You’re wrong, we rented this apartment,” the girl said with a confused smile.
“He’s not the one for you!” Carmen Sánchez repeated for the umpteenth time. “One day you’ll understand!”
“Mom, don’t worry if you believe that day will inevitably come,” Clara replied, laughing.
Of course, Clara was quite annoyed that her mother was upset about her relationship with Pedro, but she had no intention of leaving him just because her mother wanted her to.
On the contrary, Clara enjoyed teasing Carmen Sánchez and emphasizing that everything was going perfectly with Pedro.
— Where are you going? — the woman asked sharply as she saw her daughter packing her things.
— Pedro and I have decided to rent an apartment — Clara announced cheerfully.
— With what money? He’s not only lazy, he’s poor — Carmen Sánchez scoffed.
— Mom, Pedro and I are splitting the rent. In case you forgot, we both have jobs!
— And where does he work, remind me? — the woman asked with a disdainful smile. — At what factory?
— Why does it have to be at a factory to earn money? You have such an outdated view of modern life. Pedro works from home.
— That Pedro is fooling you! — Carmen Sánchez exclaimed indignantly. — You’re the only one working. It’s obvious he’s a scammer!
— Mom, enough with the insults! — Clara said angrily. — I’m leaving now. I’ll call you later.
The girl grabbed her things and headed for the door, not wanting to keep arguing with her mother, who irritated her with her suspicions.
That very night, Clara and Pedro rented a one-bedroom apartment that he had found through some friends and began living together.
During the day, Clara studied at a teacher training college, and at night she worked as a cleaner in two stores.
Pedro worked only from home. Clara didn’t pay much attention to what exactly he did.
The important thing was that Pedro earned money, and they could share the rent and food expenses.
Everything seemed to be going well in their relationship.
The only thing that bothered Clara was that Pedro never introduced her to his friends.
She brought it up a couple of times, but Pedro always laughed it off, even suggesting she invite her friends over instead.
— How are we going to celebrate your birthday? — she asked three months later.
— I don’t want to celebrate it — he replied, scowling.
— Pedro, you’re turning twenty-five! That’s a milestone! We have to celebrate — she insisted.
— I don’t have money to go to a restaurant…
— Then invite your friends over! I’ll take care of everything and it’ll be cheaper. Come on, Pedro — Clara insisted, and in the end, he reluctantly agreed.
On the appointed day, Clara spent hours cooking until her legs went numb.
She chopped salads, fried steaks, roasted chicken. Pedro didn’t help at all.
At seven o’clock in the evening, Pedro’s friends began to arrive.
There were more guests than expected.
They were very loud, and Clara soon grew tired of them.
Pretending to be busy, she stepped out onto the balcony.
However, she couldn’t enjoy the silence for long.
After a few minutes, Nika, one of Pedro’s acquaintances, joined her.
— You’re so lucky, Clara, a boyfriend with his own apartment — Nika said enviously. — Did you know?
— His own apartment? Pedro owns an apartment? — Clara said, surprised.
— Of course — Nika answered, confused. — You guys live here, right?
— What? — Clara blinked nervously. — You’re wrong, we rent this place.
— You can’t be renting it — Nika replied. — This apartment was left to Pedro by his paternal grandmother. I’ve been here a hundred times. He’s been living here for five years.
Clara stared at Nika, trying to absorb the information she had just learned.
— You didn’t know? — Nika exclaimed. — He never told you? Maybe he wanted to test whether you were a gold-digger.
Nika let out a forced laugh, clearly mocking Clara.
— Pedro — Clara approached him while he was drinking beer with his friends — we need to talk!
— Later, the guys are telling a great joke — Pedro brushed Clara aside like an annoying fly.
— No, we’re talking now! — Clara insisted.
— Then say what you have to say in front of everyone — he muttered, taking a sip from his can.
— Why didn’t you tell me you had an apartment? — Clara asked, hands firmly on her hips.
— I don’t have anything — Pedro said with a fake smile.
— And this apartment? Whose is it?
— Yeah, whose? — Nika appeared behind Clara. — It’s yours! All your friends can confirm it!
— Of course! — the friends shouted in chorus.
— So you lied to me? Then who have we been paying rent to? — Clara was stunned. — To you?
Pedro gave a silly smile and laughed nervously. He knew Clara had caught him in a lie.
Indeed, during all the time they lived in the apartment, the rent money had gone straight into Pedro’s pocket.
Pedro had secured the apartment. Clara never transferred the money to the landlord and had never even met him.
Now the painful truth came to light: the six hundred euros Clara gave Pedro each month, he kept for himself.
— You’re a scoundrel, Pedro! — Clara cried, tears welling up in her eyes, as she gathered her things.
She no longer wanted to live with a liar.
Pedro’s greed destroyed everything good they had in their relationship.
That same night, Clara returned to her mother’s house.
— Mom, you were right — she said with a broken voice, and she told her mother how Pedro had been deceiving her for months.
After that incident, Clara and her ex-boyfriend never saw each other again.
However, she later heard rumors that Pedro and Nika had moved in together.