Those words hurt me, but I never took them to heart. I still thought I could heal his emotional wounds.
The day before Leo was discharged, two unexpected visitors arrived at the hospital.
It was Sofia's younger son, Martin Garcia, accompanied by a flashy woman.
As soon as he walked in, Martin shouted, "Mom, this is Natalie. I'm going to marry her. You need to prepare $50,000 as a dowry for her family and buy us a new house."
Sofia, ignoring Natalie's presence, snapped, "No money! Let her family figure it out. I don't have that kind of cash. Marry her or don't, I don't care."
Natalie got angry. She gave Martin a hateful look and turned to leave.
Martin quickly pulled her back. He tried to calm her down, then impatiently turned to Sofia and said, "Natalie is pregnant. It's my child. Leo can't have kids anymore."
Leo, lying in the hospital bed, turned beet red with anger but had no choice but to look away because what Martin said was true.
Sofia's demeanor shifted entirely. She immediately got up. She helped Natalie sit down and smiled, "I wasn't thinking clearly. Don't take it to heart, Natalie. That's not what I meant."
Natalie reluctantly sat down and asked calmly, "So what about the dowry and the house?"
"Don't worry about it." Sofia pointed at me. "This is your sister-in-law. Her family's loaded, and her parents are dead. Once the paperwork is done and she gets the inheritance, I'll buy you the best house for your wedding."
Natalie's eyes lit up, but she pouted, "How long will that take? My belly's getting bigger by the day. You're not trying to fool me, are you?"
As she spoke, Natalie suddenly stood up angrily. "I'm telling you now, if there's no house and dowry in a week, I'll get rid of this baby!"
Natalie stormed out, and Martin chased after her. The room fell silent again.
Sofia hesitated, then stomped and said, "Why not just sell your villa? What's the point of holding on to a place where people died? If you miss it that much, why don't you go die there too?"
