“From my dad and me,” Daniel said proudly.
Mariana read the card tucked inside:
Thank you for coming back to where you belong.
That evening, she had dinner with Sergio and Daniel.
They never mentioned Alejandro.
There was no need.
Sergio raised his wineglass. “I still wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t forgotten my cell phone on your side table that night.”
Mariana smiled softly while gazing at the city lights beyond the window. “It probably would have taken me a little longer.”
“To leave him?” Sergio asked gently.
“To remember who I was.”
A year later, Mariana’s life was completely her own.
She purchased a charming, bright bungalow near the hospital with a small garden behind it.
She no longer hated Alejandro.
Hatred demanded energy she would rather devote to her patients, her friends, and her peace.
One morning, before leaving for an early trauma rotation, Mariana stopped in the hallway.
