Chapter 3
For several minutes, the only sound in the suite was the quiet ticking of the wall clock and the faint hum of the refrigerator. Alejandro remained on one knee, resting his forearms on his thighs, giving the boy space to breathe. Maya had moved closer, sitting on the ottoman a few feet away, her hands folded neatly in the lap of her pink dress. She tilted her head, studying the boy's messy brown hair and the dried tear tracks cutting through the dust on his cheeks. "What's your name?" Alejandro asked finally, keeping his tone carefully neutral, devoid of accusation or interrogation. The boy lowered the empty glass to the coffee table, his dark eyes flickering up to meet Alejandro's gaze. "Leo," he whispered, his voice raspy from thirst and crying. "Leo. That's a strong name," Alejandro said, nodding slowly. "How old are you, Leo?" "Eight," the boy replied, pausing briefly before adding, "Almost nine." Alejandro did a quick, quiet calculation in his head. Eight years old. That meant he was born right around the time Alejandro had packed his bags and left the cabin by the lake, walking away from a messy, volatile relationship with a woman who refused to fit into the polished corporate world he was desperately trying to climb into. He had left money in a drawer—not nearly enough, as it turned out—and a note that promised a clean break. He had convinced himself back then that he was doing everyone a favor, that his ambition was a poison that would only destroy anyone tethered to him. Looking at Leo now, Alejandro realized how convenient that self-serving narrative had been. "Where is your mother, Leo?" Alejandro asked, bracing himself for an answer he wasn't sure he was ready to hear. Leo looked down at his lap, his fingers instantly going back to twist the chain of the silver rose pendant hidden beneath his shirt. The silence stretched out, heavy and suffocating, filling the luxurious hotel suite with a sudden, freezing chill. Maya shifted uncomfortably on the ottoman, sensing the shift in the room's emotional weather without needing to understand the words.
