Prologue
Boston – Massachusetts
Seven months ago
“I’m sorry, sir.”
That was the last sentence I managed to retain after the doctor informed me that my soon-to-be ex-wife had not survived the accident.
I’m sitting in the hospital corridor with my elbows resting on my knees and my head bowed.
I don’t usually show any vulnerability, because for many years, I’ve been the one who leads my family, and I’m the role model for my four brothers. I’ve never been able to afford to falter, but even for me, the shock of discovering that Layla had ended her short journey here on Earth is too much.
It turns out it’s not her face that comes to mind but Valentina’s, my Nina, the beautiful little girl of just two months who will never have the opportunity to be hugged by her mother. The child who, despite not being planned, is my entire universe.
I, Guillermo Caldwell-Oviedo, the guy who plans every step of his own existence and is accustomed to the weight of responsibility, feel as if the world is on my shoulders right now.
I see a police detective approaching, but before he reaches me, my brother Joaquín[1], who is a prosecutor, stands in front of me with a man who, just by looking at him, I guess is a lawyer.
“You won’t talk to the police without a lawyer,” he says, confirming my suspicions.
His hand on my shoulder gives me the certainty that he knows the circumstances of my wife’s death, as Joaquín is not very fond of affectionate gestures.
“This is Levi Goldberg. He’s from the Lambertucci law firm and will represent you.”
Although I know he’s right, I’m not worried, but I also don’t feel like arguing, so after shaking the other man’s hand, I go back to thinking about my little daughter.
Even though Layla never wanted to be a mother and didn’t show any love for Nina, I hoped that one day she would change her mind and there would be a connection between them. Now, however, I am certain that it will be just the two of us against the world, and I would be lying if I didn’t admit that I’m terrified of messing everything up.
Chapter 1
Boston – Massachusetts
Present day
“…Her hands are soft, her heart is brave,
She gives what no one ever gave.
And in her eyes he starts to see
A future shaped like “we,” not “me.”
Even when the past calls loud,
Even when the truth’s unkind,
They choose the now, the here, the real,
The love they’re learning how to feel.
She is sugar in his silence,
He is learning how to stay.
Two lonely hearts in perfect chaos
Finding home along the way...”[2]
