“Lucía,” Dr. Martínez said, shining a light in my eyes. “Blink twice if you understand me.”
I blinked twice.
“Can you speak?”
I swallowed, the pain searing. I needed to say one word. The only word that mattered.
“Babies.”
Dr. Martínez let out a breath he seemed to have been holding for a month. “They are safe. For now. But your husband… he has plans for tomorrow.”
“I know,” I rasped. My voice sounded like gravel, but it was steady. “I heard… everything.”
I looked at the doctor, and I saw the realization dawn on him. He realized I knew about the money. The dress. The sale of the twin.
“Get… a lawyer,” I whispered. “And… security.”
“And your parents?” he asked.
“Yes. Call them. Tell them… I’m back.”
By 4:00 AM, my room had been transformed. My parents, weeping and shaking, were sitting by my side, holding my hands as if their grip alone kept me tethered to earth. A lawyer, a sharp-eyed woman named Ms. Castillo, sat with a notepad, recording my raspy testimony.