“What are you doing?” Tomás whispered, furious.
“To be fair,” she replied. “Nadia didn’t make any promises to you. You did. She deserves, at the very least, a peaceful night. You, on the other hand…”
Nadia looked at her, still trembling.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Briones. I really didn’t know he was married. He doesn’t wear a ring when he travels.”
“I believe you,” Jimena said, this time with a genuine hint of compassion. “It’s not the first time he’s used that trick.”
Nadia snatched the keycard from Tomás’s hand, almost tearing it away, and ran toward the elevators.
Tomás wanted to follow her, but Jimena blocked his path with a single glance.
“Can we talk about this in private?” he asked, his throat dry.
“Of course,” she said, gesturing to the side door where the woman in the dark suit was waiting. “My office is this way.”
The other woman took a step forward.
“I’m Mariana Chen, Mrs. Briones’s lawyer,” she introduced herself with a slight nod. “Good evening, Mr. Briones.”
Jimena’s office was spacious, overlooking Paseo de la Reforma. There were hotel models on a shelf and framed blueprints on the wall. None of that existed in the life Tomás thought he knew.
Mariana sat in a corner, opened a leather folder, and remained silent.
“Since when have you known?” Tomás blurted out as soon as the door closed. “Since when have you known about… Nadia?”
“About her, two months ago,” Jimena replied, sitting down behind the desk. “About your infidelities in general… almost a year.”
