Page 161 of That Last Summer

“Well, it’s her word against mine.”

“No, it’s her word. Period. My sister doesn’t lie, and much less to me. She never has.”

“She didn’t tell you she’d been to the hospital, so...”

“That’s not lying, it’s hiding information. I’m sure she had her reasons.”

I’m stunned. I still can’t think clearly, and the words don’t come out of my mouth.

“And you just admitted that she went to the hospital,” Adrián adds.

“What?”

“You just said ‘she didn’t tell you she’d been to the hospital.’”

I look for Carolina’s eyes. We’ve been friends for so long, and I think I could tell if she’s lying just by looking in her eyes. She’s nervous. Upset. Fuck. What the hell is going on here?

“So what if she was there?”

“So what if she was there?” my brother-in-law yells angrily. “Are you aware that you destroyed a marriage that day, one that could have been saved?”

“What? I didn’t. They were already separated.”

“Priscila came to see her husband, ready to talk things over, and you let her think he was in a relationship with your sister!”

“I didn’t—”

“And you told her Alex’s injuries were superficial, that it was just a scare! My sister left the hospital devastated, thinking her husband was happily starting a new life with a new woman. How could you do something like that? Why?”

What? No. This can’t be possible.

“If your sister wants to get her husband back with lies, it’s not my problem, Adrián. I find it pathetic that she’s using me as an excuse to hide what a coward she was at the time, and it seems even more pathetic that you play along with that spoiled brat!”

I clench my jaw and swear a thousand oaths inside not to come to her defense. Priscila is not a coward. She can be many things, but not that.

“You don’t even need to answer my question, not really. I know why you did it. Your sister has been obsessed with Alex for years. When did it start, Carolina?” Adrián asks, turning to her. “While you were screwing his brother on a daily basis, or was it before that? Bah, don’t answer me. There’s no need. I guess you saw the opportunity of your life when Priscila left, and you didn’t hesitate to stick to him like a fucking tick. But my sister’s return was a setback, and you,” he says then to his... girlfriend? “You took care of it. Am I wrong?”

The redheads look at each other nervously. They don’t know which way to go.

“I... I—”

“She came to see me,” I manage to articulate. Five words that mean everything. Five words that give meaning to my life. I don’t give a shit about the rest. Carolina’s explanations, if she was going to give me any, don’t mean shit.

“Yes, she did,” my brother-in-law confirms. “Do you have your car?”

“Fuck. No, I don’t.”

First time in fucking ever I didn’t come here by car. Adrián hands me his car keys and I take them without question.

“Flight IB8391. She’s boarding in—” he glances at the clock “—two hours. You have plenty of time, especially considering Jaime is driving her to the airport right now.”

I run to the door, praying I’ll get there in time.

“You’re welcome!” I hear Adrián yell.

“You’re still the biggest asshole on Earth, Cabana!”

I see his smile before I turn around. I suppose my relationship with Adrián will improve at some point—I even dare to say that we’ll be able to become friends—but not right now. The fact that he didn’t stop his sister and didn’t notice I wasn’t the guy in the photo still hurts. What has happened over the last few years has been too painful for things to be fixed in four days. Even my relationship with Priscila will take time to fully heal.