Alícia gazed at the horizon, her eyes brimming with tears.
I ran my tongue over my lips, holding back my own tears with a colossal effort. "A-are you alright?"
She patted my hand. "Ah, my dear, such a simple question should be easy to answer." Then she resumed her story. And as she spoke, the stakes of her pain seemed to pass into me.
Finally, I understood. Understood the origin of that profound pain Maia carried. Understood why I was there, holding Alícia's hand and listening to her story.
I had endured all of it and would witness that knot of fate.