Chapter 19 - Late Apologies
Javier fought a bitter, desperate battle during the divorce proceedings, dragging it out for months until his legal funds completely evaporated. On the final day in court, when he was forced to sign the binding separation papers, he looked across the table at Natalia. He looked haggard, broken, and profoundly sad.
“Did you ever, even for a second, consider forgiving me?” Javier asked, his voice thick with a miserable, belated regret.
Natalia looked at him, and her mind instantly flashed back to the horrifying sound of his hand striking her mother’s face. She remembered Doña Refugio lying helplessly on the floor, the shattered glass, and the venomous way they had spat the word "maid."
“If you had screamed at your mother, if you had defended my mother, maybe,” Natalia replied, her voice devoid of any warmth. “But you chose to hit a defenseless old woman, and then you chose to worry about your sisters' credit cards.”
Javier bowed his head, staring at his shoes. “I am so sorry, Natalia.”
Natalia believed that, in that specific, pathetic moment, he probably truly meant it. But she also knew that some apologies only arrive when there is absolutely nothing left for the abuser to salvage.
“I genuinely hope you get better, Javier,” she said, standing up and grabbing her briefcase. “But I hope you do it very, very far away from us.”
A full year passed before Natalia received a text message from an unknown number.
“I don't expect a reply from you. I just wanted to say that I finally understand this was never actually about the face cream. I am truly sorry for the things I said to your mother. - Jimena.”
Natalia sat in her new living room and handed the phone to Doña Refugio. The older woman put on her reading glasses, read the message slowly, and then looked out the window at her thriving lemon trees.
“Should I reply to her?” Natalia asked gently.
May you like
“You don't need to do that today,” Doña Refugio smiled softly. “Sometimes people begin the long walk toward true regret, but that does not mean you are ever obligated to walk out and greet them.”
Natalia locked her phone and deleted the message. Not out of spite, but because she had learned that facing the consequences of your actions is the most powerful lesson of all.
