He blinked.
“So… Mom’s not trying to hurt you?” he asked.
I hesitated.
Then I smiled.
A small one.
“No,” I said. “She’s trying to keep me alive.”
He let out a shaky breath.
Then threw his arms around me.
“I thought…” he whispered.
“I know,” I said, holding him tight. “I know.”
I looked up.
At Marina.
At Daniela.
At Héctor.
And for the first time—
I saw it.
Not conspiracy.
Not betrayal.
Fear.
Their fear.
For me.
