Three days passed that felt like three months. The report arrived: Cecilia lived on the outskirts of San Miguel with her mother. Her mother worked cleaning houses, was ill, and the registered last name was Salazar. There was a photo. Cecilia was smiling, with features identical to Ximena’s.
Diego didn’t wait any longer. He arrived at the house one cloudy afternoon, the path was dirt and puddles, chickens pecked among old cans, but there were flowers: bougainvillea climbing the fence, white roses in makeshift pots. He knocked on the wooden door.
“You… the bread man,” Cecilia whispered.
—Yes… I need to talk to your mom.
Ximena appeared, thinner, her face marked, her eyes sunken, trembling as she held the curtain. Their eyes met, and the world faded away once more.
“Diego…” she whispered.
“Why didn’t you ever come back?” her voice broke.
Ximena told everything: fear, danger, cancer. Diego knelt before her, holding her cold hands:
—You have no right! I’ve been dead inside for sixteen years… and she… she’s our daughter.
Cecilia covered her mouth, and the ring shone in the sad light of the house.
“I’m Diego,” he said carefully. “And if you’ll allow me… I’m your dad.”
Cecilia took a small step toward him. Ximena sobbed.
“You were never a tragedy,” Diego said. “You were the best thing that ever happened to me. And if fate gives us a second chance, I’m not going to waste it.”
Diego moved heaven and earth: he took Ximena to the best hospital in Querétaro, arranged treatments, clinical trials, and new medications. Cecilia and Diego began to get to know each other. The girl studied, made crafts, and read with passion.
Months later, the doctor smiled: the tumor was receding. Ximena cried tears of joy, Diego hugged her, and Cecilia joined them.
They married in a small ceremony, Ximena with the same ring, Cecilia as bridesmaid with a blue dress matching the topaz.
Diego kissed Ximena and whispered to her:
-Eternally.
“It was always eternal,” she replied.
Later, they moved near the sea, in Nayarit .
Cecilia had a room with a water view, a scholarship at school, and Diego learned to do simple things: take her to classes, listen to her, be there.
One afternoon, watching the sunset on the terrace:
“Can you imagine if you hadn’t gotten out of the car?” Ximena asked.
“I don’t like to think about it,” Diego replied.
Cecilia ran on the sand, laughing, the ring shining on her hand.
“Eternally,” he repeated.
—Eternally —Ximena said.
For the first time in sixteen years, Diego felt that he was finally home .
