Chapter 81 — Between Hope and Loss

(Point of view: Sofía Rojas)

The hospital clock seemed frozen in place, as if time itself were waiting for news about Lili. I had been sitting in that endless hallway for hours, surrounded by whispers, held breaths, and footsteps coming and going. Every now and then, someone would ask how I was doing, and I would answer with an automatic “fine,” knowing it was a lie.

Meanwhile, miles away, another story was unfolding.

In the central laboratory at Castell Group