done that.”

Sebastián smiled. It was genuine, warm. “You are wise.”

“I am a survivor. It’s not the same.”

Mateo ran toward them, breathless. “Mommy, look! There are ducks!” He pointed to the small pond in the center of the park. Sure enough, three ducks were swimming in circles. “Can we give them bread?”

“We didn’t bring bread, my love.”

“I have some.” Sebastián took a bag out of his backpack. “Crackers.”

“You always carry food?”

“Since I met Mateo? Yes. That kid has infinite hunger.”

Sofia laughed. She couldn’t help it. The three walked to the pond. Mateo threw pieces of cracker, laughing when the ducks fought for them. Sebastián and Sofia stood back, watching.

“He is happy with you.”

“I am happy with him. With both of you.”

Sofia turned. Sebastián was closer than she thought. She could see the golden flecks in his gray eyes.

“Sebastián, tell me you don’t feel this. This connection.”

“It would be easier if I said no. But you can’t.”

“No. I can’t.”

He lifted his hand, brushing her cheek with his fingers. “Can I kiss you?”

The world stopped. Mateo was still laughing with the ducks. A couple walked past. A breeze moved her hair. And Sofia nodded.

The kiss was soft at first, tentative, as if both were afraid of breaking something fragile. Then it deepened. Sebastián pulled her closer, his hand on her waist. Sofia clung to his shirt. When they separated, both were trembling.

“God.”

“Yes.”

“Mommy! Look at the big duck!”

Mateo shouted something. They hadn’t even noticed him. Sofia pulled away, bringing a hand to her lips.

“This is a bad idea.”

“Why?”

“Because we are too different. Because this is going to end.”

“Because you are afraid?”

“And you aren’t?”

“I am terrified.” Sebastián smiled, but his eyes were serious. “But it is worth the risk.”

Two days later, Sofia was cleaning table 12 when she heard the voices. Two women, expensive dresses, shiny jewelry, perfectly styled hair.

“Did you see Sebastián Navarro lately?”

“No.”

“They say he is seeing someone.”

“Really? Who?”

“No one we know. A… how do I put it? A common woman.” Laughter.

Sofia froze with the rag in her hand.

“Poor thing. She is probably another gold digger. You know how those women are. They get pregnant on purpose, fake love, and boom—alimony for life.”

“Sebastián is too smart for that.”

“That’s what we thought about Martín Torres. Now he is paying monthly to a waitress.” More laughter.

Sofia’s stomach churned.

“Rich men are so predictable. A pretty face and a decent body and they forget who they are. Well, at least Sebastián will get bored soon. He always does.”

Sofia dropped the rag. The women didn’t even look at her. She ran out of the dining section, her hands shaking. Doña Beatriz found her in the bathroom, sitting on the floor.

“What happened?”

“Nothing.”

“Don’t lie to me, girl.”

Sofia closed her eyes. The words came out broken. “They are right. I am a gold digger. That is what everyone will think.”

“Who is right?”

“Everyone. His family. His friends. The whole world.”

“And what does it matter what they think?”

“It matters. It matters because Mateo will have to live with that. It matters because I will have to live with that.”

Doña Beatriz knelt in front of her. “You love that man.”

“I don’t know. Maybe. It’s too soon.”

“And he treats you well?”

“Yes.”

“He treats your son well?”

“Yes.”

“Then screw the rest of the world.”

Sofia laughed through tears. Doña Beatriz never swore.

“It’s not that simple.”

“Of course it is. Love is simple. People complicate it.”

But as she returned to her shift, Sofia felt the words of those women engraved in her brain. Gold digger. Waitress. Pretty face.

That night, when Sebastián called, she let it go to voicemail. And the next night. And the next.

Chapter 5: The Confrontation

Sebastián looked at his phone for the tenth time in an hour. Nothing. Four days without answers. Five calls ignored. Six messages left on ‘read’.

“Love trouble?”

His sister Luciana entered his office without knocking. As always.

“It’s none of your business.”

“You are my brother. Everything is my business.” She sat across from his desk, crossing her legs. Her Chanel suit probably cost more than Sofia’s monthly salary. Sebastián felt nauseous thinking about it. “Who is she?”

“No one.”

“Don’t lie to me. I’ve known you since you were born. You are different.”

“I am working.”

“You are distracted. Smiling at your phone like an idiot teenager.”

Sebastián put the phone in his drawer. “I have a meeting in ten minutes.”

“Cancel it. We need to talk. Luciana, remember Andrea Paz? The one who tried to extort us three years ago?”

“This has nothing to do with—”

“And Valentina Castro? The one who accidentally got pregnant and it turned out it wasn’t yours?”

“Stop. I’m not going to stop. You are an easy target, Sebastián. Women see you and see hundred-dollar bills.”

“Not all of them are like that.”

Luciana leaned forward. “So, you admit there is someone?”

“Leave, Luciana.”

“I’m going to find out anyway. I prefer you tell me.”

But Sebastián said nothing, and his silence was answer enough.

Sofia was carrying three trays when she saw the woman enter. Tall, elegant, furious. She walked straight toward Sofia’s table like a missile seeking its target.

“Sofía Guzmán.”

The restaurant went silent. Doña Beatriz came out of the kitchen, alert.

“Who is asking?”

“Luciana Navarro. Sebastián’s sister.”

Sofia’s stomach sank to the floor. “I have nothing to talk about with you.”

“But I have a lot to talk about with you.”

Luciana opened her purse, took out a folder, and threw it on the nearest table. Photos, documents, private information.

“26 years old. Dropped out of university. Works as a waitress. Single mother. Lives in a building with building code violations.”

Every word was a blow. The other customers watched. Some took out their phones.

“Enough.”

“Are you ashamed? You should be. It’s pathetic, miss.”

“I need you to leave.” Doña Beatriz approached. Luciana ignored her.

“Do you know how much my brother is worth? 350 million dollars. Do you know how many women like you have tried to trap him?”

“I am not trying to trap anyone.”

“No? Then what is this?” She threw more photos. Sofia and Sebastián in the park. Kissing on the bench. Someone had photographed them. Someone had been watching.

“That is private.”

“Nothing is private when you involve a Navarro.” Luciana took out her wallet. She counted bills onto the table. “50,000 pesos. This is what you want, right? How much to leave my brother alone?”

The entire restaurant was watching now. Sofia felt every gaze like needles.

“Keep your money.”

“100,000 then.” More bills. Luciana threw them like they were trash. “200,000. Last offer.”

“I said no!” Sofia’s voice cracked. Tears threatened to fall.

“Everyone has a price. What is yours?”

“Luciana!”

Sebastián entered like a storm. His face was red with fury. “What are you doing?”

“Protecting you. As always.”

“I didn’t ask you to do this.”

“You didn’t have to ask. I am your sister.”

Sebastián looked at the bills on the table, then at Sofia. She saw shame in his eyes. Pity. Guilt. It was too much.

“Sofía… I am so sorry. I didn’t know she—”

“Your sister is right.” The words came out cold, dead.

“What?”

“I don’t belong to your world. This was a mistake.”

“No. Don’t say that.” Sebastián tried to take her hand. Sofia recoiled.

“Look at me. Look where I work. Look who I am. I don’t care where you work!”

“But your family does! Your friends! The whole world!”

“Screw them all!”

“And Mateo? When this ends, when you get bored of playing charity, what happens to him?”

“I am not going to get bored. This is real.”

“None of this is real!” Sofia took off her apron. Her hands were trembling violently. “This is your real life. Middle-class restaurants, dirty tables, tips… This isn’t your life.”

“It can be.”

“No. It can’t.”

Doña Beatriz approached, put a hand on Sofia’s shoulder. “Girl, maybe you should…”

“I quit.”

“What?”

“I quit. Effective immediately.”

“Sofía, no.”

“I can’t stay here. Not after this.” She looked at the customers with their phones, at Luciana with her satisfied smile, at Sebastián with his lost puppy face. “This ends now. Don’t call me. Don’t look for me. I don’t exist to you.”

“Sofía, please. Can we talk?”

“There is nothing to talk about.”

She headed for the door. Sebastián followed her. “Wait. At least let me explain.”

“Explain what? That your sister investigated me like a criminal? That she offered me money like a prostitute? That this is your world and I am never going to fit in?”

“To hell with my world! I choose you.”

“You can’t choose me. It doesn’t work like that.”

Sofia looked at him. Really looked at him. She saw genuine pain in those gray eyes. She almost collapsed.

“Mateo asks about you every day. He cries at night because Mr. Seba doesn’t come.”

“Then let me come. Let me explain to him.”

“Explain what? That his mother is a gold digger? That people are going to look at us always like we are trash?”

“No one thinks that.”

“Everyone thinks that. Your sister only said what everyone is thinking.”

Sebastián ran his hands through his hair. He looked destroyed. “Tell me what to do. Anything. I’ll do it.”

“Let me go.”

“That… no. Anything but that.”

“Then there is nothing else to talk about.”

Sofia walked out into the street. The cold night air hit her like a slap. She walked and walked and walked. She didn’t know for how long. Only that when she got home, Mateo was asleep on the sofa with Doña Beatriz watching him.

“Are you okay, girl?”

“No.”

“That man loves you.”

“He doesn’t know me enough to love me.”

“Love doesn’t need time. It needs honesty.”

Sofia picked up Mateo. The boy murmured in his sleep: “Mr. Seba…”

Every word was a knife.

Sebastián returned to his office at midnight. Luciana was waiting, no remorse on her face.

“Thank you for ruining my life.”

“I saved you from making a mistake.”

“Do you know what a mistake is, Luciana? This. You. This family that believes money solves everything.”

“That woman only wants you for—”

“That woman doesn’t even want my money! She rejected me. She rejected everything I tried to give her.” Sebastián hit his desk. Papers flew. “And do you know why she did it? Because she has more dignity in her little finger than you do in your whole body.”

“Sebastián…”

“Get out. Now.”

“I am your sister.”

“Right now, you are nothing to me.”

Luciana left. The door closed with a slam that resonated in the silence. Sebastián sat in his chair, took out his phone, dialed Sofia’s number. It went straight to voicemail.

“I know you don’t want to talk to me. I understand. But I need you to know something.” His voice cracked. “I am sorry. I am sorry for everything. And I am going to miss you and Mateo every damn day.”

He hung up.

Two days later he went to the restaurant. Doña Beatriz stopped him at the door.

“She isn’t here. She quit.”

“Where is she?”

“I’m not going to tell you that.”

“Please. I just want to talk to her.”

Doña Beatriz studied him. Her eyes were hard, but not cruel. “Do you love her?”

“Yes.”

“Then leave her alone.”

“What?”

“That girl has suffered enough. Her husband left her. Life has beaten her again and again. She was finally healing. I don’t want to hurt her.”

“But you do. Every time you appear, you remind her of everything she can’t have. Everything Mateo can’t have.”

The words were like bullets.

“If you truly love her, give her space. Let her rebuild.”

Sebastián nodded. He didn’t trust his voice. He left the restaurant and didn’t return. For two months, he didn’t try to contact her. It was the hardest thing he had done in his life.

Chapter 6: The Eviction

Two months. Sixty days without seeing her eyes, without hearing Mateo’s laughter, without feeling that his life made sense. Sebastián signed another contract without reading it.

His assistant Ricardo watched him, worried. “Mr. Navarro, are you sure you are… okay? You haven’t slept in three days.”

“I said I’m fine.”

Ricardo left more papers on his desk and exited in silence.

Sebastián looked at his phone. The wallpaper was still the photo he took in the park. Sofia smiling. Mateo in her arms. He should change it. He should delete it. He couldn’t.

Luciana had tried to apologize twice. He didn’t speak to her. His mother called from Paris, worried about the family estrangement. To hell with them all.

Sofia found a job at a coffee shop near her house. It paid less, the shifts were longer, but at least no one looked at her with pity.

Mateo asked for Sebastián every night.

“Why doesn’t Mr. Seba come?”

“He is busy, my love.”

“Did I do something bad?”

“No, baby, you didn’t do anything bad.”

“Then why doesn’t he visit us?”

Sofia hugged him until he fell asleep. Then she cried in the bathroom with the water running so he wouldn’t hear her.

Doña Beatriz visited her on Sundays. She brought food and company.

“That man still loves you.”

“Don’t talk about him.”

“He comes to the restaurant. He doesn’t go in. He just stays outside looking.”

Sofia’s heart raced. “That is disturbing.”

“That is love.”

“It’s obsession.”

“Call it what you want. But that man is suffering as much as you.”

Sofia didn’t answer. She couldn’t.

The envelope arrived on a Tuesday. Sofia found it taped to her door when she returned from work. Legal. Official. Terrifying.

Eviction Notice.

The words swam before her eyes. No. No, no. She read the entire document once, twice, three times. The building had been sold. Real estate development. 30 days to vacate. No compensation.

“Mommy, what’s wrong?” Mateo came out of his room rubbing his eyes.

“Nothing, my love. Go back to bed.”

“You are crying.”

“They are happy tears.”

“They don’t look happy.”

Sofia folded the paper and put it in her pocket. She smiled, though she felt like she was breaking. “Go to sleep, baby. Everything is going to be fine.”

But nothing was fine. The next few days were a nightmare. Sofia looked for apartments. All were out of her budget or in neighborhoods where it wasn’t safe to raise Mateo.

“How much can you pay monthly?” The real estate agent looked at her with boredom.

“120,000 pesos.”

“In that range, I only have this.” He showed her photos on his tablet. Walls with mold. Broken windows. Buildings that looked about to collapse. “There is nothing better, Ma’am. In Buenos Aires, with that budget…” He didn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t need to.

Sofia visited shelters, asked for government aid. The waiting lists were months, years long. 30 days. She only had 30 days.

One night she sat on the floor of her room with her phone in her hand. Sebastián’s contact was still there. Mr. Seba—Mateo had saved it like that. Her fingers moved over the screen. One call. Just one call. And maybe…

No. She put the phone away. She couldn’t. She wasn’t going to be that woman. The one who ran to the rich man when she needed money. She preferred the street.

The Board of Directors meeting was at 9:00 AM. Sebastián arrived ten minutes late. “I don’t care,” he thought. “Mr. Navarro. Finally.”

Jiménez, the Director of Development, smiled with sarcasm. “Let’s begin. We were reviewing last quarter’s acquisitions. Excellent numbers.”

Jiménez projected a presentation. Buildings, figures, profit projections.

“The Almagro project is going according to plan. The purchase was finalized eight months ago. The eviction notices were sent last week.”

Sebastián looked at the screen distractedly. Just another project. Another old building turned into luxury condos.

Then he saw the address. Calle Lavalle 2847.

The world stopped.

“What did you say?”

“Sir?”

“That address. Repeat it.”

“Calle Lavalle 2847 in Almagro. We bought it in February. 24 units. Demolition scheduled for…”

“When were the notices sent?”

“Last week. The residents have 30 days.”

“Compensation?”

“The original owner didn’t include that clause. It was one of the reasons we got such a good price.”

Sebastián stood up so fast his chair fell over. “Are you telling me we are evicting 24 families without giving them anything?”

“It is completely legal, sir. The contract…”

“I don’t give a damn about the contract! Why wasn’t I consulted on this?”

“You approved the purchase eight months ago. You signed the documents.”

Sebastián vaguely remembered. February. Before meeting Sofia. Before his world changed.

“Give me the list of residents.”

“Sir, the list…”

“NOW!”

Jiménez typed on his laptop, projected a spreadsheet. Sebastián scanned the names. He reached line 12.

Guzmán S. Apartment 4B. Tenant since 2019.

The air disappeared from his lungs.

“Stop everything.”

“What?”

“Stop the project. Now.”

“Mr. Navarro, we already invested millions in—”

“I said stop it!” His voice resonated in the conference room. Twelve executives looked at him as if he had lost his mind. Maybe he had.

“This meeting is over. Jiménez, cancel all eviction notices. No one moves from that building until I say so.”

“But, Sir, the schedule…”

“To hell with the schedule!”

Sebastián grabbed his jacket and left. His phone rang. Luciana. He ignored the call. In the elevator, he looked at himself in the mirror. He looked pale, sick. His company… his company was destroying Sofia’s life. And she hadn’t called even once. She preferred to lose her home rather than ask him for help. Because that was Sofia. Proud, strong, too dignified for her own good.

The elevator doors opened. Sebastián ran to his car.

“Where to, Sir?”

“Almagro. Calle Lavalle 2847.”

“Isn’t that the project building?”

“Drive. Fast.”

The chauffeur took off. Sebastián looked out the window without seeing anything. Two months. Two months of respecting her space, of letting her heal. And while he played the noble knight, his own company was destroying her.

“Faster.”

“Sir, the speed limit…”

“Faster!”

Twenty minutes later, the car stopped in front of the building. Sebastián recognized it immediately. The peeling paint, the cracks in the walls. He had been here. He had picked up Sofia and Mateo for dates. He had seen this place and never asked who owned it. He never thought…

He ran up the stairs two at a time. Fourth floor, Apartment B. He knocked on the door. Silence. He knocked again.

“I’m coming!”

Sofia’s voice. After two months. Her voice.

The door opened. Sofia froze. She had red eyes, deep circles under them, hair tied in a messy ponytail. She was still the most beautiful woman he had seen.

“What are you doing here?”

“Did you get the eviction notice?”

The color disappeared from her face. “How do you know about…?”

“My company bought this building. I bought this building.”

Silence. Absolute, devastating silence.

“Please, tell me you didn’t know.”

“I didn’t know. I swear to God I didn’t know.”

Sofia laughed. It was a broken, hysterical sound. “Of course. Of course it was your company. Because the universe has a sense of humor.”

“Sofía…”

“Did you come to ensure I leave? To offer me money again?”

“I came to fix it.”

“You can’t fix this.”

“I can. I’m going to stop the whole project. No one is going to be evicted.”

“And then what? We live here forever, knowing we stay because of your charity?”

“It’s not charity. It’s justice.”

Sofia closed her eyes. Tears rolled down her cheeks. “I am so tired, Sebastián. So tired of fighting, of surviving, of pretending I’m okay.”

“Then stop fighting. Let me help you.”

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because if I accept your help, if I let you in again and then you leave…” Her voice cracked.

“I am not going to leave.”

“Everyone leaves.”

“I am not everyone.” Sebastián took a step toward her. Sofia didn’t back away. “I love you.”

The words floated between them. Simple, true, terrifying.

“You don’t know me enough to love me.”

“I know you. I know you are the strongest woman I have met. I know you love your son more than your own life. I know you prefer to lose your home rather than ask for help. Those aren’t reasons to love someone?”

“You want reasons? I love you because you made me feel alive for the first time in my life. I love you because you aren’t impressed by my money. I love you because Mateo smiles when I am near. And because you make me want to be better.”

Sofia was sobbing now. Sebastián took her hands.

“Give me a chance. One more. I promise I won’t fail you.”

“Sebastián, please…” The word came out broken, desperate. Sofia looked at him. She saw genuine love in those gray eyes. She saw fear, she saw hope, she saw everything she felt reflected back.

“One chance.”

“Yes?”

“But if you hurt me… if you hurt Mateo…”

“I won’t. I swear.”

He kissed her. She kissed him back. And for the first time in two months, both could breathe again.

Chapter 7: The Resolution

The emergency Board meeting began at 3:00 PM. Sebastián entered with a folder under his arm and determination in every step. Twelve faces looked at him—some confused, others furious.

“Mr. Navarro, this is highly irregular.”

“I know.” He stood at the front of the room. He projected a document on the screen. “This is the acquisition contract for the building in Almagro. 24 families, zero compensation, 30 days notice.”

“We already discussed this this morning—”

“I didn’t finish.” His voice was steel. “As you know, I own 60% of the shares of this company. My father’s inheritance.”

“Where are you going with this?”

“That I have final decision power. And my decision is this: The Almagro project stops immediately.”

Silence. Then explosion.

“It’s madness!”

“We already invested eight million!”

“The contracts with the builders!”

Sebastián raised a hand. The silence fell. “We will not build anything until every family receives comparable alternative housing or fair compensation. Minimum one year of rent elsewhere.”

“That is going to cost us millions additionally!”

“I don’t give a damn.”

“Mr. Navarro! This company was built on exploitation. My grandfather evicted families. My father evicted families. And I followed that tradition without questioning it.” He looked at every face around the table. “That ends today. We will do this correctly or we won’t do it.”

“The Board can vote to remove you as CEO.”

“You can try. But as long as I have the 60%, that vote means nothing.”

“Are you willing to ruin this company? For what? Principles?”

“I am willing to turn this company into something I can be proud of. And if that means losing money, so be it.”

The door opened. Luciana entered like a storm.

“Have you gone crazy?”

“Get out of here, Luciana.”

“You are going to destroy everything Dad built!”

“Dad built a soulless empire. I am going to build something better.”

“For that woman? Are you doing this for her?”

Sebastián turned to his sister. “I am doing it because it is the right thing. Because that woman taught me that respect is worth more than money. That dignity has no price.”

“You are in love. And that makes you stupid.”

“I am in love. And that makes me human. Maybe you should try it someday.”

Luciana paled. For the first time, she had no answer.

“This meeting is over. Jiménez, I want a compensation plan on my desk tomorrow morning.”

Sebastián left. He didn’t look back.

It took three days to organize everything. Each family in the building received a personal visit. Sebastián—not an assistant, him—knocking on doors, explaining, apologizing. Some cursed him. Others cried with relief. Everyone received the same offer: A year of paid rent in a comparable place, plus compensation for the trouble.

“Why are you doing this?” An elderly woman looked at him with distrust. She had lived there for 40 years.

“Because it is the right thing. And because I arrived late, but I arrived.”

He left Sofia’s apartment for last. He knocked on the door at 7:00 PM. His hand was trembling slightly.

Sofia opened. She looked better than three days ago. The color had returned to her face.

“Hello.”

“Hello. Can I come in?”

She hesitated. Then nodded.

The apartment was small but clean. Mateo’s toys organized in a corner, photos on the walls. A home built with love and effort.

“Mateo is at Doña Beatriz’s house. I wanted to talk to you first.”

“Okay.”

They sat on the worn sofa. The silence was comfortable, strangely comfortable.

“I stopped the project.”

“I know. The lady in 2C won’t stop talking about it.”

“And you… what do you think?”

Sofia looked at him. Her eyes were cautious. “I think you lost millions for this.”

“Some. Not as many as I thought.”

“Why did you do it?”

Sebastián took her hand. This time she didn’t pull it away.

“Because I fell in love with a woman who taught me that true value is not in bank accounts. She taught me about dignity. About strength. About loving without conditions.”

“Sebastián…”

“I didn’t finish. That woman made me realize I was living my father’s life. Rich. Successful. Empty. And I don’t want that.”

“What do you want?”

“You. Mateo. A life that means something more than numbers in a bank account.”

Sofia closed her eyes. Tears escaped anyway.

“Your family is never going to accept it. Luciana hates me. Your mother probably doesn’t even know I exist.”

“Then let them not accept it. We will build our own world. One where the only thing that matters is how we treat each other.”

“It sounds nice in theory.”

“And in practice?”

“In practice, it is terrifying. Mateo already loves you. If this doesn’t work… if you leave…”

“I am not going to leave.”

“How can I believe you?”

Sebastián took something out of his pocket. A small cloth bag.

“What is this?”

“Open it.”

Sofia opened the bag. Three thread bracelets fell into her palm. Simple, hand-woven, in blue, gray, and green colors.

“You made these?”

“I watched a tutorial on YouTube. It took me two weeks. The first 20 attempts were disasters.”

Sofia laughed through tears. The bracelets were imperfect, the knots irregular, the colors didn’t match perfectly. They were perfect.

“Blue for Mateo. Gray for you. Green for me. The three connected.”

Sebastián knelt in front of her. His hands were trembling.

“I don’t have an expensive ring. I don’t have a rehearsed speech. I just have this. I love you. I love your son. And if you give me the chance, I will spend the rest of my life proving it.”

“This is crazy.”

“The best kind of crazy.”

“People are going to talk.”

“Let them talk.”

“Your company is going to suffer.”

“Let it suffer. We will rebuild it better. Sofía… tell me yes or tell me no, but give me an answer.”

Sofia looked at him. This man who had risked his fortune, who had fought with his family, who had woven horrible bracelets because he didn’t know how else to express himself.

“Mommy?”

Both turned. Mateo was at the door, his teddy bear under his arm.

“Doña Bea said I could come home… Mr. Seba?”

The boy’s eyes lit up like stars. “Mr. Seba! You came!”

He ran and threw himself into Sebastián’s arms. The man caught him, hugging him tight.

“Hello, champion. I missed you.”

“I missed you too! Every day! I asked Mommy, but she said you were busy.”

Mateo pulled away, looking at him seriously. “Are you busy anymore?”

“I am not busy anymore.”

“Then you can stay?”

Sebastián looked at Sofia over Mateo’s head. She had tears in her eyes, but she was smiling.

“That depends on your mom.”

Mateo turned to Sofia. “Mommy, please. Let Mr. Seba stay. Please, please, please.”

“Mateo…”

“I love him, Mommy. He is good. And he makes you smile. And I want you to be happy.” The boy’s voice cracked. Sebastián felt his heart break and repair itself at the same time.

Sofia knelt next to them. The three formed a circle on the floor of that small apartment.

“Do you really love him?” she asked Mateo, but she was looking at Sebastián.

“With all my heart.”

“And you?” Now she looked directly at Sebastián.

“With everything I am.”

Sofia took the bracelets with trembling hands. She tied one on Mateo’s wrist. One on Sebastián’s. One on hers.

“Then, yes.”

“Yes?”

“Yes to everything. To the madness. To the fear. To whatever comes. Yes.”

Mateo screamed with joy. Sebastián kissed her. And in that moment, in that apartment with mold on the walls and cracks in the ceiling, the three found what they had been looking for all their lives. A family. Not perfect, not easy, but real.

“Mr. Seba?”

“Yes, champion?”

“Now you are my dad.”

Sebastián looked at Sofia. She nodded, tears falling freely. “If you want me to be.”

“I do want. But then it can’t be Mr. Seba. It has to be just Seba. Or Daddy Seba. Or whatever you want.”

Mateo thought about it seriously. “Dad. Dad is fine.”

“If it doesn’t bother you…”

Sebastián didn’t trust his voice. He just nodded and hugged the boy tighter. Sofia joined the hug. The three stayed like that, on the floor, connected by threads and love, and the promise that, no matter what happened, they would face the world together.

Outside, the city roared. The traffic, the horns, life continuing. But inside, in that small apartment in Almagro, three people found their home. Not in a place. In each other. And that was enough. More than enough. It was everything.

Epilogue

Six months change everything. Or maybe they change nothing, they just reveal what was always there.

Sofia looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. The same face, the same hands, but something was different. She smiled more. That was different.

“Mommy! It’s going to burn!”

“I’m coming!”

She ran to the kitchen. Sebastián was covered in flour, trying to rescue something from the oven that definitely smelled burnt.

“I said I would do it.”

“And I said I wanted to do it. It’s Mateo’s birthday.”

He took out the cake. It was crooked, with one side higher than the other. The frosting was melting down the sides. It was the most beautiful disaster she had ever seen.

“It is perfect.”

“It is horrible.”

“It is made with love. That is what matters.”

Sebastián kissed her. He still gave her butterflies. Six months later, still.

“What time does your sister arrive?”

“She said at 4:00. With the biggest gift in history because she is compensating.”

Sofia laughed. Luciana had changed. Not completely. She was still direct, sometimes harsh, but she had changed. The moment arrived three months ago. Luciana appeared at the apartment without warning.

“I need to talk to you.”

Sofia almost closed the door, but something in Luciana’s eyes stopped her.

“I was at the Board meeting when Sebastián announced his decision about the building.”

“I know. Everyone knows.”

“No. You don’t know.” Luciana sat on the sofa without asking permission. “He said something in front of twelve executives. He said he preferred to lose the company rather than lose his integrity. That you taught him what really mattered.”

Sofia didn’t know what to say.

“My brother risked everything for you. Not to impress you. Not to win you back. He did it because he really believes in it now. And… and I realized I was wrong. You aren’t a gold digger. You are probably the best thing that has happened to him.”

It wasn’t a full apology, but coming from Luciana, it was enough. Now she brought excessive gifts and argued with Sebastián about who spoiled Mateo more. She was family. Complicated, imperfect, but family.

The apartment wasn’t luxurious. Two bedrooms in Palermo, a modest but well-maintained building. Sebastián had wanted to buy something bigger. Sofia had refused.

“If we are going to do this, we do it right. As equals.”

“But I can…”

“No. Half and half. In everything.”

They had fought about that. The first real fight. Sebastián arguing that he had the money, why not use it? Sofia arguing that she needed her independence. They reached an agreement. A place both could afford. Half and half.

Sofia worked part-time at the Navarro Corporation office doing basic accounting while finishing her degree. The other part-time she stayed at the coffee shop because she liked the work, she liked the people.

Sebastián had transformed the Almagro project. Instead of luxury condos, subsidized housing. He lost 12 million in the process. He gained the respect of an entire community and slept better than in his entire life.

“Ready?”

Mateo appeared at the door of his room. New shirt, clean jeans, his teddy bear under his arm. Seven years old. Her baby was seven.

“Ready?”

“Where are we going first?”

“To the pastry shop. The one with the bear.”

Sebastián and Sofia exchanged glances. Of course. Dulce Encanto, where it all began.

The pastry shop looked the same. The same shiny display cases, the same perfect cakes. But everything felt different. Mateo pressed his nose against the glass.

“There is the bear!”

Constanza, the same employee, smiled from the counter. “Navarro-Guzmán family! What a pleasure to see you.”

They had been here three times in six months. Constanza knew their names now.

“The bear cake, please.”

“Of course. Anything else?”

“Six cupcakes. Mateo has friends coming later.”

Sofia took out her wallet. Her own wallet, with her own earned money. Honestly.

“That is 190,000 pesos.”

She paid without hesitation. Without counting coins. Without feeling panic. The change came three months ago. The first full paycheck from her job at Navarro Corp. Not much, but enough. Enough to buy cakes. Enough not to be afraid.

“Thank you.”

“Happy birthday, Mateo.”

“Thank you!”

They walked to the car. Sebastián carried the cake box. Sofia carried the cupcakes. Mateo skipped between them.

“Mommy?”

“Yes, my love?”

“I am happy.”

Three simple, true words. Sofia knelt in front of her son. Sebastián knelt beside her.

“Us too, baby. Us too.”

“Daddy Seba?”

“Yes, champion?”

“The cake at home is better than this one.”

Sebastián laughed. “Honestly? No. Ours is burnt.”

“But we made it together.”

“Exactly.”

“Then it is better.”

The party was chaotic. Six seven-year-olds running around the apartment. Doña Beatriz trying to control them. Luciana arrived with a bicycle so big it didn’t fit through the door.

“Really?”

“It is his birthday. Aunts spoil. It is our job.”

The cake from Dulce Encanto was beautiful on the table. Perfect. Professional. No one touched it. Everyone ate the crooked, burnt cake that Sebastián and Mateo had made. They sang out of tune. Mateo blew out the candles with his eyes closed.

“What did you wish for?”

“I can’t say. It won’t come true. Rules.”

“They are rules.”

But Mateo whispered in Sofia’s ear. “I wished that this never ends. That we be a family forever.”

Sofia hugged him tight, too tight. She didn’t care. Sebastián joined the hug. The three connected by blue, gray, and green threads on their wrists. Luciana took a photo without them realizing. Then another. And another.

“They are so cheesy.” But she was smiling.

That night, after everyone left, Sofia and Sebastián cleaned the kitchen.

“It was a good day.”

“The best. Do you remember? Six months ago in the pastry shop. When we couldn’t pay for the cake.”

Sofia leaned against him, her head on his chest, his heart beating constantly under her ear.

“I thought you were the worst kind of man. Rich. Arrogant. Someone who played with the lives of others.”

“And you were right. In that moment, I was.”

“And now?”

“Now I am the man who loves a woman who isn’t impressed with his money. Who loves a boy who calls him Dad. Who has a life that means something.”

“Sounds good.”

“Feels better.”

Mateo appeared at the door, half asleep. “Can I sleep with you?”

“Of course, my love.”

The three snuggled in the bed. Mateo in the middle, his teddy bear trapped between them.

“Daddy Seba?”

“Mmm?”

“Thank you for staying.”

Sebastián didn’t trust his voice. He just kissed the boy’s head. “Thank you for letting me stay.”

Sofia watched them in the darkness. Her son. Her husband—not yet, but someday, when the time was right. They weren’t in a hurry. They had a whole life ahead. A life built on hand-woven threads, on burnt cakes, on love that had survived pride, fear, and the whole world trying to separate them.

It wasn’t perfect. They still fought. They still had hard days. Money was still a topic of discussion. But it was real. It was theirs. And it was enough. More than enough.

It was everything.