Carolina Laredo stood at the church door, dressed in an immaculate white wedding gown that shimmered in the sunlight. Her brown hair was styled in an elegant updo, but despite her perfect appearance, a wave of anxiety washed over her. Her fingers trembled like autumn leaves about to fall, barely holding the delicate bouquet of white roses
The afternoon sun cast a halo over her dark hair, symbolizing a purity that now seemed more of a mockery than a blessing. Beside her, her mother, Maria, watched with concern, her brow furrowed, revealing the unease they both shared after waiting for the groom for over an hour, to the point that guests had impatiently left the church to observe her.
"Why isn't Mom here? And neither is Lina?" Her voice trembled, cutting through the whispers swirling around her.
Sweat glistened faintly on his forehead, betraying his inner turmoil.
Lina was her best friend and maid of honor, but she too was conspicuous by her absence.
Impatience turned to anguish as the murmurs of the guests began to grow louder and louder, like powerful thunder to her.
"Did they leave the bride all dressed up and ready to go?" a woman whispered mockingly.
"I think Alberto regretted it," said another, with an air of contempt.
"How shameful to be left at the altar! I feel sorry for her, she should at least have told him she wouldn't be coming," another voice was heard from the crowd.
The whispered words pierced her mind like sharp blades, each one hurting more than the last.
"Don't worry, daughter," Maria said, trying to calm her. "He'll come. Why don't you call him?" she suggested, though deep down she had a bad feeling, even though she intended it as a lifeline thrown into the sea of uncertainty.
Nodding, Carolina pulled her phone from her mother's bag, her movements robotic as she dialed Alberto's number. One ring... two rings... three, each a chime of growing dread. On the fourth, the line clicked, promising a connection.
The silence stretched throughout the moment until it shattered under the weight of moans and stifled laughter.
"That's it, my love," said a voice amidst the carnal symphony, "Give it to me harder… Ahhhh You're great, Alberto!" shouted the female voice.
Carolina, confused and shaken, took a few seconds to process what she was hearing. The bite of a viper could not have been more venomous than the recognition that pierced her. The voice of Lina, her confidante, her friend, her bridesmaid, woven into this obscene tapestry of betrayal.
"No, it can't be," she murmured to herself, refusing to accept what she was hearing.
"Alberto?" she asked. Her plea was a ghostly, trembling sound through the receiver.
The space between breaths lengthened before he answered.
"Are you there?" Time seemed to stretch out, and when he finally answered, his tone was contemptuous and unpleasant.
"What do you want?" His words were sharp, cutting without care.
I'm waiting for you at the church for our wedding," she whispered, her voice trembling like a whisper of hope against his contempt.
Refusing to believe what was happening, part of her wanted to find a logical explanation, but her words left no doubt that she hadn't imagined anything; it was all real.
"Are you serious? Are you an idiot?!" His voice, devoid of warmth, pierced her heart. "The fact that I haven't arrived should give you an idea that I don't want to marry you," Alberto replied, his voice heavy with contempt.
A click was heard through the phone, as a grimace twisted his face.
"I don't want to be with a prude who didn't even sleep with me. Do you think I'm going to get married without trying the goods?" Her laughter tinged with cruelty. "There are other women who have been willing to give me everything you denied me… like Lina, for example. She's a real woman in every sense of the word. Now leave me alone, because I'm not going to marry you, not now, not ever. Don't bother me!"
Alberto's words pierced Carolina's chest like sharp daggers, making her feel like she couldn't breathe.
The phone slipped from her hands and the screen shattered against the sidewalk, just like her dreams. Heartbroken sobs rose in her throat as she began to walk, like a hollow shell dressed in bridal white. Her vision blurred with tears, distorting the world into a cruel caricature.
Tears streamed down her cheeks as the reality of the betrayal hit her hard, and the pain became unbearable.
Then, suddenly, a screeching sound filled the air, a metallic beast advancing at full speed without warning. Carolina turned and saw the scene; her scream tore through the air, like a desperate, primal sound.
—Mom! —Panic gripped her body.
He ran towards her, time seemed to stop. The impact was brutal, and his mother fell to the ground, blood gushing from her body.
"No, please, no!" Carolina cried, kneeling beside her mother, filled with despair.
She held her head, feeling her white dress become soaked with blood.
"Mom, please, hold on!" she pleaded, as tears streamed down her cheeks and the murmurs of the guests faded into a distant echo.
Some were calling emergency services, but she couldn't take her eyes off her mother.
Maria, her eyes filled with pain, tried to speak, but the words escaped her in agonized moans. Carolina wept, screaming desperately, searching for help in a world that seemed to have vanished, stripping her of every trace of happiness.
Chaos surrounded her, but she could only focus on her mother, who lay there, wounded and vulnerable. The life she had dreamed of crumbled before her eyes, and Alberto and Lina's betrayal became a distant echo in the midst of the storm.
"Mom, please don't leave me!" she pleaded, feeling her world crumble around her.
At that moment, he realized that he had lost much more than a wedding; he had lost the woman who had always been by his side, supporting him every step of the way.
The sound of sirens could be heard in the distance, but Carolina couldn't wait. She needed her mother, and there was nothing she could do to undo what had happened.
The tears continued to flow freely, and as he held his mother's head, he vowed that he would do everything he could to save her, even if it meant confronting his own fears and betrayals.
"You're going to be okay, Mom, I promise," she murmured, her voice broken by sobs, as the chaos around her continued, a storm of emotions that seemed to have no end.
Sobs shook her body, each one a plea for mercy. Within minutes, the wailing of sirens announced the arrival of the ambulance. Paramedics rushed to Maria's side, gently moving her away from her mother's body.
With somber and determined faces, they began to stabilize it.
"Come on, ma'am, stay with us," murmured one of them, a lifeline in the midst of the confusion.
Carolina stood there, her white dress, a symbol of love and hope, now covered in a red stain. Everyone stared at her, and the echo of their murmurs grew into a heart-wrenching scream that resonated in her heart.
The accident, the betrayal, everything swirled in his mind like a relentless storm.
The paramedics put Maria on the stretcher; Carolina couldn't stop sobbing.
"Mom, please, hold on!" he shouted, feeling a pain pressing on his chest, leaving him breathless.
They took her inside the ambulance, and she followed, clinging to her mother's hand.
At the hospital, Carolina's signature on the admission form was shaky, a barely legible testament to how broken she was.
They took their mother to the operating room, but hope was cruelly dashed when a doctor left with an administrator.
"Miss Laredo, your mother needs emergency surgery," the doctor began, his face impassive. "However, her insurance doesn't cover the cost of the operation," he said, and her heart sank.
"How much is it?" he asked, although deep down he knew the answer wouldn't be good.
"That's three hundred thousand dollars," the doctor replied in a tone that left no room for hope.
Carolina's eyes widened, and she began to shake her head.
"I don't... I don't have that money," he murmured, panic creeping into his voice. "Please, help me. I can't lose my mother!"
The doctor looked at her with disdain.
—I'm so sorry. This isn't a charity; if you don't have the money, your mother won't be able to have the surgery and she won't be able to be saved.
The words hit Carolina like a knife.
"Please," she pleaded, her voice trembling. "Help me. I'm willing to do whatever it takes."
He knelt down, tears streaming down his face, and blood streaming down his hands and face, his heart broken, desperately searching for a way to save his mother.
I'm going to stabilize her, but you only have 24 hours to get the money," the doctor replied coldly before leaving.
Carolina sat in the waiting room, her hands on her head, feeling overwhelmed by despair. Tears streamed down her face as her mind raced to find a solution.
At that moment, a girl who had been watching her approached.
"I'm Inés Martínez. Are you alright?" she asked, but Carolina's face was a picture of desolation. "I couldn't help but overhear you... I have a way to help you find the money," the girl continued, looking around cautiously.
"How?" Carolina asked, her voice barely a whisper.
"There's an app where wealthy men look for companionship and they pay very well. You could get the money there quickly," the girl told him, her gaze filled with a similar desperation.
Carolina hesitated, her mind conflicted, torn between morality and despair. The idea of selling her company was repulsive, but the image of her lifeless mother compelled her to consider the option.
"Does it really work?" he asked, trying to cling to a sliver of hope.
"Yes, and you're not the only one in this situation. People are willing to pay for companionship. I'll give you the information," the girl said, and as she provided it, Carolina felt increasingly trapped.
With trembling hands, she downloaded the app and eyed the screen suspiciously. The words "register" seemed to glow with an unsettling light. Time was not on her side, and her mother's life hung by a thread.
With every beat of her heart, she wondered if she could really do this and if she was doing the right thing. Despair overwhelmed her, but she knew she had to make a decision. She stared at the screen, and her increasingly agitated mind filled with images of her mother, her love, and her sacrifice.
Finally, with a deep sigh, she pressed the button to register, and thus sealed her