Chapter 156 CHAPTER 156 – THE JEALOUS COUSIN

Chapter 156 CHAPTER 156 – THE JEALOUS COUSIN

POV: Narrator

Valentina Beltrán heard about Mateo and Sofía in the worst possible way—during a casual conversation at a family lunch where her mother, Belén, naturally mentioned that “the kids are finally officially together” as if it were happy news instead of a personal betrayal.
She froze with her fork halfway to her mouth as she processed words that felt like physical stabs.
Mateo.
Her Mateo.
The cousin she had secretly loved since she was fifteen and he was nineteen, when she saw him return from his first year of college transformed from boy to man, and something in her teenage heart decided he was the only person she would ever want.
Now thirty-eight, after two failed marriages that had ended precisely because she compared every man to Mateo Ferrer—and all of them fell short—she had finally gathered the courage to tell him how she felt when he returned from Paris.
But he had come back in love with someone else.
With Sofía Ramos.
Technically her cousin too. The perfect daughter of Mateo Jr., with the perfect career, who now apparently had the perfect man as well.
—Valentina? —her mother asked—. Are you okay? You went pale.
—I’m fine —she lied, forcing a smile—. Just surprised. I didn’t know Mateo was seeing someone.
—Not just seeing her. Apparently they’re quite serious. Emmanuel says he’s never seen his son so in love.
Every word was a knife twisting in an open wound.
—How lovely for him —she said, and the venom in her tone should have been obvious, but no one seemed to notice.
—It’s complicated, obviously —Belén continued—. With them being cousins and all. But the family decided to support them like we supported Emmanuel and Isabella.
—Of course we did —Valentina muttered.
Because this family always supported impossible love no matter how inappropriate it seemed, always celebrated relationships that defied norms—while Valentina remained alone year after year loving someone who had never seen her as anything more than a cousin.

That night in her empty apartment, Valentina opened a bottle of wine and pulled out all the photos she had kept for years—family pictures where she had carefully maneuvered herself to stand beside Mateo, where her smile was too bright and her eyes constantly searched for him while he looked elsewhere.
Twenty years.
Twenty years loving him in secret, waiting for the right moment, convincing herself that eventually he would see her, that her patience would be rewarded.
And now Sofía Ramos, who had known him less than a year, had what Valentina had wanted for two decades.
It wasn’t fair.
And Valentina wasn’t going to accept it without a fight.

She began subtly, the way all effective poison begins—with casual comments carefully planted in conversations with family members she knew were more conservative.
Lunch with her cousin-aunt Claudia, a sixty-year-old woman who had expressed disapproval when Emmanuel and Isabella married.
—Have you heard about Mateo and Sofía? —Valentina asked, her tone perfectly calibrated with concern.
—Belén mentioned something. What do you think?
—Honestly, I’m worried. I know the family supported Emmanuel and Isabella, but that was twenty-five years ago when social norms were different.
—Do you think it’s inappropriate?
—It’s not my place to judge, but I do worry we’re normalizing relationships between cousins, sending a message to younger generations that it’s fine to ignore family boundaries.
She saw the seed of doubt take root in Claudia’s expression.
—I hadn’t thought about that.
—And Sofía is so young, only twenty-four. I wonder if she truly understands what she’s getting into—or if Mateo convinced her with the experience of an older man.
—That’s true. He’s almost ten years older.
—I’m not saying it’s predatory —Valentina said quickly—. Just that there’s a power dynamic we might not be considering.
Claudia nodded thoughtfully, and Valentina knew she had gained an ally.

Next was her cousin Alberto, forty-five, who worked at a law firm and valued tradition above all else.
During a casual dinner, Valentina “accidentally” mentioned concerns about legal ramifications.
—Did you know that in some states relationships between cousins are still illegal?
—Really?
—Yes. And although Florida technically allows it, socially it’s still taboo. I worry that Mateo might be damaging the Ferrer-Galli company’s reputation with this.
—I hadn’t considered the business impact.
—And think about future clients. Will they want to work with a firm whose lead architect is in a relationship many consider inappropriate?
—You have a point.
—I’m not saying you should intervene —she lied—. Just that maybe someone should speak to Emmanuel about protecting the company’s interests.
Alberto promised to “think about it,” which Valentina knew meant he would bring it up at the next partners’ meeting.

But her masterstroke came during a family dinner two weeks later when Mateo and Sofía appeared together publicly for the first time.
Valentina watched them all night—the way they constantly touched, how they looked at each other as if no one else existed, that nauseating bubble of new lovers that made everyone else feel invisible.
She waited until Mateo went to get drinks, leaving Sofía alone for a moment. Then she approached with a smile she had practiced in the mirror.
—Sofía, can we talk privately for a moment?
—Of course. Is something wrong?
—I just wanted to warn you about something. Woman to woman.
She led her to the garden, away from curious ears.
—Look, I know you’re new to this family and maybe you don’t fully understand the dynamics. But you need to know that Mateo has a pattern.
—What kind of pattern?
—He falls intensely and quickly. Promises the whole world. And then he gets bored when the novelty fades.
—That’s not—
—I’ve seen him do this four times over the years I’ve been paying attention. Each time the girl thought she was special. That she would be different. And each time, he eventually moved on.
She saw doubt flicker across Sofía’s face.
—Mateo isn’t like that with me.
—That’s exactly what they all thought —Valentina said softly—. I just want you to be prepared for the possibility that this is a phase. Especially considering the family complications.
—Why are you telling me this?
—Because I care about you. We’re family. And I don’t want to see you hurt when he decides that the drama of dating his cousin isn’t worth it.
Sofía stepped back, clearly disturbed.
Valentina smiled inwardly.
Seed planted.

Over the following weeks, Valentina continued her campaign with surgical precision. A comment here. A concern there. Never overtly malicious—always undermining.
To Emmanuel she mentioned “concern” about how this might affect Luciano Jr., who was at an impressionable age.
To Isabella she suggested that Sofía might be using Mateo to escape family pressure to pursue medicine.
To Mateo Jr. she “innocently” asked whether he was sure Sofía was emotionally ready for a serious relationship after years of focusing solely on her medical career.
Each comment calibrated to create doubt without appearing to attack directly.

But her mistake came when she underestimated Lucia Ferrer.
Mateo’s sister had been watching Valentina for weeks—observing patterns, connecting dots.
At a café after one of the family dinners, Lucia confronted her directly.
—What are you doing, Valentina?
—I don’t know what you’re talking about.
—You’re sabotaging Mateo and Sofía. I’ve heard your comments. The seeds of doubt you plant.
—I’m just expressing legitimate concerns.
—Liar. You’re jealous because you’ve been in love with my brother for years and now he’s happy with someone else.
Valentina stiffened.
—That’s ridiculous.
—Is it? Because I’ve seen the way you look at him for literally my entire life. The way you always found excuses to be near him. How every relationship you had ended because they weren’t him.
—Lucia—
—And now that he’s finally found happiness with someone who isn’t you, you’re doing everything you can to destroy it. Because if you can’t have him, no one can.
—You don’t know what you’re talking about.
—I know exactly what I’m talking about. And I’m giving you one chance to stop before I tell Mateo what you’ve been doing.
—You don’t have proof.
—I have recorded conversations. Messages. Testimonies from five different people you’ve been poisoning against them. Do you need more proof than that?
Valentina fell silent, processing that she had been caught.
—What do you want?
—I want you to stop. To apologize to Mateo and Sofía. And to accept that he is never going to love you the way you want.
—I can’t do that.
—Then I’ll make sure the entire family knows exactly what you did and why. And believe me when I say you don’t want to be the person who tried to destroy Mateo’s happiness after everything he waited for.
Valentina knew she was defeated.
But defeat didn’t mean the pain disappeared.
It only meant she would have to swallow it alone.
Like she always had.