The car moved forward, but Rafael’s hands remained tense on the wheel, knuckles pale, mind racing through thoughts he could not yet organize into a single decision.
The city outside continued its rhythm, indifferent, while inside the vehicle something fragile had cracked open, something that could no longer be unseen or ignored.
Mateo sat quietly, his small body pressed against the seat, as if trying to disappear into the leather, eyes fixed on nothing in particular.
Rafael glanced at him again through the mirror, noticing how the boy avoided any sudden movement, as if even the air might hurt him.
He wanted to speak, to promise something, anything, but words felt dangerous now, like steps on thin ice that might break under the wrong pressure.
Instead, he cleared his throat softly and asked, almost casually, “Does she ever… leave marks where others can see?”
Mateo hesitated, then shook his head slowly, his fingers twisting together in his lap, a habit Rafael had never noticed before today.
“She says… it has to be where no one looks,” the boy whispered, voice barely audible over the hum of the engine.
That sentence lingered in the air longer than it should have, heavy with a quiet cruelty that made Rafael tighten his grip again.
They approached the gates of the mansion, tall, imposing, the kind that promised safety to outsiders and silence to those inside.
Rafael slowed down, his foot hesitating over the brake, as if stopping the car meant stepping into something irreversible.
Mateo noticed the pause, his small voice breaking the tension, “Mr. Rafael… are you mad at me?”
The question struck deeper than expected, and Rafael immediately shook his head, forcing a steadiness into his tone.
“No, sir… not at all,” he said, though inside he felt anger rising, not toward the boy, but toward something much larger.
The gates opened automatically, smooth and silent, as if nothing inside those walls could ever be questioned or challenged.
Rafael drove in slowly, his eyes scanning the familiar surroundings that suddenly felt unfamiliar, every corner carrying a new, unsettling weight.
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