“It’s your wedding gift,” he told me. “One million pesos and a truck.”

I smiled nervously and pushed the envelope back.

—I don’t need any of that. With you, I’ve already won.

Then she looked at me in a strange way. Sad. As if she were about to break.

— Son… I mean, Efraín … before this goes any further, I have to tell you something.

I felt a chill.

Celia slowly removed her shawl. And when my gaze fell on her left shoulder, I froze.

It had a dark, round moon with an irregular edge.

The same.

In the same place.

The same mark that my mother had always had on her collarbone.

I raised my hand, trembling.

—That mark… why do you have it?

Celia closed her eyes and took a step back.

The air grew heavy. The room stopped feeling like a suite and began to feel like a trap.

“Because I can no longer remain silent,” she whispered.

And when she opened her mouth to tell the truth, I understood that she couldn’t believe what was about to happen…

PART2