Chapter 13 - The Goodbye Letter
Marina waited until Sofía was asleep.
Then she placed an envelope on my desk.
“What is this?”
“My resignation.”
I looked at her.
“No.”
“You cannot reject a resignation.”
“I can reject this one.”
“This house does not need another scandal.”
“This house needs you.”
“Sofía needs stability.”
“You are her stability.”
Marina’s eyes filled, but her voice remained controlled.
“I came here to care for a child.”
“Then I crossed a line.”
“You saved my life.”
“That does not make the line disappear.”
“You testified that you had feelings for me.”
“I told the truth.”
“Then tell me the rest.”
She looked toward the window.
The lights of Miami shimmered across the water.
“I cared about you before you knew how to accept care.”
“I cared about you when you were angry.”
“When you were cruel.”
“When every exercise ended with you blaming your own body.”
She took a breath.
“And that is exactly why I have to leave.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You are recovering.”
“You are fighting for your company.”
“You are rebuilding your relationship with Sofía.”
“You should not have to wonder whether you needed me because you loved me or because you were afraid of falling.”
The words silenced me.
For months, I had believed strength meant refusing dependence.
Now I realized love could become another form of dependence if I used it carelessly.
“When are you leaving?”
“Tomorrow morning.”
“Sofía will be devastated.”
“I already spoke to her.”
“You told her before you told me?”
“She asked if I would still come to her school play.”
“And?”
“I promised.”
I looked at the resignation letter.
“Where will you go?”
“I accepted a residency position at Jackson Memorial.”
“You applied?”
“Before Sunhaven.”
“And you said nothing.”
“You had enough battles.”
“You do not get to decide which battles I can handle.”
She smiled sadly.
“That sounds like the Eduardo I met.”
I reached for her hand.
This time, she let me hold it.
“I don’t know what this is,” I said.
“Neither do I.”
“But I know it is not finished.”
Marina’s eyes closed for one second.
Then she leaned forward and kissed my forehead.
“Recover because you want your life back.”
“Not because you want me to stay.”
She walked away before I could answer.
The next morning, her apartment was empty.
Sofía cried into my chest.
I nearly called Marina ten times.
I stopped myself ten times.
That afternoon, Detective Mills arrived with a sealed evidence envelope.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Something recovered from Daniel’s private safe.”
Inside was a second medical report.
It had been signed by Dr. Reeves.
The report stated that the procedure performed after my fall had intentionally increased pressure near the damaged nerves.
The final paragraph carried another signature.
Not Patricia’s.
Not Daniel’s.
May you like
Samuel Price.
My attorney.
