Capítulo 60: A Bond Unbreakable

Mateo was glowing with happiness when he saw Lorenzo arrive at the house. Since Adrien had to travel to Argentina, the boy had been quieter and sadder, but today something seemed to have changed. When he saw Lorenzo standing in the doorway, his eyes lit up, and he ran toward him without hesitation.

—Tío Lorenzo! —exclaimed Mateo as he stretched out his little arms toward him.

Lorenzo smiled widely and lifted him into his arms with an ease that reflected how much he had come to care for the boy during all this time.

—Hi, champ! —he replied, hugging him tightly. —How are you?

—Good! —Mateo said, almost unable to contain his excitement. —I missed you so much, Uncle!

Margaret watched from the kitchen threshold with a slight smile, relieved to see her son regain a bit of his energy. It hadn’t been easy for him to understand why Adrien wasn’t around, and although she knew it was best for him at that moment, she couldn’t help but feel that the sadness was overwhelming him more than she could bear.

—How’s everything, Margaret? —Lorenzo asked as he saw her. —How are things going?

—Hi, Lorenzo —she answered, although her voice showed a bit of fatigue. —Nothing new around here... just the routine.

Lorenzo nodded, understanding the implications of her response. He knew that things hadn’t been easy for Margaret, and even less so for Mateo, who had been patiently waiting for Adrien to return. However, today the situation seemed different. Mateo’s eyes were shining brighter than ever when he saw Lorenzo, and that gave him hope.

—What do you say we play for a while? —suggested Lorenzo as he gently set Mateo down. —I know you like board games. Would you like that?

The boy nodded immediately, running toward the cabinet where he kept the games. His enthusiasm was palpable, and finally, after days of sadness, it seemed like his heart was beginning to heal a little.

Margaret approached them, looked at Mateo, and then at Lorenzo. Even though she knew things wouldn’t be easy, there was something in the way he treated her son that gave her some peace.

—Sure, why not? —she said with a shy smile as she joined them.

The afternoon passed with laughter and games. Mateo, at last, seemed to be the cheerful and energetic child he once was, thanks to Lorenzo’s company. The atmosphere, although still heavy with the absence of Adrien, was filled with simple moments of joy. The hours passed quickly, and as the three of them played, Margaret observed with a mixture of gratitude and melancholy.

At one point, Lorenzo leaned toward Margaret, lowering his voice so Mateo wouldn’t hear.

—How’s Adrien? —Lorenzo asked, with a look of concern. —You haven’t told me anything about him lately.

Margaret looked at him, knowing that Lorenzo wasn’t asking for details, just for his well-being. But even so, those words made her pause.

—He’s... in Argentina —she answered, almost in a whisper. —Recovering. He’s been through a lot, but he’s fine. It’s still not easy, Lorenzo... for either of us.

Lorenzo nodded, understanding what that meant. He knew the situation wasn’t easy for anyone, but especially for Margaret, who had to handle everything without knowing if her best friend would be there when it was all over.

—I know... and Mateo misses him a lot —Lorenzo said, looking at the boy who was now more focused on his game than ever. —But remember, you’re not alone, Margaret. I’m here for whatever you need.

A knot formed in Margaret’s stomach when she heard those words. Although she had always trusted Lorenzo, the depth of his support touched her in a different way. She knew she couldn’t expect him to solve everything, but he would always be there for her, as a constant presence, a shoulder to lean on.

—Thank you, Lorenzo —she said, with a grateful smile, but one also filled with emotion. —I don’t know what I’d do without you.

The atmosphere filled with a quiet silence as the three of them continued to play. In the background, Margaret allowed herself to feel that, despite everything, things were going to get better. She wasn’t alone. Although she didn’t know how or when, there was something inside her that told her the pieces of the puzzle of her life would finally start to fall into place.

As the minutes passed, Margaret watched from a distance as Lorenzo and Mateo shared more laughs and moments of complicity. The bond between them was undeniable. Lorenzo treated Mateo with a tenderness that only someone who truly loved him could offer, and seeing that genuine relationship made her feel strange, as if something was slipping inside her, mixing conflicting emotions.

As she watched Lorenzo lean over to help Mateo place a piece of the game correctly, a sense of warmth filled Margaret, but also a deep unease. What if I told him the truth? she wondered. What if now, after all this time, he knew who I really am?

It wasn’t an idea she liked. She knew that, sooner or later, she would have to tell him the truth about her, about Mateo, about everything that had happened in the past. But at that moment, just the thought of revealing to Lorenzo that Mateo was his son —his biological son— terrified her. After all, how would he react when he found out that, instead of being the friend and colleague he had known, she was the woman who had been hiding such a big secret?

She watched as Lorenzo smiled at Mateo, giving him a little nudge while they both tried to finish the game.

He’s so good with him, thought Margaret, feeling a pang in her chest. At that moment, she understood that the affection Lorenzo felt for Mateo wasn’t just that of a pampering uncle, but of someone who had truly come to love him, who had built a relationship with him. And even though Mateo didn’t know anything, that relationship was as solid as that of a father and a son.

What would happen if I told him the truth? How would he take the news that Mateo was his biological son? Margaret had already felt it inside her: something in Lorenzo would change, maybe not in the way he treated her, but certainly in how he treated Mateo, and that was what terrified her. If Mateo found out that his real father was Lorenzo, how would it affect the relationship they had built, that special bond that had formed so naturally?

What if I distance myself from him forever? she wondered, as her mind filled with doubts. What if, because of everything that happened in the past, Lorenzo distances himself from Mateo?

Margaret took a deep breath, feeling the pressure in her chest increase with every thought. She didn’t want that to happen. She had fought too hard for Mateo to grow up in a home full of love and protection, even when she couldn’t give him everything a child needed. And now that Lorenzo was in their lives, she felt safer, but also more vulnerable. There were times when she forgot the secrets of the past, but when she saw the close relationship that was developing between Lorenzo and Mateo, it all reminded her that she couldn’t keep hiding the truth forever.

Lorenzo turned toward her with a smile, unaware that her thoughts had led her to a crossroads of complex emotions. She smiled at him, but inside, she was torn between what she felt and what she should do. If I told him the truth, could we still be friends? Could I bear to see his reaction to the revelation of my son?

—Everything okay, Margaret? —Lorenzo asked, noticing she had become lost in thought.

Margaret quickly nodded, trying to shake off the anxiety that had overtaken her.

—Yeah, sure. I was just thinking... how fast Mateo grows —she replied, although her words were as unconvincing as her smile. —It seems like every day he does something new.

Lorenzo laughed softly, oblivious to the unease Margaret hadn’t managed to hide.

—It’s incredible how fast they grow, isn’t it? —he said, looking at Mateo, who was completely absorbed in the game. —It feels like yesterday he was a baby, and now here he is, mastering all those board games.

Margaret gave him a nostalgic look, and once again, a flood of thoughts filled her. What if I told him now? she asked herself, and this time, the words seemed closer to coming out of her lips. But she stopped. She didn’t want everything she had built until now to come crashing down. She didn’t want to lose Lorenzo, although she knew that keeping the secret was causing her pain she couldn’t avoid.

—I know —she finally answered, trying to stay calm. —He’s a very bright boy.

Lorenzo looked at her, as if waiting for her to say more, but Margaret just smiled and turned her attention back to Mateo, who was asking for help with a more complicated move.

Maybe it’s better to wait a little longer, Margaret thought, although the weight of her secret felt heavier with each passing second.