-I know.
I've learned to live without you.
I know that too.
And if you ever come back into my life, it won't be because I need you.
Alejandro looked at her with eyes full of sincerity.
"I don't want you to need me, Mariana. I want you to choose me. And if you don't choose me, I'll still be Mateo's father."
She looked away, silently moved.
For the first time in a long time, Mariana no longer saw the man who had left her crying at a lawyer's desk. Before her stood someone who had learned what it meant to fail, to bear the weight of regret, and to love unconditionally.
A few weeks later, she agreed to spend an afternoon with him.
It was nothing out of the ordinary. They returned to Café Luna, near Plaza Tlaquepaque. Alejandro ordered two coffees and a sweet roll to share. Mariana laughed.
—You never wanted to come here. You said the coffee was too sweet.
"I used to be an idiot," he replied.
She let out a genuine laugh.
That laughter was the real beginning.
Their reconciliation wasn't instantaneous. Neither of them pretended that the old wounds had healed completely. There were difficult conversations, tears, moments of silence, and memories that still weighed heavily on them.
But there was also forgiveness.
There were afternoons when the three of them strolled together through downtown Guadalajara. There were nights when Alejandro read stories to Mateo over video calls. There were Sundays at the market, breakfasts with chilaquiles, and small, everyday moments that, without fanfare, slowly rebuilt what had once been destroyed.
Two years later, Alejandro took Mariana and Mateo to the viewpoint overlooking the Huentitán Canyon. The sunset painted the sky an intense orange and gold.
Mateo ran nearby, chasing soap bubbles.
Alejandro took Mariana's hand.
"I don't want to ask you to forget anything," he said. "I just want to ask your permission to walk beside you from now on, without running away, without lies, without pride."
Mariana looked at him with tears in her eyes.
Do you know how long I've waited to hear that?
I know. And I know I arrived late.
She shook his hand.
—You arrived late as a husband… but you arrived just in time to be the father Mateo deserves.
Alejandro smiled sadly.
