“Stay back,” Raúl told her.
“Thank you, but I’m your future stepfather.”
She laughed. “That’s funny you say that.” You’re my age, it could be something more. He didn’t answer, but the days passed and Maria dared to go further. She entered his room without knocking.
She leaned too close. She whispered ambiguous words to him. Raul rejected her every time. He stood firm. “I don’t love you, Maria. I’m with your mother, that’s all.” But she didn’t care. “You’ll change your mind, you’ll see.”
One day, while they were all having dinner together, she started again. This time she stroked him with her foot under the table in front of Raquel. Raul felt very uncomfortable. He didn’t know what to do. He got up from the table.
“Is everything alright?” Raquel asked him.
“Yes, just a little discomfort. I’m going to bed.”
But he was really about to explode. He didn’t know whether to speak or remain silent. Would Raquel believe him? Would she think he was lying to hide something? After another evening, the situation came to a head. Raul was in the hallway and heard the shower running. Maria came out with a towel loosely tied. She pretended to trip, fell into his arms, and kissed him. Raul pushed her away roughly. “You’re crazy.” But she started screaming, “Mom! Help!” Raquel rushed into the room.
He saw Maria half-naked and crying on the floor. He tried, he tried, Maria screamed. Raquel screamed. Raul threw up his hands.
“It’s not what you think. She’s been harassing me for days. She set a trap for me”. But Raquel didn’t want to hear anything. “Get out of my house right now. Raul tried to approach her, but she pushed him away.”
He left crying, humiliated, devastated. He didn’t sleep that night. He didn’t eat for three days. In the large, empty house, Raquel wept. Something wasn’t right.
She remembered all her daughter’s strange behavior. One morning she decided to act. She checked the house’s security cameras, called her technician, “I want to see all the recordings from the last few days.” And there she saw everything: the dress that was too short, the looks, the entrances to the room, the provocations, and, above all, she saw the exact moment Maria kissed Raul before screaming.
Raquel broke down and called her daughter. “Come here, sit down, watch this.” And she showed her the videos.
Silence. Then Maria broke down. “Forgive me, Mom. I was jealous. I didn’t want to lose you. You took away my happiness, my dignity. Get out of my house. I adopted you with love, but what you’ve done I can’t forgive. You’re not my daughter anymore.”
