Mariana went pale.

“Please, señora… don’t start.”

“Don’t start what?” Doña Carmen snapped. “What are you hiding under that blanket?”

Julian felt the air shift.

“Mom, leave her alone.”

“No, son. You don’t want to see it because you’re in love. But I have eyes.”

Mariana began to cry.

“Don’t touch me. Please.”

Doña Carmen laughed bitterly.

“See? There it is. Something’s going on. Nobody fools me.”

Julian stepped closer to the bed. He didn’t want to doubt his wife. He loved her. He trusted her. But fear, confusion, and his mother’s poison had been working on him for days, twisting his worry into something ugly.