Chapter 65

My chest tightens, and for a moment, I can’t breathe. I feel their eyes on me, waiting for some kind of reaction, but I can't find the right words. I can’t even move. Carolina breaks the silence. “It was crazy. Before last year, he’d never done anything like that. Sure, he gets sad on the anniversary—we know that. It’s why November 12th is marked on our calendars. We usually just visit the grave, say a few words, drop some flowers. We did that last year as usual, and then we parted ways. But Lucas… he went back. We were lucky it didn’t get to the press.” “Umm,” Sofía cuts in, “what if it did?” “It would have been a mess, stupid. He’s an important man.” “Who deserves to grieve,” I whisper, my voice so quiet it’s almost drowned out by the hum of the TV. “Did you say something?” Carolina asks. I stand abruptly, the armchair creaking under the sudden shift. “Thank you for the wonderful little time we had together,” I say, forcing a tight smile. “But I’m going upstairs now. To see Luke.” No