It was at a charity gala that Rafael met Bárbara Mendoza. She was 32 years old, owned a luxury boutique in the city’s most exclusive area, and immediately caught Rafael’s eye. Bárbara was stunning: blonde, tall, always impeccably dressed, with perfect nails and flawless makeup. She spoke three languages, knew expensive wines, and frequented the finest restaurants. For Rafael, who had always been discreet and focused on business, Bárbara seemed to bring the glamour that was missing from his life.
Barbara whispered in Rafael’s ear during their first meeting, her blue eyes gleaming with what he interpreted as admiration, but which was in reality pure ambition. Their courtship was swift and intense. Barbara was attentive, affectionate, and, above all, seemed to adore Doña Marta from the very first moment.
Doña Marta, with her kind heart, was moved. Her eyes filled with tears of joy at seeing her son so happy, so in love. Marina, who was in the living room helping Doña Célia, watched the scene with a strange pang in her chest that she couldn’t explain. There was something about Bárbara’s smile that she couldn’t quite see, but she pushed the thought away, feeling guilty for doubting her friend’s happiness.
“Rafael, my son, she is beautiful and seems to have a heart of gold,” Doña Marta remarked afterward, tenderly taking her son’s hands. “If you are happy, I am happy too. May God bless this courtship.”
And Rafael was happy… or at least he thought so. Barbara was the perfect girlfriend in his eyes: always kind to Doña Marta, always attentive, always present.
In the following weeks, she brought gifts for her future mother-in-law: a soft shawl, a prayer book, chocolates. She called Doña Marta “dear Mama” and even offered her arm to help her walk when Rafael was nearby. “How lucky you are to have such a special mother-in-law,” her friends would say, and she would smile, playing the part perfectly.
But what no one saw, what happened when Rafael wasn’t around, was completely different. And the real Bárbara was about to reveal her darkest side. The first time Bárbara’s mask fell was one Tuesday afternoon, exactly two weeks after meeting Doña Marta.
Rafael had left for an important meeting at his office, and Barbara had stayed at the mansion, supposedly to help her future mother-in-law choose a dress for the engagement dinner that would take place that weekend. Doña Marta was in the living room leafing through a fashion magazine Barbara had brought when she heard footsteps approaching. She looked up with a friendly smile, expecting to see her usual affectionate daughter-in-law.
But what he saw was a completely different expression. Barbara’s blue eyes were cold, devoid of any tenderness. The smile had vanished, replaced by a thin, cruel line on her perfectly made-up lips. “Let’s get something straight, old woman,” Barbara said in a low voice, almost a whisper, but each word fell like ice.
She approached Doña Marta with calculated steps, like a predator stalking its prey. “All this acting you’re seeing is just for Rafael, because I need him to marry me. But you’re in the way,” Bárbara said. Doña Marta felt her blood run cold. Her hands began to tremble, and the magazine fell to the floor with a thud.
