I MARRIED A RICH OLD MAN FOR MONEY — BUT WHEN I FOUND OUT WHO HE REALLY WAS, I WAS SPEECHLESS. I CRIED.

When I first saw it, we were almost forty years apart. White hair, still elegant despite his age, and always wearing an expensive watch. His name: Mr. Alexander Cruz.

He was a silent man. He was not rude or short-tempered. But there was a sadness in his eyes, as if he was looking for something he couldn’t find.

One night, while we were having dinner at his big house, he suddenly spoke:

“Ivy… I have a question”. “What is it, sir?” “Is it true that they only forced you?”

I stayed silent.

“No, sir”, I whispered. “I wanted it too. Because… I want to help my mom”.

He nodded, with a weak smile. “You don’t have to lie. I understand”.

Months passed, and little by little I became aware of his character. It wasn’t what everyone thought —he wasn’t arrogant, he wasn’t cold. He loved planting flowers in the backyard. Every morning at six, I made coffee for both of us.

And every night before going to bed, I stared at an old photo next to the bed —the photo of a little girl and a woman who looked my age.

“They are very beautiful”, I once said.

He smiled, bitterness on his lips. “Yeah. They were my life then”.