Whenever that other woman suggested that they be honest and be together openly, he had refused, maintaining the façade of a pure and disciplined man.
"I hate to be this hypocrite... I can't deceive my fiancé for you," he had claimed.
The truth, however, was uglier.
It was eventually uncovered that he had been deeply jealous of Maria's success.
She was on the verge of receiving admission into one of the most prestigious international schools, while he stagnated in his own mediocrity.
His jealousy rotted into resentment, and from there, into cruelty.
He had never hesitated to destroy her life if it meant preserving his fragile pride.
Now, exposed and disgraced, he was consumed by regret.
"I want to meet Maria," he pleaded.
When Maria learned the truth, her heart ached as though it were being torn open again. Yet after nights of reflection, she made a choice.
'If I keep holding onto this,' she thought, 'I'll never move forward.'
