My heart hammered inside my chest as I walked down the hospital corridors, the echo of my shoes sounding far too loud against the polished floor. My mind burned with the memory of Isabella’s voice on the phone—sharp and cutting, filled with a fury I knew was justified.
I hadn’t answered.
Not because I didn’t care, but because I had been trapped in a damn meeting with investors who wouldn’t tolerate interruptions. My phone was on silent, out of reach, while my daughter was here. Sick. Needing me.
Carmen was the one who found me first outside the company building, holding Maria’s phone with an expression heavy with disapproval.
“You need to go to the hospital. Now.”
She didn’t leave room for discussion, and I didn’t try to argue. I simply left as fast as I could.
Now, standing at the d
