Instead, she sat in a plastic hospital chair beside Carlos while he slept.
Around 2 a.m., Elena arrived carrying the baby.
She looked healthier now.
Still fragile.
But alive.
When she saw Laura beside the bed, she froze.
“You stayed?”
Laura looked at her quietly.
“Yes.”
Elena’s eyes filled with emotion.
“You know…” she whispered, “Carlos used to defend you.”
Laura blinked.
“What?”
Elena smiled weakly.
“Every time people complained about rich employers… he defended you.”
Laura looked stunned.
“He said you were demanding… but fair.”
Silence settled between them.
Then Elena added something that shattered Laura completely.
“He was terrified you’d find out how we lived.”
Laura looked at Carlos sleeping under the dim hospital lights.
This proud man had hidden his suffering not because he was ashamed of being poor—
but because he was ashamed of needing help.
