When they stood up, they crossed the lobby side by side. The manager, who was talking to a client, paused as she saw them pass. Her gaze hardened, but Lucía didn’t look away. There was no more resentment, only the certainty that this place no longer defined her.
That afternoon, in the staff locker room, she hung up her uniform for the last time. Some colleagues congratulated her in hushed tones; others didn’t even approach. Valdés finally stepped forward.
— I never imagined you would leave like this… but I’m happy for you, — he murmured.
Lucía left the hotel and walked to the bus stop with a lightness she hadn’t felt for years. The noise of the city sounded different, less oppressive.
When she got home, she found Daniel doing his homework. She handed him a folder full of documents, with a smile that trembled with emotion.
— Start practicing your Arabic, — she told him.
The boy looked at her, torn between surprise and excitement.
« Shall we leave?
» « Yes, my boy. This time… we’re leaving because we chose to. »
That night, as the city lit up, Lucía thought about everything she was leaving behind: the invisibility, the tips disguised as thanks, the corridors where she had learned to walk along the walls.
For the first time in a long time, she felt that what awaited her was not an escape, but the beginning of her true path.
If this story touched your heart, tell me in the comments what you would have done in Lucía’s place.
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