Diego first met Doña Carmen as a simple job. She was an elderly woman living alone who had promised to pay him 200 pesos to help with chores, meals, and errands. At first, he believed she would pay him eventually, but over time he realized she had no money at all. Even so, he kept returning. He cleaned her house, cooked for her, bought fruit and medicine when he could, and sat beside her listening to stories about her late husband and the children who rarely visited. As her health declined, Diego became more than a helper—he became her steady companion. He took her to the clinic, read the newspaper to her, and stayed by her side as she grew weaker. Even then, Doña Carmen worried not about herself, but about the debt she felt she owed him. Shortly before she passed away, she made him promise to check the wardrobe after her death. When Diego returned to her house and learned she was gone, a neighbor gave him a letter she had left behind, along with a small key.

Inside the letter, Doña Carmen revealed the painful truth she had carried for decades. Long ago, she had a son named Tomás, a hardworking young man who studied and worked just as Diego did. When Tomás became seriously ill, she used the money he had saved for university, hoping to return it later. She never could, and her son died soon after. Ever since, she had lived with guilt for taking his future and accepting his kindness without being able to repay him. In Diego, she saw a second chance to make peace with that wound. Hidden in the wardrobe was a metal box containing money, the deed to her house, and an old photo of Tomás. She left everything to Diego, not out of charity, but because he had restored her dignity in her final months. With that gift, Diego paid off his university debts, repaired the house, graduated, and one day returned to cook chicken broth in her kitchen—fulfilling both her request and her final act of love.