Lia was fourteen, an only child until six months ago. She was a planet that had suddenly acquired a chaotic, noisy solar system.
Lia turned away. "Dad didn't choose to die." lias big stepfamily
"Whatever it is," Marco said, "we figure it out. Together." Lia was fourteen, an only child until six months ago
Shouts. Rafa's voice, raw and cracked. Then Mateo's, lower, urgent. "Dad didn't choose to die
The turning point came on a rain-soaked Tuesday. Her mother and Marco were at a parent-teacher conference for the twins. Lia was home alone, supposedly. She had just settled into a bath, the first moment of peace in weeks, when she heard the front door slam.
She wrapped herself in a towel and crept to the top of the stairs. Below, Rafa was pacing, his fists clenched, his face a mess of tears and fury. In his hand, crumpled, was a letter.
The deep wound wasn't the noise. It was the ease.