he message on his phone was short. Too short. “We need to talk. It’s urgent.” My eyes shifted from the glowing screen to his face. Rafael didn’t even try to hide anything anymore. His fingers trembled slightly as he picked up the phone, but he still hesitated to open the message.Reply to her,” I said quietly.here’s no need,” he whispered.“Reply. Right now.”Something in my voice made him freeze. It wasn’t anger. It wasn’t heartbreak. It was control. Slowly, he unlocked the screen. Another message appeared almost instantly: “I went back to the doctor. You should get tested too.” Rafael inhaled sharply. I lowered myself onto the couch, folding my hands together like someone waiting for a verdict. “You already knew,” I said. He shook his head too quickly, panic flashing across his face.

“No… not exactly… I just—”“Don’t lie to me.”Silence filled the room. I stared at him until he finally looked away. “She told you before the trip, didn’t she?” He still didn’t answer. “And you went anyway.” At last, he spoke in a broken whisper.“I thought maybe the tests were wrong… maybe there had been a mistake…”A hollow laugh escaped my lips. “So you thought it was a mistake… and decided to prove it by spending fifteen days alone in a hotel with her?” He opened his mouth, desperate to explain, but I cut him off before he could speak.“Did you even use protection?”The question hit him like a slap. He closed his eyes, and that silence alone told me everything I needed to know. My stomach twisted violently, but no tears came anymore. “You risked my life,” I said softlThat was never my intention!”“But it was your decision.”For the first time, he truly looked at me and realized something between us had shattered beyond repair. “What are you going to do?” he asked quietly. I didn’t answer immediately. My eyes drifted toward the family picture hanging on the wall: the three of us smiling together, happy and unaware of what we would become. “I already made an appointment,” I finally said.“For what?”