Chapter 43 – The Silence of Deception
The apartment smelled of damp walls, stale air, and gas leaks.
Cold crept in through the cracks of the broken window frames like a quiet warning.
The old gas heater hadn’t worked in months. Her aunt kept promising to fix it.
Valeria didn’t care.
Not yet.
She sat curled up on the sagging couch, a gray blanket wrapped around her shoulders, legs crossed, her phone resting on her chest.
Waiting.
Waiting for Adrián to cool down.
Waiting for him to come back the