Chapter 16 - The Emergency Call
The phone in my study rang at 11:45 PM.
Andrés answered it, his expression hardening as he listened to the voice on the other end of the line. After a brief exchange, he hung up and looked across the room at me.
“That was the local fire department in Calle Morelos,” Andrés said quietly. “There was a gas leak at your mother’s apartment building. The neighbors smelled it just in time. They kicked the door down and pulled her out before the stove ignited.”
I stopped reading my financial report, my pen hovering over the paper. A strange, heavy silence filled the room.
“Is she... is she alive?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
“She’s at the municipal hospital,” Andrés replied, walking over and placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. “Smoke inhalation, exhaustion, and mild carbon monoxide poisoning. The doctors say she’s physically stable, but... psychologically, she’s completely gone.”
I stood up slowly, walking over to the tall French window that overlooked the courtyard of the San Ángel estate. The moon was bright, casting a silvery glow over the newly planted gardens where children laughed during the day.
“Did Paulina go to the hospital?” I asked.
“Paulina couldn’t be reached,” Andrés sighed. “Apparently, she packed what little she had left and took a bus out of the city toward the coast, abandoning Diego entirely to his legal fate.”
May you like
I closed my eyes, feeling a sudden wave of complicated, heavy emotion wash over me. For thirty years, I had craved my mother’s approval. I had wanted her to look at me and say I was enough. And now, she had nothing left in the world except the daughter she had tried to destroy.
“Get the car, Andrés,” I said softly. “We’re going to the hospital.”
