Yet on that September afternoon, Alejandro felt hollow.
For months, one question consumed him: did Isabela truly love him, or was she drawn only to his wealth and influence? The signs were subtle but unmistakable. She glowed when he gifted jewelry yet drifted during serious conversations.
She vanished on his toughest workdays, reappearing like clockwork for high-profile events.
She showed no interest in his thoughts, doubts, or fears. With the same analytical acuity that served him in business, Alejandro tallied the evidence—and the conclusion was bitter: he loved a woman who treated him like a luxury ATM.
That afternoon, a reckless idea took shape. If Isabela loved him, she’d love him when he was no longer the powerful Alejandro Mendoza everyone admired. He called Dr. Carlos Herrera, his personal physician and one of the few true friends he had. When Herrera arrived, Alejandro outlined the most extreme plan of his life: he would feign paralysis to test Isabela’s love.
The doctor was speechless, certain he’d misheard—until he saw the determination and vulnerability in his childhood friend’s eyes. Then he began to consider it seriously. Alejandro explained he wanted to watch how Isabela reacted to him in a wheelchair, dependent on others, stripped of success’s allure.
Technically, it was possible. Herrera could falsify reports indicating a traffic accident had caused spinal cord damage, with uncertain prospects of recovery. That night, Alejandro stayed awake, watching Isabela sleep peacefully, unaware of what was coming.
