11/24/2025
Four months after the divorce, my ex-wife invited me to her wedding. As soon as I saw the groom's face, my heart stopped: the truth was even more bitter than I had imagined… Clinging to a curiosity I didn't want to admit, I put on the old suit I wore on our wedding day and drove alone to the hacienda where the event would be held.
I just wanted to know—who was the man she had chosen instead of me?
But when I saw the groom come out… I put my hands to my face, regretting it like never before in my life.
Mariana and I were together for three years before we got married. Our first months as husband and wife were like a soft bolero song: uneventful, but full of affection.
She had a sweet, almost shy appearance, but inside she was strong, clever, always ready to untangle any mess in our daily lives.
I… was the typical “good enough” man: I didn't drink excessively, I didn't gamble, I worked hard. But I failed at the essential thing: listening to her.
My job in real estate in Mexico City was a constant pressure cooker. I always had the perfect excuse:
""I'm busy… it's for our future.""
And while I said that, Mariana would sit across from me, waiting for a look, a word, anything.
But I was always glued to my phone, my laptop… or to the silence. Over time, I stopped knowing if she was sad or happy.
We didn't fight.
And that was my mistake: confusing silence with peace.
One night, Mariana said bluntly:
""I want a divorce.""
I froze.
""We can try again,"" I pleaded.
She shook her head gently:
""I waited a long time, Santiago. I thought that loving her enough would be enough… but I'm losing myself.""
I signed the papers one gray evening. There were no tears, but there was an emptiness that haunted me for months.
One Thursday afternoon I received a message from her:
“Are you free this Sunday? I want to give you an invitation.”
I didn't have to open the envelope to know what it was.
I slept barely three hours that night.
On Sunday, I drove to an elegant hacienda in Puebla. I sat at a table in the back, not wanting to see or be seen.
Until she appeared.
Mariana, in a shimmering white dress, smiling in a way I hadn't seen in years.
My chest burned.
Then her boyfriend came out.
And I almost collapsed.
It was... ...To be continued in the comments.👇