You open your mouth, but no apology comes out. It gets trapped behind all the years you spent believing money made you smarter, cleaner, better. You look at Mateo’s birthday candle, and suddenly you cannot stand.
Your knees hit the concrete floor.
The sound is soft, but everyone hears it.
Rosa gasps. “Señor?”
You bow your head, and for the first time in years, tears rise without permission.
“I’m sorry,” you say.
The words feel too small.
So you say them again.
“I am so sorry.”
No one moves.