Chapter 62: Confessions
Ricardo did not get scared at her words. He was sitting quietly, then finally answered.
"She was already dying, Nadeira." He sounded sincere. "Barbara told me herself. She struck a deal with the sea… a desperate bargain she thought would keep you safe. But the pearls slipped from her hands. And when she tried to gather them again, her body broke down. She grew weak. Every day she searched, her sickness deepened. I watched her wasting away."
"You poisoned her. That's not easing sickness. That's murder."
Ricardo's eyes did not waver. "No. It was mercy. She begged me when she couldn't stand the pain any longer. I gave her peace. That was the only kindness I had left to give the woman I loved."
Nadeira couldn't believe what her father was saying right now…all these years, he kept Nadeira from her mother, grandparents…and now he was telling her this…?
Her throat burned, and her nails dug into the quilt. "You expect me to believe that?"
