My Mother-in-Law Arrived at My Home Expecting a Party. She Found the Gate Locked and My Phone on Speaker and Her Entire Family Finally Heard the Truth

A pause.

“Are you ending our marriage?”

I thought about how to answer that honestly.

“You ended it,” I said, “the morning you chose to go through my documents instead of coming to talk to me. I am simply the one who is saying it out loud.”

I watched the screen as the group began to separate.

The aunts gathered near the edge of the path, speaking in low voices, keeping distance from Ofelia.

The cousin set down the speaker.

The gold balloons drifted sideways in a small gust of wind.

Ofelia walked to the car alone.