Clara
I rang the doorbell, and the door opened almost immediately. It was Mariana, the housekeeper, who appeared. Her expression shifted from routine to astonishment in a second.
"Miss Clara?" she said, placing a hand on her chest. "I didn't know you were coming to visit..."
Visitor.
I smiled. A small, tired, sincere smile.
"I didn't know either," I replied. "May I come in?"
She stepped aside immediately.
"Of course, my dear. Welcome home."
I went inside.
The interior greeted me with a warmth that disarmed me. The familiar furniture, the scent of polished wood. The tranquil silence that felt weightless, that demanded nothing.
I left my suitcase by the entrance and took a few more steps... Then I saw him.
My father was in the living room, reviewing some documents with his glasse
