How could he love me when he took everything from me? The thought gnawed at the edges of my mind, relentless and sharp, like a knife twisting deeper with every passing second. Rafael’s love—if it even existed—was a concept I couldn’t comprehend, not when his hands were drenched in the blood of my family. The weight of it all settled heavily on my chest, suffocating and inescapable. But as I looked into Luis’s wide, innocent eyes, so full of hope and sincerity, I found myself unable to speak the words that would shatter his belief.
I leaned down slowly, my movements deliberate, as if every action required immense effort. My heart, heavy with emotions I didn’t fully understand, guided me as I pressed a gentle kiss to his small forehead. The gesture felt foreign and yet strangely natural, as
