My father closed his eyes.
—Because you had already been moved to another room.
The room fell completely silent.
My mother took a breath before continuing.
—The doctors told us you had two babies.
My breathing began to quicken.
Two babies…
Those words echoed over and over in my head.
I vaguely remembered a doctor telling me about complications.
After that, they only told me that one of the babies had not survived.
For twenty years I lived convinced of that version.
“They told us that one of the girls was very ill,” my mother explained. “She needed urgent surgery and treatment that you couldn’t afford at that time.”
I watched her without understanding.
—What happened next?
My father took several seconds to respond.
—They asked us to make an immediate decision.
I felt something inside me begin to break.
—What decision?
My mother burst into tears.
—Accept temporary guardianship of the baby so that she could receive treatment.
My mind stopped understanding what was happening.
-Not…
I whispered almost voicelessly.
—That can’t be true…
My father nodded slowly.
—We thought that, when it was all over, we could bring them together again.
Tears began to fall down my face.
—Where is that girl?
No one answered.
Silence filled the room again.
Then I looked at Sofia again.
She remained completely motionless.
It was at that moment that I saw the old silver pendant he was wearing around his neck.
I recognized him immediately.
It was a small heart engraved with a tiny star.
That pendant…
It was exactly the same as the one Rosa had given me when Valentina was born.
I stood up slowly.
—That necklace…
Sofia touched it naturally.
—I’ve had it since I was little. My grandmother always said it belonged to my mother.
I felt like the world was starting to turn.
I looked at my mother.
She finally burst into tears.
—Laura…
He didn’t need to finish the sentence.
I understood it before I even heard the words.
Sofia watched me, not understanding anything.
