Daniel felt his breath catch.
Marta smiled but didn’t look directly at him.
“My mother used to sing it to me,” she said softly. “Whenever I was scared.”
Lucas took another small step closer.
“Were you scared a lot?” Marta asked.
The boy hesitated.
Then, barely audible, a whisper escaped his lips.
“Yes.”
Daniel’s eyes filled with tears.
It was the first word his son had spoken in two years.
Marta slowly knelt down.
“Sometimes,” she said gently, “when someone we love goes away, our hearts hide so they don’t get hurt again.”
Lucas looked up at her.
“But hiding doesn’t make the pain go away,” she added.
Lucas’s voice trembled.
“Mom… used to sing that song.”
Marta’s eyes softened.
“I know.”
Lucas blinked.
“How?”
Marta finally looked at him.
Because the truth she had been carrying was heavier than any secret in that mansion.
“Because,” she said quietly, “your mother and I grew up in the same neighborhood.”
Lucas’s eyes widened.
“She used to sing that song when we were little girls.”
Behind the door, Daniel stepped into the room slowly.
“Is that true?” he asked, his voice shaking.
Marta nodded.
“She was my best friend.”
Lucas looked between them.