Fernanda, whispered but as sharp as a knife piercing my heart.
After the transplant, the test results will be perfect. Don’t worry, that old woman won’t dare refuse. The entire room seemed to explode in silence. I felt my blood run cold, my breath catch in my throat. Dr. Ramírez turned sharply to look at me with the
Eyes wide, filled with astonishment.
“Stop!” she ordered, her voice as sharp as a scalpel. “Stop all preparations right now!” A nurse swiftly withdrew the syringe. The others stood motionless, not daring to move. Fernanda, on the other side of the glass, let out a cry and pounded on the door. “Isn’t that right?” She did.
A video. The image was blurry, but clear enough.
Fernanda and Mrs. Rosa in the parking lot, exchanging an envelope with the unknown man I had seen earlier. Mrs. Rosa’s voice was heard. “After this operation, we’ll have enough data to sell the medicine abroad. This money will change everything.” I lay
There, my vision blurred by tears, I felt a mixture of horror and relief.
Horror at the truth I had tried so hard to avoid, now exposed to everyone, and relief because I finally didn’t have to lie to myself anymore. César burst from the hallway, his face red with anger. “That’s enough!” he shouted, throwing himself against the glass door to confront Fernanda. “You did it!”
You poisoned her. You thought we were all blind. Before anyone could react,
César raised his hand and slapped Fernanda. The sharp sound echoed through the hallway, making Mrs. Rosa scream. “You dare hit my daughter?” But César didn’t stop. He pointed at Fernanda, his voice trembling with rage. “What medicine have you been giving her? What did you do to my…”
Brother Luis? Fernanda brought her hand to her cheek.
Tears streamed down her face, but in her eyes I saw not regret, but the panic of someone who has been found out. Are you crazy? she shouted, turning to Dr. Ramírez. Don’t listen to them. They’re slandering me. But Dr. Ramírez didn’t answer. He turned pale and walked toward a
Nurse.
This is no longer surgery. This is a crime scene. Call the police now! A nurse ran off while the others stood there, looking at each other in bewilderment. I lay there, feeling like the world was crumbling around me. Tears were rolling down my cheeks, but I didn’t know it.
What? I looked at Mario, my little grandson, who had bravely burst into the operating room to save me.
I looked at César, my youngest son, who had tried to protect me at all costs. And I thought of Luis, my son, lying in the next room, unaware that the wife he trusted had betrayed him. I stayed there, letting the tears flow, letting the truth seep into every fiber of my being.
of my being.
At that moment I understood that everything had changed. The truth had exploded like a door being kicked down, and nothing could hide it anymore. The operating room, which had once been cold and silent, had become a chaotic battlefield. The confused nurses looked at each other, unsure of what to do.
What to do?
Dr. Ramirez frowned. His sharp gaze swept over each person as if trying to maintain order in the midst of the storm. I lay there, my vision blurred by tears, but unable to tear my eyes away from the scene. The truth that Mario had just revealed like a blazing fire. I was
She had been discovered. She turned to her parents, clutching Mrs. Rosa’s blouse, her voice trembling. ”
I didn’t do anything wrong. I just wanted to save Luis. Dad! Mom! Say something!” But Mr. Carlos and Mrs. Rosa stood there, pale, unable to utter a word. Mrs. Rosa, normally so astute and authoritative, now only clenched her hands, biting her lip to
I tried to stop myself from trembling.
Suddenly, Mrs. Rosa struck the floor with her cane. The sharp sound of the wood against the tile echoed and pointed directly at me. “Did you dare manipulate your grandson into making up lies about me? You wicked old woman, Fernanda.” Her words were like a knife to my heart.
I wanted to scream, to tell her that I hadn’t manipulated anyone, that it was her daughter who had betrayed my family. But I had a lump in my throat and couldn’t speak. I just stood there, looking at her, feeling cornered in a dark corner where all my years of sacrifice were being trampled underfoot.
Mr. Carlos, Fernanda’s father, whispered discreetly to a doctor he knew who was nearby, his voice low but hurried. ”
Please continue with the surgery. We’ll take care of everything. We just need this to be over.” He slipped an envelope into the doctor’s hand, but Dr. Ramírez immediately stepped forward, his voice as cold as ice. “The law decides here, not money.” He snatched the envelope, threw it to the ground, and…
He ordered a nurse, ”
Close the doors. No one is to leave. I’m going to inform the hospital administration right now.” The sound of his footsteps was firm, like a declaration that everything had spiraled out of control. César, from the corridor, burst into the operating room, ignoring a nurse’s attempts to stop him.
He grabbed my shoulders, his eyes red, and shouted, “Mom, don’t donate the kidney!
It’s all their plan. She poisoned my brother. Doesn’t Luis see that?” César’s voice trembled with rage and pain. I looked into his eyes and saw the desperation of a son trying to protect his mother. I wanted to say something, to comfort him, but I couldn’t. I just stood there, feeling like the world was collapsing.
It was crumbling beneath my feet.
From the prep room next door, Luis’s weak, confused voice came through. “What’s going on? Why are you arguing?” He tried to sit up, breathing heavily. The IV lines in his arm twitched with the movement. I heard my son’s voice, and my heart shattered into a thousand pieces. Luis
She picked up her phone and said, her voice choked with emotion, “I have another video.
This is when my mom gives my grandparents their medicine.” She played the video, and the image appeared on the small screen. Fernanda and Mrs. Rosa were in the parking lot, exchanging the medicine with the unknown man. Mrs. Rosa’s voice was clear and cold.
If the transplant is a success, we can sell the medicine abroad. With that money, we can launder all our dirty profits. The entire room fell silent. A nurse covered her mouth, her eyes wide with horror. Dr. Ramirez froze, clutching the file.
as if he were holding back his anger. Fernanda, panicked, lunged to snatch Mario’s phone, trying to knock him to the ground.
“No, that’s not true!” she cried, her voice breaking. But César was faster. He grabbed the phone and pushed Fernanda, who fell to the ground. One of her heels flew off, bouncing on the floor with a sharp sound, like the final period of the charade she had staged. “Shut your mouth!” César yelled, glaring at her.
Red with fury.
Do you think you can fool everyone? What did you do to my brother? Fernanda sat on the floor, her hair disheveled, but her gaze still held a glimmer of stubbornness. I didn’t do anything. You’re slandering me. Hospital security appeared. Two men in uniform
They entered with serious expressions. They approached Fernanda,
Mr. Carlos, and Mrs. Rosa, without giving them time to react. Mrs. Rosa continued cursing, her cane trembling in her hand. “Traitor! You destroyed this family!” she pointed at me, but her voice broke as if she herself knew it was all over. Fernanda held on tightly.
She writhed. “Let me go! I didn’t do anything wrong.”
But her gaze now only reflected the desperation of someone cornered. I lay there, motionless, my body freezing, but my eyes wide open, watching the truth unfold before me. When the operating room door closed behind the police, the screams of Fernanda and her parents still echoed.
They echoed in the hospital corridor.
But for me, they faded into the air like a dissipating nightmare. Fernanda kept screaming, her voice breaking. She was contributing to science. No one understands me, but no one answered her. Mr. Carlos and Mrs. Rosa, who once sat so arrogantly in my living room,
Now they walked with their heads bowed, silently escorted.
I lay on the operating table, still trembling, but no longer from fear. A strange feeling of relief washed over me, as if I had been freed from a cage I hadn’t known I was locked in. Dr. Ramirez approached. His face was serious, but his gaze had softened. Madam
Maria said in a grave voice, “We’re canceling the surgery. We’ll be transferring Luis to an alternative treatment:
dialysis combined with new medications. You risked your health preparing for this, but you’ve saved his life and his dignity.” I looked at him. Tears were rolling down my cheeks, but I didn’t know it. “What? Thank you, doctor,” I whispered, my voice weak but sincere. I didn’t know if I had truly saved him.
My dignity was gone, but I knew that for the first time in months, I felt like I could breathe again, truly breathe. César rushed over and helped me sit up.
He took my hand tightly. His gaze was steady but filled with pain. “You still have me, Mom,” he said, his voice breaking. “I’m going to protect you. From now on, I promise.” I squeezed his hand, feeling the warmth of his rough, greasy skin. I looked into César’s eyes and saw the strength
of a son willing to carry the weight of the world to protect his mother.
You are my pride, son. I whispered, and the tears started falling again. César said nothing. He just hugged me tightly. And in that hug, I found a little comfort amidst the ruins of my family. Luis was taken to a recovery room. When I went in, he was lying down, his face pale and…
The IV lines were still in his arms.
He looked at me with red eyes and asked in a weak voice, “Mom, is it true that everything my wife did was to hurt me?” His question was like a knife to my heart. I went over, sat beside him on the bed, and hugged him. My tears fell, soaking his hospital gown. Oh, Luis, my son!
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