Canela stood despite her pain.
When Miguel opened the apartment door, she stepped forward before anyone could stop her.
And for the first time, neither of them tried.
Miguel carried the box while Lupita held the pale puppy against her chest, wrapped inside her sweater like a secret.
Canela walked beside them, limping badly, but every time Miguel slowed down, she looked back with quiet insistence.
The hallway smelled of fried onions and floor cleaner, painfully normal for a night that no longer felt ordinary.
Behind one door, someone laughed at a television joke, and Lupita pressed the puppy closer without saying anything.
Don Ernesto opened his door before they reached the stairs, his face already hard with suspicion and impatience.
Miguel expected anger, another warning, maybe the final words that would push them out of the building.
But Don Ernesto looked at Canela’s bleeding paws, then at the box, and his mouth tightened instead.
“Two hours,” he said quietly. “Don’t make me regret giving you that much.”
Miguel nodded, unable to tell whether gratitude or shame hurt more as he continued down the stairs.
In the truck, Lupita sat with the puppies on her lap, her knees keeping the cardboard steady.
