“What kind of woman are you? Five years of marriage and still no child. At this rate, the family line ends with you. You need to go get checked, Elena.”
All I could do was lower my head, force a smile, and cry into my pillow at night. I had gone through treatment after treatment, visited hospital after hospital, and every result came back the same.
“There’s no clear issue. Keep monitoring.”
I blamed myself for everything. It never occurred to me that perhaps the problem might not be mine. In that house, the one I feared most was my father-in-law, the one who wore me down most was my mother-in-law, and the one I trusted most was Javier.
Or so I believed.
That night, thirst woke me. I reached for Javier and found only cold sheets. His side of the bed was untouched and empty. I rubbed my eyes and looked at the glowing clock on the nightstand. 3:10 a.m. The whole house was silent except for the low hum of the air conditioner. I slipped on my slippers and headed downstairs for water.
As I passed Javier’s office, I noticed a thin blue line of light under the door.
“Is he still working?” I thought.
Lately, his company had been under pressure, and he often complained about being exhausted. I was about to knock, ready to tell him to rest, when I heard his voice from inside. It was familiar, yet softer than I had ever heard it.
“Don’t worry, my love. Tomorrow it will all be taken care of. After tomorrow, no one will be in our way.”
I froze, my hand suspended in the air.
“My love?”
My heart started pounding. A chill spread from my spine to the back of my neck. I pressed my ear carefully against the door.
His voice came again, lower now, almost pleased.
“I’ve planned everything. On that mountain road, if it rains even a little, the car slips easily. The police will think it was an accident. No one will suspect anything.”
My hands went numb.
