My world came crashing down.

“What…?” I whispered.

Marcus closed his eyes for a second, as if he wished he hadn’t heard those words.

I tried to push him away again.

—I have to see it!

But this time the hospital’s head of security came in.

—Madam, please.

—I cannot allow you to pass.

My breathing became irregular.

—That’s my son!

Then the doors to the emergency room opened.

Two police officers entered.

The one in front was carrying a folder.

—Are you Dr. Elena Ruiz?

I nodded with trembling hands.

—We need to talk to you.

I looked towards the stretchers.

Evan.

Nora.

Leo.

—Later —I said—. Not now.

The policeman shook his head.

—It has to be now.

Something in his tone made me feel a terrible chill down my spine.

We were taken to a small rest room.

Marcus also entered.

The policeman opened the folder.

—We received a call from your house an hour ago.

—He was her neighbor.

—He said he heard screams.

I felt the room moving.

—What did they find?

The second police officer responded.

—Three unconscious people.

—Traces of poison on the kitchen table.

—And this.

He took a photograph.

It was the table in my house.

Three cups of hot chocolate.

One of them on the ground.

—We believe someone tried to poison her husband and her sister.

My heart was beating so hard I could barely hear it.

-Tried…?

The policeman nodded.

—But there’s something else.

He pointed to another photo.

It was Leo.

Sitting at the table.

With tears on her face.

—According to the preliminary analysis, the poison was not in all the cups.

—Only in two.

My mind tried to understand.

-Two?

Marcus whispered:

—Evan and Nora.

The policeman continued.

—But your son also ingested poison.

—Because he drank from his father’s cup.

I felt the air disappearing from my lungs.

—No… no… no…

The policeman lowered his voice.

—The good news is that they arrived on time.

—All three are alive.

Tears blurred my vision.

—Who did this?

The policeman looked at me seriously.

—That’s what we need to find out.

He took out another bag of evidence.

Inside there was something small.

A jar.

—We found this in the kitchen trash.

I looked at him.

And my heart stopped.

I recognized that bottle.

It was from my hospital.

A strong sedative.

Only medical personnel could access it.

The policeman spoke slowly.

—Doctor… someone with medical knowledge prepared this poison.

I felt my legs giving out.

—Are you saying… that it was me?

The police officer denied it.

-No.

—But we need to know who had access to his house.

I thought quickly.

—My husband.

-My sister.

-Me too.

Marcus spoke for the first time.

—The nanny too.

My head lifted.

-That?

—The nanny, Clara.

—She left early today, remember?

The police officer wrote down the name.

But then a nurse opened the door.

—Dr. Hale… the child woke up.

Marcus got up immediately.

I ran after him.

Leo was in bed.

Pale.

Weak.

But aware.

“Mom…” she whispered.

I ran towards him.

I hugged him gently.

-I’m here.

-Everything’s fine.

Leo looked around.

-Dad…?

—He’s alive.

—Aunt Nora?

-Also.

Leo closed his eyes for a few seconds.

Then he said something that froze the room.

—It wasn’t Clara.

The policeman approached.

—So who was it?

Leo looked at me.

Her eyes were filled with fear.

—I heard Dad and Aunt Nora arguing.

My heart stopped.

—What did they say?

Leo swallowed hard.

—Dad said they were going to escape together.

—That Mom would never find out.

The silence was absolute.

Leo continued in a weak voice.

—Then Aunt Nora put something in the cups.

—But Dad saw it.

—And they tried to take it from him.

—They had a fight.

—And everything fell apart.

The policeman slowly closed the notebook.

—They tried to kill each other.

Marcus murmured:

—And the child was left in the middle.

I felt something inside me break.

My husband.

My sister.

My family.

Leo squeezed my hand.

“I didn’t want Dad to die…”

I hugged him.

-I know.

Behind me, the policeman spoke in a low voice.

—When they wake up… we’re going to interrogate them.

But I barely heard it.

Because at that moment I understood something devastating.

That night…

not only had I almost lost my son.

He had also discovered

that the two people he trusted most

They had been willing to destroy everything.