I pulled in quietly in my modest sedan, parked between a pair of Porsches, and felt that familiar knot in my stomach. No matter how many years had passed, being near my father’s world always brought back the same ache — the feeling of being the outsider in my own family.
My father, Alejandro, was in his element. A man who had built an empire from ambition and arrogance, he measured human worth in dollars and status. My mother, Isabela, stood beside him like a porcelain figure — beautiful, calm, and silent, as she had been all my life.
“You Are This Family’s Mistake”
When I approached the bar to greet him, he was surrounded by business partners, holding a glass of fine red wine that probably cost more than my rent. He looked at me — at my simple dress, my careful posture — and smirked.
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