“Bianca!”
The twins ran away laughing.
Mariana walked past him.
“You should know better than to leave your door unlocked.”
Ricardo stared at her.
“Whose side are you on?”
“Nobody’s.”
She smiled.
Then she walked away.
For the first time in more than a year, Ricardo laughed.
A real laugh.
Luía heard it from the kitchen.
She stopped what she was doing.
She smiled.
The house was alive again.
But something had changed between Ricardo and Luía too.
They had become friends.
Not lovers.
Not yet.
Neither had crossed that line.
Ricardo respected the memory of Claris.
And Luía respected the family.
Still, there were moments.
A glance across the dinner table.
A quiet conversation after midnight.
A shared laugh when the twins created chaos.
Something existed between them.
Neither named it.
Then one afternoon, Luía received a phone call.
Her mother had collapsed.
Luía rushed to the hospital.
