Equal transparency.
No control over Lucía.
No conditions.
Alejandro attended his first prenatal appointment after asking
permission.
He sat in the corner.
The room darkened.
The ultrasound image appeared.
A heartbeat filled the room.
Alejandro covered his mouth.
Lucía watched the screen.
Not him.
The doctor pointed.
“There’s the head.”
“And the hand.”
The baby moved.
Alejandro cried silently.
Afterward, outside the clinic, he said:
“Thank you.”
Lucía nodded.
“For letting me come.”
“Don’t make me regret it.”
“I won’t.”
He wanted to promise more.
He did not.
Promises had become cheap.
Behavior mattered.
Valeria contacted Lucía once.
Alejandro learned about it later.
Valeria asked to meet.
Lucía almost refused.
Then curiosity won.
They met in a café.
Valeria said:
“I didn’t know.”
Lucía believed her.
Valeria had met Alejandro months after Lucía disappeared.
Ramón had told people the marriage was effectively over.
