he now trust a stranger, or risk everything on faith?
His girls leaned closer, sensing his tension. Sofía’s small hand brushed his elbow. Valeria’s eyes glistened, Lucía’s breath shallow. He felt their silent plea, more persuasive than any courtroom argument could ever be.
A bead of sweat rolled down his temple as he glanced at the judge. The gavel hovered in suspension, frozen like the decision suspended in his chest. Time seemed to have folded in on itself, stretching each heartbeat into a lifetime.
He remembered nights when his heart
had been heavier than his meager salary, yet he had persevered. How could he abandon hope now, at the edge of being exonerated, when the truth hovered just within reach?
The woman’s gaze pierced through him. She was waiting, patient yet urgent, as if she had been following his life story quietly, watching him stumble through years of hardship, waiting for this exact moment.
Chema’s hand trembled as he reached for the envelope. He felt the weight of decades pressing down, every choice he had made culminating here, in the
