Chapter 7: Sofia Speaks
Two days later, Emiliano found Sofia sitting alone in the garden after school.
He sat beside her on the bench.
“Papa,” she said after a long silence, “do you like Patricia more than us?”
The question hit him like a punch.
“No,” he said immediately. “Never. Why would you think that?”
Sofia picked at the hem of her dress.
“Because you’re going to marry her. And she doesn’t like us. She only pretends when you’re here.”
Emiliano felt his throat tighten.
“Has she hurt you?” he asked carefully.
Sofia was quiet for a long time.
“She doesn’t hit us,” she finally said. “But sometimes… the way she looks at us and talks to us… it makes my stomach hurt.”
Emiliano closed his eyes.
May you like
He had failed his daughters.
And he had almost failed the woman who had been protecting them.
