Valeria

The moment my mother slapped me, the room went silent. My cheek burned, but I did not say anything. Before I could talk, my mother suddenly began crying. Her tears came out fast and messy. She stumbled toward the couch where my father lay and dropped to her knees beside him.

“Where have you been?” she cried. “Look at you. How did this happen? How bad is it? Where is Lorenzo? Where is he?”

My father opened his eyes a little. He looked weak. He tried to speak, but his voice ...