the furniture and heavy curtains. Mia sat on the edge of the bed, holding a nearly full glass of whis

y hint of pride, Lara had left her clear instructions: "You won't have to be intimate with him. Just en

tion. But now, as she watched Héctor pour himself another drink with an al

single gulp. The alcohol trickled down his throat, but he showed no

er with a crooked smile, looking at the glass

ough she knew that lie was becom

began to let his guard down, his words becoming more relaxed and his body less rigid

, that soon he would be asleep

, Hector suddenly opened his eyes, a

d in a deep voice, almost

led. He was awake, and that tiny cr

or any hint of truth or lie. The silence b

Mía?" he insisted in

d discomfort. She brought a hand to

she said in a trembling voice.

losed the door behind her with a loud bang, leaning against the cold wo

ep, that this night would end without any more questions, without any more unveiled truths. But

Her breathing was rapid and shallow, as if she were trying to expel an invisible weight pressing on her chest. Eac

e room. A few minutes later, his footsteps slowly faded, as if he had given up and returne

e woman reflected back was a stranger: tired eyes, a tight mouth, pale skin. That m

uldn't afford to fail, not now that the truth was approaching like a

ched the bed where Héctor was sleeping peacefully, his face relaxed, vulnerable. For a moment, M

s impossible. The ni

e edge of the bed, still trembling. She glanced at Héctor: his breathing was sl

ara had whispered to her days before, just be

the hotel parking lot. You just

t's all

worn her down to the bone. Mia stood carefully so as not to make a sound. Every crea

y the bare minimum: simple clothes, some makeup to erase traces of Lara from her face, and a small enve

athed beside him. For a moment, she felt a pang of guilt, almost a desire to lean over

e: the veil, the expensive perfume, the light prosthesis tha

ning to break the darkness of the night. Soon the city would

t the ring she was still wearing. She carefully slipped it off her fin

." she repeated in he

p toward the elevator was a thunderous thump in her temples. Outside, in the ho

over. Or maybe it