“Tell me everything.”
Carlos shook his head.
“There isn’t anything else.”
“Don’t lie to me.”
He looked surprised.
“You’ve been hiding things from everyone for years,” Laura said. “I understand why you did it before.”
She paused.
“But you don’t have to do it anymore.”
Carlos looked toward the hospital window.
Rain was running down the glass.
Finally, he whispered,
“If I stay here, who takes care of them?”
“Your wife is receiving treatment.”
“The children still need me.”
“You have family.”
Carlos gave a bitter smile.
“My sister was the only family I had nearby.”
He looked down at his hands.
“When she died, those children became my responsibility.”
Laura was silent.
Carlos continued.
“I promised her.”
“Promised her what?”
“That I would never let them feel abandoned.”
His voice trembled.
“So I work.”
He took a breath.
“I work at night. I sleep when I can. I take Elena to treatment. I cook. I take the children to school. Then I come here.”
