Mrs. Álvarez, a strict mother-in-law, had always kept her distance from her daughter-in-law, Mariana.
In her eyes, Mariana was nothing more than a provincial girl, lacking the status to marry her son, Alejandro Álvarez—a talented doctor and heir to both the family fortune and prestige.
From the day of their wedding, Mrs. Álvarez made no secret of her contempt: she criticized Mariana’s cooking and made comments implying that she had been “lucky” to marry Alejandro.
