My husband said he was “on a business trip,” but when I went to the hospital to visit my sick friend, I suddenly heard his voice behind the door… and what I heard chilled me to the bone.

He agreed, took the keys, and left. I watched him disappear behind the carved oak door and felt a slight, unsettling pang in my chest.

A warning I ignored. Perhaps it was just that guilty relief of having the house to myself for a few days.

That same afternoon, after several meetings at the office, I thought about Laura, my best friend since college.

She had sent me a message the day before telling me that she had been admitted to a hospital in Segovia with acute typhoid fever.

Laura lived alone in that city, so unfamiliar to me. I had always tried to help her. The small house where she lived was mine, and out of compassion I let her live there rent-free.

“Poor Laura,” I murmured. “She must be so lonely.”

I checked the time: two o’clock. Suddenly, the afternoon opened up before me, and an idea occurred to me: why not visit it? Segovia was only a couple of hours away if the traffic was good.

You could surprise her with her favorite stew and a basket of fresh fruit.

I called my driver, José, and then remembered that I had called to say I was sick. So I took my red Mercedes and drove myself, imagining Laura’s face lighting up when she saw me.

I even planned to call Ricardo later and tell him what a wonderful wife he was. I could already hear him congratulating me.

At five o’clock I arrived at the parking lot of an elegant private hospital in Segovia. Laura had told me she was in VIP suite 305.

VIP.

That alone made me hesitate. Laura didn’t work. How could she afford a room like that? But my optimism quickly dispelled my suspicions. Perhaps she had savings. And if not, it didn’t matter. I would pay.