Chapter: What He Knew

Olivia met Marcos at their usual café—the one she used to visit with Tom. Days had passed since she read the letter and since Merlyn had asked that question that wouldn't let her sleep peacefully. Her mind had been replaying every word Tom had written, every gesture, every silence. She needed answers. And Marcos was her only chance to get them.

He arrived on time, as always. He wore a dark blue jacket and carried that calm air that always defined him. Olivia greeted him with a short but sincere hug. They ordered the usual, and once the coffee was served, she got straight to the point.

"Did Tom know he was going to die?"

Marcos looked at her in silence for a few seconds. It wasn't a surprised reaction, but rather the look of someone who had been preparing for that question for a long time.

"Yes," he said plainly. "He knew."

The world stopped for Olivia for a moment. The coffee in front of her suddenly went cold. Her heart pounded.

"Since when?"

"A few months before everything happened. He didn't tell me exactly how much time they'd given him, but he did confess he had a heart condition. A serious one. Silent. One of those that gives you warnings that seem like common symptoms... until it's too late."

"Why didn't he tell me?" she whispered, voice cracking.

Marcos looked down. It was clear it hurt him too.

"Because he loved you, Olivia. Because he knew that if he told you, it would break you. You'd stop living, stop studying, stop being yourself. He wanted you to remember him alive, not sick. He wanted you to love without fear... even though he was afraid the whole time."

She brought her hands to her mouth. She didn't know whether to cry, scream, or hug Marcos for carrying that alone.

"All that time... did you know?"

"Not from the beginning. He confessed it to me when he started feeling weak. He asked me not to tell you, to respect his decision. And believe me, it was the hardest thing I've ever done. But it was his choice."

"He always spoke like time was slipping away," Olivia murmured, remembering. "Like every moment was the last."

"Because it was, for him. Every moment with you was a gift. He told me that all the time. That you were his peace, his joy. And that if he had to go, at least he was leaving with a full heart."

Olivia couldn't hold back the tears. Not from sadness, but from the weight of a truth that suddenly changed everything. Tom hadn't just left. He had fought to live every second with her as if it were eternal, even knowing it wouldn't be.

Marcos offered his hand, and Olivia took it. They weren't alone. They had never been.

"Thank you," she whispered. "For keeping his secret... and for telling me now."

Marcos nodded, eyes glistening.

"Now it's yours. Do what you will with it. But don't let it become another reason to fall apart. Tom would never have wanted that."