I was sitting in the doctor's waiting room when my phone rang. It was Angela, my only daughter. Her voice sounded strange, almost cold, when she said, "Mom, we're going to Europe tomorrow. I already sold your beach house and your car."

In the mornings, I was the poor widow everyone knew. I went out to buy necessities, talked to the neighbors, kept up appearances, but in the afternoons, I became a businesswoman. I studied Roberto's documents, talked to Jorge, and planned my next move. I learned things about finance I never thought I'd need to know

I discovered that Roberto had been much smarter than I thought. Every one of his investments had been carefully calculated. The building where Angela lived, for example, was not only profitable from the rents, but it was in an area that was rapidly appreciating in value. I also discovered that Eduardo, Angela's husband, had debts—lots of debts.
He had taken out loans using the apartment they lived in as collateral, not knowing that he wasn't the actual owner. When the banks realized this, he was going to be in serious trouble. Jorge called me one Friday with important news. "Mrs. Antonia, we've finished all the paperwork. You now have full control of all your properties.
I also recovered Roberto's car. The buyer turned out to be an acquaintance of mine, and when I explained the situation, he agreed to return it in exchange for a small compensation." "Excellent work, Jorge. Now I need your help with one more thing. I want you to send a letter to my daughter." "What kind of letter?" "An eviction notice."

There was silence on the other end of the line. Mrs. Antonia, are you sure you want to do this? Absolutely sure. She decided I wasn't important in her life. Now she's going to find out just how important I am. I really understand. She wants me to send it to her in Europe. I don't want to give it to her when I get back. I have a feeling that's going to be very soon.
I wasn't wrong. That same afternoon, Aurora came running to my house with fresh news from the neighborhood. Antonia, did you know Eduardo is in trouble with the bank? My brother-in-law who works there told me they're investigating some loans he took out using the apartment where they live as collateral, but it turns out the apartment isn't his. Really? Yes. And it seems Angela didn't know anything about it

They're saying she's going to have to come back from Europe to sort this mess out. What a complicated situation. Yes. And the worst part is that apparently Eduardo lied to her about the business in Europe. There was no business; he just wanted to escape the debts he had here. Perfect. Everything was turning out exactly as I expected.
Angela had trusted Eduardo, sacrificed her relationship with me for him, and now she was discovering that he wasn't the man she thought he was. That night I sat on the terrace with a cup of tea and looked at the stars. Roberto used to say that the stars were the souls of people who had lived full lives, watching over their families from heaven.
If that was true, then he was up there, watching his plan unfold perfectly. "Thank you, my love," I said to the sky. "Thank you for watching over me even after your death." The next day, Jorge called me early. Mrs. Antonia, there's news. Your daughter just arrived in the country. She's at the airport alone.

Yes, apparently Eduardo stayed in Europe. There are rumors that they had a very bad fight. I understand You already sent her the letter. I'm going to send it today. She should receive it tomorrow. I hung up the phone and stood there in the kitchen feeling a mixture of nervousness and anticipation. After so many weeks of silent planning, the moment for the first real move had finally arrived. Angela was about to discover that her mother wasn't the helpless victim she thought she was.
Angela arrived at her apartment on Tuesday night. I knew this because Aurora, who seemed to have informants all over the neighborhood, came to tell me the next day. "Antonia, your daughter came back last night. I saw her come upstairs with a suitcase, but she looked terrible, pale, with dark circles under her eyes, as if she'd cried the whole flight. Alone, completely alone.
And something strange, Antonia, when the doorman asked her for the keys, she didn't have them. He had to ask the concierge to let her in with the emergency copy. Interesting. Eduardo had the keys, which meant he'd probably decided not to come back. Or maybe Angela had found out something about him and had run away."

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