Chapter 2 - The Shattered Glass
Looking at the beautifully set dining table, Doña Refugio realized she was missing something essential. The embroidered napkin holding the tortillas was getting damp from the steam, and she needed a few clean cloth napkins to replace it. Wanting to be helpful, she quietly made her way down the polished hardwood hallway toward the bedrooms. She opened the door to Jimena’s room—Javier’s twenty-eight-year-old sister.
Jimena was a woman who had never worked a day in her life, yet walked around the house speaking as if the universe owed her a grand opportunity. Her room reflected her entitlement: clothes thrown carelessly over expensive chairs, designer shoes cluttering the floor, and an overflowing vanity table covered in imported cosmetics.
Doña Refugio stepped inside carefully, trying to navigate the mess to reach the linen closet in the adjoining bathroom. As she squeezed past the vanity, her elbow accidentally clipped the edge of the glass table.
It happened in slow motion. A small, incredibly expensive jar of imported French face cream tipped over the edge. It hit the hardwood floor with a sharp, terrifying crack. The delicate glass shattered into dozens of jagged pieces, splattering a thick pool of white, fragrant lotion across the floorboards.
Doña Refugio froze, her hands flying to her mouth in horror. Before she could even bend down to clean it up, the bathroom door swung open. Jimena stepped out, a towel wrapped around her head. She looked at the floor, and her eyes widened in absolute fury.
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“You clumsy old busybody!” Jimena shrieked, her voice echoing shrilly down the hallway, loud enough to wake the dead. “Who the hell told you that you could come into my room?”
Doña Refugio immediately dropped to her knees, her hands trembling as she tried to scoop up the broken glass. “I am so sorry, my dear. Please, forgive me. I will pay you back for this, little by little. I promise.”
