Since it was our anniversary, I decided to come home early. Three in the afternoon. I brought flowers and her favorite cheesecake. I wanted to surprise her.
When I entered the gate, I felt something strange. The house was quiet.
I slowly stepped through the main door. I wanted to surprise Elena.
But the moment I stepped into the living room, I was the one who got shocked.
I dropped the cake.
In the middle of our marble floor, I saw Elena.
Her belly was huge. She was clearly struggling to move. Yet she was kneeling on the floor, holding a rag and a bucket. She kept scrubbing and scrubbing, drenched in sweat, crying.
Around her stood our three maids. Their heads were bowed. They were crying too. But they weren’t doing anything. They were just watching Elena.
And on the sofa? My mother, Doña Miranda. Sitting there, drinking tea with her eyebrow raised.
“Faster, Elena!” my mother shouted. “The edges are still dirty! Just because you’re pregnant doesn’t mean you’re a señorita! Remember where you came from. You grew up poor. You’re used to housework. Stop pretending!”
“M-Ma…” Elena cried, holding her lower back. “My stomach hurts… I feel dizzy…”