“Fire.”
Lucía’s eyes widened instantly as her chest tightened, the memory returning more vividly now, flames engulfing her childhood home, the chaos, the fear, the desperate escape into darkness.
Her hand flew to her mouth as tears filled her eyes again, the connection becoming undeniable, the past she had tried to forget now forcing its way back into her life.
“What happened that night…?” she asked quietly, her voice trembling as she looked at him with desperate need for answers that only he could provide.
Mr. Rafael struggled again, the effort clearly exhausting him, but his determination remained, as if he knew time was running out and this was his only chance.
This time, he managed to form another word, even shakier than before, but enough for Lucía to understand.
“Brother.”
Lucía froze.
A cold chill ran down her spine as a new layer of truth unfolded, something darker than she had imagined, something that connected not only her past, but Daniel’s family as well.
“Your brother…?” she whispered, her mind racing as she tried to piece together the meaning behind that single, devastating word.
At that moment, the sound of a car pulling into the driveway echoed through the house, breaking the fragile silence that had filled the room.
Lucía’s heart dropped instantly.
Daniel was back.
She turned toward the door slowly, her entire body tense, knowing that whatever truth she had uncovered was about to collide with the man she had trusted most in her life.
Footsteps approached quickly down the hallway, firm and deliberate, carrying a weight that made Lucía’s stomach twist with unease and anticipation.
The door opened.
Daniel stood there, his expression unreadable at first, but his eyes immediately fell on the scene before him, the notebook, the pen, Lucía standing beside his father.
For a brief moment, silence filled the room.
Then his face darkened.
“You broke your promise,” he said coldly, his voice carrying a sharp edge that Lucía had never heard before, sending a chill straight through her spine.
Lucía swallowed hard, but this time, she did not step back.
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