Rebuilding What Was Stolen

No More Years Given Away

“They stole forty years from us,” Mercedes said quietly. “Let’s not give them another one.”

Nothing erased the lost childhoods.

Nothing returned missed birthdays.

But the wound was no longer silent.

It could finally be spoken.

That evening, Clara poured coffee.

“I don’t know how to rebuild a family,” she admitted. “But I know how to stay.”

Valeria smiled faintly.

“I agreed to care for Doña Mercedes,” she said. “But I think we’ll all be caring for each other.”

Alejandro laughed softly.

It was the first time his smile reached his eyes.