She stepped closer.
Slow.
Careful.
Like approaching something fragile.
“You haven’t been taking your medication,” she said.
I blinked.
“What?”
“For your heart,” she added.
I stared at her.
“That’s not—”
“Yes,” Daniela cut in, her voice shaking. “It is.”
I turned to her.
“You’ve been skipping doses,” she said. “We checked.”
My stomach dropped.
“How would you—”
“You left the bottles in the cabinet,” she said. “They’re still full.”
I felt something collapse inside me.
“I’ve been fine,” I said.
“No,” Marina said softly. “You’ve been pretending to be fine.”
Silence.
Heavy.
Pressing.
I looked at Héctor.
“And the gun?” I asked quietly.
His jaw tightened.
“That wasn’t what you think,” he said.
“Then explain it,” I said.
He stepped forward.
For the first time since I’d known him—
He looked directly at me.
Not polite.
Not reserved.
Direct.
“I work with a private security firm now,” he said. “You know that.”
I nodded slowly.
“I carry legally,” he continued. “For protection.”
I said nothing.
Marina spoke again.
“I asked him to bring it… in case things went wrong.”
My breath caught.
“In case what went wrong?” I asked.
She hesitated.
Then—
“In case your heart gave out.”
The room went still.
Even the air felt heavier.
“What?” I said, barely above a whisper.
She swallowed.
“The doctor said it could happen,” she said. “At any time.”
I shook my head.
“No one told me that.”
“We tried,” Daniela said, tears forming in her eyes. “You wouldn’t listen.”
“I’m not—”
“You are,” Marina said, her voice breaking. “You’re stubborn, and you’re scared, and you’d rather ignore it than face it.”
I stepped back.
