“That’s not—”
“Yes,” Daniela cut in, her voice shaking. “It is.”
I turned to her.
“You’ve been skipping doses,” she said. “We checked.”
My stomach dropped.
“How would you—”
“You left the bottles in the cabinet,” she said. “They’re still full.”
I felt something collapse inside me.
“I’ve been fine,” I said.
“No,” Marina said softly. “You’ve been pretending to be fine.”
Silence.
Heavy.
Pressing.
I looked at Héctor.
“And the gun?” I asked quietly.
His jaw tightened.
“That wasn’t what you think,” he said.
“Then explain it,” I said.
He stepped forward.
For the first time since I’d known him—
He looked directly at me.
Not polite.
Not reserved.
Direct.
“I work with a private security firm now,” he said. “You know that.”
I nodded slowly.
“I carry legally,” he continued. “For protection.”
I said nothing.
Marina spoke again.
“I asked him to bring it… in case things went wrong.”
My breath caught.
“In case what went wrong?” I asked.
She hesitated.
Then—
“In case your heart gave out.”
The room went still.
Even the air felt heavier.
“What?” I said, barely above a whisper.
She swallowed.
“The doctor said it could happen,” she said. “At any time.”
I shook my head.
“No one told me that.”
“We tried,” Daniela said, tears forming in her eyes. “You wouldn’t listen.”
“I’m not—”
“You are,” Marina said, her voice breaking. “You’re stubborn, and you’re scared, and you’d rather ignore it than face it.”
I stepped back.
The walls felt closer.
“You said ‘old man’s last night,’” I said.
Marina closed her eyes.
Then opened them again.
“Yes,” she said.
“Because we thought it might be.”
Everything inside me went quiet again.
But this time—
It wasn’t shock.
It was understanding.
Slow.
Reluctant.
Painful.
“And the medicine?” I asked.
“You were supposed to start the new dosage today,” she said. “I crushed it into your coffee this morning.”
I stared at her.
“You drugged me?”
“I saved you,” she said, tears falling now. “Because you wouldn’t save yourself.”
Silence.
Deep.
Unavoidable.
I looked at Emiliano.
He was watching all of us.
Confused.
Scared.
Trying to piece together something too big for him.
I knelt down in front of him.
“Hey,” I said softly.
He blinked.
“So… Mom’s not trying to hurt you?” he asked.
I hesitated.
Then I smiled.
A small one.
“No,” I said. “She’s trying to keep me alive.”
He let out a shaky breath.
Then threw his arms around me.
“I thought…” he whispered.
“I know,” I said, holding him tight. “I know.”
