Iván, with hands hardened from labor, repaired neighbors’ sheds or helped on farms whenever needed. María sewed at night, hunched over an old sewing machine under the faint light of a lamp. Yet there was barely enough money for bread, potatoes, and a little meat on holidays.

Sonia, the eldest, knew hunger from a young age. At sixteen, for the first time, she pretended not to be hungry so that Alexei, thin and always cold, could finish her portion. At night, she sat by the window, staring at the dark silhouettes of the trees, dreaming of the day her family would stop counting coins.

Work in the village was scarce; young people left for the city, and those who stayed clung to any opportunity to eat. Sonia and Alexei also tried to find something, but their efforts were met with the world’s indifference. Iván often repeated: “We’ll get through this; the important thing is to stay united.”

But Sonia saw how her father’s back bent more each year and how her mother’s gaze grew more tired. She knew that if nothing changed, life would remain an endless cycle of poverty. Despite the misery, Iván and María believed in the power of knowledge.

“Study, children,” they told them. “That’s your ticket to another life.”

Sonia clung to those words like a lifeline. She was a diligent student, and her effort paid off.

School helped her secure a free spot at university and a scholarship. When she left for the city, Sonia felt, for the first time, that she had a real chance. University became a new world for her: classes, books, hallways full of noise and life.

She studied Economics, dreaming of someday opening her own business and lifting her family out of debt. But reality turned out to be cruel. Upon graduation, all the good jobs in the city were already taken; connections and money mattered more than a degree.

Sonia returned home with a suitcase full of clothes… and a heart full of broken hopes. She found work as a cashier in a store…

She worked long shifts for a miserable salary. Each night, she came home with swollen feet and a mind weighed down by unpaid bills. Alexei, now 17, dreamed of studying engineering, but Sonia knew they couldn’t even afford his books.

One day, as Sonia was stocking shelves at the store, she overheard a conversation between two customers.

—“Don Fernando is looking for a wife,” said one. “You know, that old millionaire who has land, cattle, and who knows how many houses in the city.”

—“Again?” scoffed the other. “But he’s already had three! All young, beautiful… and all left him.”

—“Yes, but this time he’s offering a big dowry. He says if the girl takes care of him and doesn’t abandon him, he’ll leave her in his will.”

Sonia said nothing, but those words stuck in her mind.

That night, while Alexei studied by candlelight and her parents tried to sleep without dinner, Sonia made a decision that broke her heart: to sacrifice herself for her family’s survival.

The next day, Sonia went to Don Fernando’s house. He was 62, with a neatly trimmed beard and hands soft as velvet. He looked at her with a tired smile.

—“You want to marry me?” he asked, his voice raspy.

Sonia swallowed hard and nodded.
—“Yes. But I want something in return.”

Don Fernando wasn’t surprised.
—“Money?”

—“I want you to pay for my brother’s studies. To give my parents a house. And to ensure them a peaceful life if one day I’m not around.”

He stood slowly and extended his hand.
—“Deal.”

On the wedding day, Sonia wore white, but her face was full of shadows. No one in the village dared say it, but everyone knew: it wasn’t a wedding of love, but of necessity.

At the altar, Sonia couldn’t hold back her tears. They weren’t tears of joy.

Don Fernando looked at her indifferently. To him, it was just another transaction.

After the banquet and the fake congratulations, they arrived at the huge house on the outskirts of town. Everything was immaculate: marble floors, antique paintings, oak furniture.

Sonia sat on the bed in the master bedroom, her heart racing with fear. Don Fernando went into the bathroom.

Minutes passed.

And when he came out…

Sonia nearly fainted.

Standing before her was not the frail old man everyone knew.
But a young man, in his thirties, with slicked-back hair and not a single wrinkle on his face.

He looked at her with a mischievous smile.
—“Surprised?”

Sonia couldn’t speak. She just stared, trembling.
—“Who… who are you?”

The man walked over and sat in front of her.
—“I’m Fernando. The real one. The old man you met is my father. It was only a test.”

Sonia brought her hand to her mouth. She couldn’t believe it.
—“A test?”

—“Yes,” he said. “I’ve been searching for someone who values their family more than themselves. Someone who knows what it is to fight. Someone with heart. And you… you have it all.”

Tears streamed down Sonia’s cheeks, this time from pure confusion.

—“So… this isn’t a trap?”

Fernando shook his head.
—“This is a new beginning. The deal still stands. Your family will have everything they need. And you… you’ll have the life you deserve, if you choose to stay.”

She looked at him in silence. Her heart, hardened by years of pain, began to beat again… this time with hope.

And so, what began as a wedding of obligation turned into the first chapter of a story that no one in the village would ever forget.