The walls were riddled with cracks.
The table was covered in nearly empty medicine bottles.
A small lamp flickered dimly.
And Carlos… he was still holding his daughter’s hand as if it were the only thing keeping him standing.
Finally, Laura spoke.
“How much?”
Carlos didn’t look up.
“Excuse me?”
“The treatment,” she said. “How much does it cost?”
Carlos hesitated for a few seconds.
“More than I earned in ten years.”
Silence returned.
Laura observed the other children.
The youngest was hugging a torn blanket.
The baby was crying at the back of the house.
And the child at the door looked around with a mixture of fear and hope.
Laura took a deep breath.
For the first time in a long time… she wasn’t thinking like a businesswoman.
She was thinking like a human being.
“Carlos.”
He looked up.
