He began trying to be present.
He ate dinner with them.
He helped Laura brush her hair.
He sat outside Julia’s bedroom during her panic attacks.
He changed Sofia’s sheets without making her feel ashamed.
He let Beatriz and Bianca tell him about their latest schemes.
And he carried Isabela around the house while she slept.
Luía continued cleaning.
But her real job had quietly become something else.
She was helping them reconnect.
Then one afternoon, Ricardo returned home early.
He heard laughter.
Real laughter.
Not nervous laughter.
Not the twins’ mischievous giggling.
Real laughter.
He walked into the living room.
Luía was sitting on the floor.
The six girls surrounded her.
She was reading a story.
Isabela was asleep against her leg.
Laura was braiding Luía’s hair.
The twins were arguing about who got to turn the pages.
Julia was smiling.
And Mariana was sitting beside Luía, pretending not to care.
