A strained silence settles over the room as I finish, and Santi leaves the words hanging between us for so long, it unnerves me. His eyes move over my face, then he rises from his seat and walks to the window, giving me his back as he stares outside. I’m not sure what to expect from him because I’ve never given him an ultimatum like this. There’s a chance he might see my demand as a slap in the face. There’s a chance he might just try to lock me up in my room and never let me leave. History dictates it’s likely to be one of those two options, but he surprises me with an admission I didn’t see coming.

“Ivy told me about your scars.”

My shoulders tense, and I suck in a muted breath, hoping he can’t see my despair in the reflection of the window. I told myself I wasn’t going to fall apart, but I didn’t prepare for this. It has long been a De La Rosa tradition that we bear our shame in secret. For Santi to even mention this has knocked me off balance, and I’m not sure I can bring myself to speak.

“I wish you had told me.” He shakes his head. “I would have murdered him myself.”

His words stun me, not so much by the bluntness, but the anguish in his tone.

“And I will give you this, Mercedes. You are right.” He turns to look at me, his eyes softer than I’ve ever seen them. “I’ve failed you.”

“That wasn’t what I meant, Santi,” I croak. “I have never seen it that way.”

“Maybe not.” He shrugs. “But that’s because you want to see the best in me. It doesn’t change the fact that it’s true. I was supposed to protect you, and clearly, I’ve been failing for many years, far longer than I ever knew. You didn’t feel safe to come to me with this. You were just a little girl…” He swallows painfully. “And you endured it on your own. You’ve endured most things on your own. Yet I’ve never given you credit for it or tried to understand the reasons.”

“We were both just doing the best we could,” I answer in a whisper. “That’s all we knew how to do. It’s how we survived.”

He dips his head, shaking it as if he can’t accept that. Santi has always taken the responsibility of our family to heart, and I know it doesn’t matter what I say right now. He will feel guilt for not preventing or changing my fate regardless.