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"Thank you, V. For keeping me company for so long. And I'm sorry," I whisper, finally pushing the knife into her heart.

A sad smile appears on her face, and as she closes her eyes, her form dissipates in the air.

And for the first time, I know it's forever.

"Goodbye, sister mine. I love you," I whisper, closing my eyes.

The next time I open my eyes I'm back in the hut,El viejositting next to me meditating.

"You're back," he says without looking at me.

"I am…" I respond, my eyes roving around the room, looking for her.

Swiftly getting up, I head outside, still searching for her with my eyes.

"She's gone, stranger,"El viejosays. "It's for the best."

"How…" I'm about to ask him how he knows about her in the first place, but one glance at his secretive expression and I realize some things arenotmeant to be understood.

"She said the episodes will lessen with time," I explain what Vanya had told me,El viejonodding expectantly as if he'd been sure of the outcome from the beginning.

"You need to face your main trigger. Blood. Most likely it's one of the things that made you block your memories, but also the thing that will bring them back," he states, going over a few things that might help me.

"Thank you," I tell him honestly, my skepticism falling away for the first time.

There's a lightness inside of me that wasn't there before, as if I could spread nonexistent wings and fly.

"Don't thank me yet, stranger. There's much work to still be done," he says, going over another plan of meditations and ayahuasca treatments. "These should hasten the return of your memory."

I nod, ready to follow all of his instructions.

It's a couple days later when I head back into Manu to meet with Joaquin and get some resources from the village that my phone rings for the first time in months.

"Why, hi there, old pal," I joke when I see it's Marcello.

"Wow, you finally deign to answer your phone,"he says drily."I've been trying to reach you for weeks."

"Well, here I am. What's up?"

"I wanted to thank you for your help with Nicolo. And with everything."He takes a deep breath, and for the first time I'm stunned by something Marcello's said.

"You're welcome."

He coughs slightly."As a peace offering, I've been trying to reach you to invite you to the wedding. But you've been MIA for so long, it's already tomorrow,"he chuckles.

"What wedding?"

Is he renewing his vows with Catalina? Somehow that's sweet.

"My sister, Assisi, is getting married to one of Benedicto's sons,"he starts, but I stop listening after hearing Sisi's name. My entire body goes slack, and I find it hard to breathe.

"What did you say?" I ask brusquely.

"She's had the worst of luck,"Marcello sighs."She realized she was pregnant earlier last month so we've tried to push the wedding so there wouldn't be a scandal,"he continues, but I tune everything out.

My phone falls out of my hand, my feet barely holding me upright.

Sisi. Marriage. Pregnant.