Chapter 25 - A Question of the Past
Time flowed peacefully, turning months into years of uninterrupted, beautiful growth.
Isabel was now a bright, incredibly observant seven-year-old girl. She had her mother's fierce green eyes and her grandmother's unyielding, intelligent posture.
One rainy Sunday afternoon, Valeria and Isabel were sitting on the living room floor of their Metepec home, surrounded by colorful pieces of a massive jigsaw puzzle.
"Mama?"
Isabel asked quietly, holding a puzzle piece in her small hand.
"Yes, my little bird?"
Valeria replied, looking up with a warm smile.
"My friend Leo at school has a daddy who picks him up every day,"
Isabel noted, her expression curious and entirely innocent.
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"Do I have a daddy somewhere?"
The question hung in the air for a fraction of a second. Valeria felt a tiny, momentary tightening in her chest, but it was not fear. It was simply the solemn weight of truth. She had sworn to herself long ago that she would never build her daughter's life on a foundation of lies.
