Chapter 5 - Shadows of the Past“Please, don't call me Miss Vance,” Teresa said, her tone soft and earnest. “And don't be angry with me. I didn't pry out of pity. I pried because I haven't met anyone like you in a very long time.”
Ramón let out a weary sigh, sitting down on a wooden workbench. “I don't need charity, Teresa. I’ve worked for every dollar I’ve ever made. I’ll figure out the bank situation.”
“How?” she asked frankly. “By working twenty-hour days until your body breaks? What happens to Bella then?”
Her words hit him like a physical blow. He buried his face in his hands, the weight of three years of relentless struggle finally crashing down on him in the quiet garage.
“She deserves better,” Ramón whispered, his voice cracking. “Her mother died, and all I’ve given her since is a cold room and empty promises.”
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Teresa sat beside him on the bench, ignoring the oil stains on her coat. “She loves you, Ramón. I saw the way she looked at you. You gave her safety and love. That’s worth more than anything money can buy.”
Ramón looked up, meeting her eyes. For the first time, the guarded wall between them crumbled, exposing the raw vulnerability underneath.
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