Ana was cleaning the refrigerator when her husband suddenly appeared in the kitchen doorway with an expression she couldn’t quite read.
“They’re finally here!” the woman’s voice called out from the front entrance with such genuine warmth that something inside Ana softened instantly, despite her anxiety.
Carlos stepped forward first, wrapping his mother in a tight embrace that showed years of comfort and familiarity.
“Mom, I’ve missed you so much,” he said with real feeling.
She cupped his face affectionately, then turned to Ana with an attentive but gentle expression that held no trace of judgment.
“You must be Ana. I’m so happy to finally meet you. I’m Carmen. Please come in, it’s cold out there.”
Ana hesitated for just a heartbeat. In her imagination over the past weeks, her mother-in-law had always worn a stern expression and carried a critical gaze that would find fault with everything.
Instead, Carmen stood there in a flour-dusted apron, carrying the comforting scent of freshly baked bread and radiating genuine kindness.
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