Little by little, Celina began to feel better. She stayed there, breathing heavily, trying to make sense of what she was feeling, while Mrs. Lúcia watched her with sharp, knowing eyes. Then, without preamble, the older woman asked:

“How far along are you?”

Celina slowly turned her face away, lowering her head. Her voice came out low and shaky.

“How… how do you know?”

“My dear… I’m a mother of three. I have life experience. When you know a woman’s body, you just know.”

“I’m almost two months along,” Celina finally confessed.

Mrs. Lúcia’s lips curved into an emotional smile.

“And does Thor know yet?”

Celina lifted her eyes, tears silently streaming down her face.

“Not yet… I haven’t found the right moment to tell him.”

“He’s going to be overjoyed,” Mrs. Lúcia assured her, gently squeezing her hand. “It’s always been his dream to be a father.”

“Really?”

“Very much so. Since he was young, he used to say he wouldn’t wait long to have a child. He started dating Karina at eighteen, married h