There was a pause, and I could see the questions in their eyes. Questions they were too polite to ask in front of Leon. I felt the need to fill the silence, to offer some kind of explanation, but I was at a loss for words.
"Please, sit down," Leon’s father said, gesturing to the chairs by the window. I followed them, and we sat together in the small, sterile room, where the sound of Leon's steady breathing was the only thing breaking the silence.
"I'm sorry," I began, my voice low. "I didn't know Leon had a family. He always told me he was an orphan."
His mother sighed, a furious and sarcastic smile playing on her lips. "It's complicated," she said sternly. "Leon... he distanced himself from us a long time ago. We haven't been in touch for years. But that doesn’t mean we didn’t know wha
