Chapter 15

Last night, after Jhonny left, I sent my email address to Lazarus and returned Liliam's call. I just wanted to know how my appointment with the doctor went.

I told her that I was having a girl, and she started screaming like a hysterical person, saying that she had beaten Alejandro. They had made a bet about who could correctly guess the gender of my baby, and Liliam was the winner.

I laughed throughout most of the call at the things the kids were doing, and Liliam told me.

For a moment, I felt a lot of nostalgia for being there with them, but things are complicated, and I can't stay stuck in the past.

Liliam told me that they would come to my house today, her, Louis, Alejandro, Kate, and all my nieces and nephews. I was very happy to know that I would see them again after such a long time. We made plans to go to the beach. I can't wait to see Sophia. The last time I saw her in person, she was two months old and so adorable and big. Now she's four, and although Liliam sent me pictures of her and also of Liam and Antonella, it's not the same as touching them and having them by your side.

"Where to, ma'am?" Marco asks once I've gotten into the car. I give him the address, and he starts the car, heading towards what will soon be my company.

I hear the sound of my phone inside my purse and pick it up. It's not my phone but the one Jhonny calls me on.

"Yes?" I answer, picking up the call.

"Where are you?" is his response.

"Am I going somewhere? What's up, Jhonny?"

"Damn, Laura! Are you driving?" he asks a bit agitated.

"No, Jhonny, Marco is with me. Now can you tell me what you want?" I ask, tired of his questions.

He wasn't like this before.

"I'll come to your house this evening..." I furrow my brows. It's not that I don't want him to come to my house, but it's unusual. He never goes there except on the days he has to, which are Mondays and Fridays. Today is Tuesday.

"Um... Jhonny, no. You can't come to the house," I say, trying not to offend him.

"What? Why?" he asks a bit angry.

"It's not that I don't want you to come, but my siblings will be there today, and you know..."

"Oh! Alright, how long will they be here?"

"Until Monday afternoon."

"Fine, goodbye," he replies, annoyed. I don't understand his mood swings. He's so strange...

I put the phone back in my bag. I don't understand Jhonny at all. I don't understand his behavior, his insistence on communicating through a phone that only has his number. I know he has another phone that he only uses to call me when we go out to a crowded mall where some of the people there could have been journalists. I just don't get it.

"We've arrived, Ms. Laura." I look out the window at the imposing building.

I get out of the car and walk the distance between the car and the entrance of the building. When I enter, I see Lazarus giving orders to some guys carrying a sofa.

When he turns towards me, and our eyes meet, he smiles from ear to ear and quickly walks towards me. When he reaches me, he wraps his arms around me and kisses my cheeks.

"Beautiful! How are you? How's this little one?" he asks, smiling.

"Little, Lazarus, it's a little girl," I say, smiling. He looks at me with a smile, bringing his hands to his mouth and stifling a scream of excitement. He jumps in circles, making me laugh while he talks about what he'll do with my daughter when she grows up.

I spend almost the entire day in the building until it's three in the afternoon, and I have to go to the airport to pick up my siblings. When I arrive, I wait for them in the designated meeting place, and a few minutes later, we're all kissing and hugging each other.

We get into the car, Liliam, Louis, and I, with Sophia in my arms. Alejandro, Kate, Liam, and Antonella are in a taxi because they couldn't fit in the car.

When we arrive home, we're all joyful. Liliam can't stop caressing my belly and saying that it has grown since the last time she saw me.

We spend the rest of the afternoon playing with the kids, and in the evening, we have dinner. After a chat, we all go to bed.

At this very moment, I'm lying in my bed, but I'm not sleepy. I can only think about the kiss with Jhonny when I hear the door open carefully, and I quickly turn to look at it. I see Liliam's brown hair peeking in, and she smiles.

"Hello," she whispers, entering and lying down next to me. "You can't sleep either?" I shake my head, and she laughs. "Mom sends her regards, kisses, and lots of hugs. She said she couldn't come because she didn't want to leave Dad alone, you know..."

"I understand, Liliam," I smile.

"How has life treated you these months?"

"Good. Do you remember the project I told you about last time you came?" She nods, looking at me attentively. "Well, it's going great. Lazarus, the man in charge of renovating the building, says that if everything continues as it is, we'll be inaugurating the place in seven months." I finish excitedly.

"That sounds amazing, Laura!" she says, smiling. "Who would have thought?" I look at her confused. "The youngest of the Masons living thousands of kilometers away from the family shelter and on the verge of becoming a successful businesswoman." She looks at me nostalgically. I open my mouth to say something, but she continues, "I'm proud of you, little sister," she adds, touching my nose and smiling, making tears well up in my eyes. "Just look at yourself! I honestly thought that you, Ale, and I would raise our children at home and that your babies would grow up with their cousins. Can I confess something?" she asks, and I nod. "Truthfully, Ale and I didn't believe you would come this far. I remember the day you told us what you intended to study, we thought you would always rely on Dad's money." I look at her, annoyed. "I'm sorry, sis, but it's the truth, and I admit we were wrong. Look at you now, you have your own house, something Ale and I will never have even if we wanted to, especially now that Mom is a bit hysterical about it. You live alone, and as I said before, you'll be a businesswoman. I admire you, you know? I'm proud of you, little sister."

"Thank you, Liliam. I love you," I whisper, choked up by tears. All of Liliam's confessions make me feel proud of myself. Her words mean a lot to me.