In the morning, when she arrived with breakfast and her usual smile, he looked at her with new eyes.
For three years, she had cared with a devotion that surpassed duty.
When he asked what she would do if he never recovered, Carmen met his eyes with surprising intensity.
She told him he was already perfect as he was, that disability does not define a person, that he was still Alejandro Mendoza—intelligent, kind, funny, generous.
His legs had nothing to do with who he truly was. And when he asked whether she would help forever if he needed care, Carmen answered without hesitation.
Then I’ll be there forever. In that moment, Alejandro realized he had found what he hadn’t known he was seeking: not just true love, but someone who saw—and loved—his real self.
