Andrei awoke to a restless ache in his chest. The encounter with Catalina the previous day had left a bitter taste in his mouth, and the memory of his father lying frail and unaware haunted him. Despite his usual habit of rising early, he found himself staring at the ceiling, replaying every sharp word spoken between him and his stepmother.
It wasn’t just her dismissal of his father’s needs that infuriated him. It was the realization that his father had been waiting to see him—and he had walked away.
Andrei swung his legs out of bed and sat on the edge for a moment, running a hand through his disheveled hair. He knew he couldn’t change the past, but the guilt gnawed at him nonetheless.
As he rose and prepared for the day, his thoughts turned to Cristine. Since her pregnancy, she had bec
