Chapter 51

Ana sat in the waiting room, holding Adrien's phone tightly in her hands. She had been gripping it since they escorted him to surgery, as if the device was her only anchor to reality in that moment of uncertainty. Before being taken to the operating room, Adrien had looked at her with a mix of serenity and concern.

-Ana, I need you to text Margaret. If something happens to me she needs to know what's going on. But don't explain everything. Just tell her I'm sorry and that I hope to return to explain it myself.

Ana nodded, her voice caught in her throat, unable to respond with more than a squeeze of his hand. Now, with minutes feeling like hours, she tried to find the right words to send that message.

She forced herself to take a deep breath as she unlocked the phone. Opening the messaging app, she found Margaret's contact. Her profile picture showed a warm sunset, and just looking at it gave Ana the sense that this woman must be important to Adrien.

Message to Margaret:

"Margaret, this is Ana. We don't know each other, but Adrien asked me to write you this message. He's about to go into surgery and wanted to tell you something important: 'Margaret, I'm sorry for leaving you alone with Mateo knowing the situation you're going through. I hope I survive so I can explain everything in person.' He needs you, even if he doesn't say it directly. I know this message isn't enough, but it's the least I can do for now."

Ana read and reread each word before sending it, doubting if it was the right thing to do. But she knew she had to fulfill Adrien's request. With slightly trembling fingers, she pressed "Send."

Elsewhere, Margaret was sitting on her sofa, watching as Mateo played with his blocks. Although her son laughed and chatted, she couldn't shake the weight on her chest. Ever since Adrien had left abruptly, the feeling that something serious was happening hadn't left her.

The sound of her phone vibrating on the table pulled her from her thoughts. She grabbed it quickly, thinking it might be Adrien, and it was, but with a message that froze her blood as she read it.

The first line filled her with a mix of relief and worry: Adrien was alive, but something very serious must be going on. The message was ambiguous but loaded with emotion. Margaret read it over and over, trying to decipher more than the words revealed.

Mateo approached his mother, concerned by her expression.

-Are you okay, Mom? -he asked, stroking her hand with the tenderness only a child could offer.

Margaret leaned down to hug him, her thoughts swirling in a storm.

-Yes, sweetheart -she said, though she didn't entirely feel it.

But deep down, a decision was forming. Adrien had made it clear that something important was at stake, and although she didn't know exactly what it was, she knew she couldn't just wait. She had to be strong, for Mateo and perhaps for Adrien.

With renewed determination, Margaret replied to Ana's message.

Ana was still in the waiting room, watching the clock as if she could make time move faster. Every second felt eternal. The room was almost empty, and the silence only intensified the pressure in her chest.

When the notification of a reply came, buzzing on the phone, Ana grabbed it immediately. Opening the message, the words she read left her frozen:

"Thank you for letting me know. Tell Adrien that we'll be here waiting for him. No matter what happens, he's not alone; his son misses him too."

Ana felt the air escape her lungs. Her mind got stuck on those final words: "His son misses him."

Emotions swirled inside her. What did that mean? Adrien had built a family while she had been falling apart alone, caring for Luca. The idea hurt more than she expected, though she knew she had no right to feel this way. After all, she was the one who decided to disappear, the one who carried the secret without sharing it. Even so, a tinge of bitterness seeped into her heart.

She bit her lip, trying to hold back the tears welling in her eyes. For years, she had imagined this moment: reuniting with Adrien, confessing the truth, and maybe finding a way forward together. But now, it seemed that dream had already been claimed by someone else. "His son misses him." The words echoed in her mind endlessly.

Who was this woman? The thought confused and tormented her. Had he fallen in love? Had he forgotten what they once shared? Ana shook her head, trying to push those thoughts aside. She had no right to judge. She was the one who had left him behind, driven by circumstances and her mother's threats.

However, she couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. For years, she had carried the burden of raising Luca alone, facing nights of fever, moments of anguish, and the constant loneliness of having no one by her side. And now, the man she had once loved had someone else, had another life.

Ana clenched her fists, trying to steady her breathing. This was not the time to think about herself. Luca was the priority. He always had been. If Adrien could save him, then everything else had to take a backseat. It didn't matter how much it hurt, how much she wished she could turn back time and change things.

She closed her eyes, letting a tear roll down her cheek. She had lost so much in recent years: her youth, her love, and now perhaps the chance to reclaim Adrien. But she couldn't afford to lose Luca. He was her anchor, her reason for living. All that mattered was that her son had a chance at a future.

She put the phone in her bag with trembling hands, trying to focus her thoughts. However, a troubling idea struck her. If Adrien survived, what would happen next? Could they rebuild something between them? Was there even a place for her in his life?

She wondered if Adrien could ever forgive her for keeping his son from him. Would he understand? Or would he simply relegate her to the role of a lost love, someone not worth remembering?

The uncertainty consumed her, but there was one truth she couldn't ignore: Adrien deserved to know everything. He deserved to understand every detail of what had led her to make such a cruel decision. Maybe he would hate her, maybe he would never forgive her, but it was the right thing to do.

Ana sighed deeply, her heart torn between love, guilt, and fear. Only time would tell if they could face the abyss that separated them together. For now, all she could do was wait. Because, for the first time in a long time, she had no control over what fate had in store for them.