I settle into the chair beside his bed and take a seat. There are tired lines around his eyes, and a bruise fading at his temple.
"I'm sorry," I say. "About everything that happened to you."
"No." He shakes his head. "I'm the one who's sorry, Lily. I swear I never would have hurt you or your daughter. And your father promised he wouldn’t."
"Carlos," I say it gently but firmly. "I didn't come here for excuses. We both did some crazy, off-the-wall things, and now..." I glance around the quiet room. "Here we are."
"Here we are," he echoes.
A beat of silence passes between us. Comfortable enough, considering.
"Here." I reach into my bag and pull out the envelope, setting it on the blanket near his hand. "I have something for you."
He frowns, picking it up. "What's this?"
"A second chance. Same as the one you gave me." I lean back in the chair. "I can't help with everything, but I figured the rest you could figure out on your own."
He opens the envelope and goes still. Quiet for a long moment as he takes in the cash, then the check behind it.
"Lily." His voice comes out strange.
"Don't."
"This has to be at least…"
"Fifty thousand in cash," I confirm. "And a four-million-dollar check."
"Are you serious?"
"You held me down, Carlos. All those years at the bar, if I hadn't been there, I never would have met Raf. I'd still be running on empty, too scared to want anything." I fold my hands in my lap. "My life has changed beyond anything I could have imagined, and you were a part of how I got here. You deserve a break. You deserve to be happy. You deserve to live somewhere in the light."
He looks down at the envelope. Reads the note tucked inside.
Don't let life turn you into a villain. Go on that road trip.
His jaw works. “Hush money,” he says jokingly.
"Among other things."
He huffs out a breath that almost becomes a laugh. Then he looks up at me, his expression softening. More like the Carlos Iused to know. "I actually, uh." He clears his throat. "I sort of met someone."
I blink. "Really."
"You remember Samantha? The bartender I fired because you thought you caught her stealing?"
"...I did catch her stealing."
"Yeah, we staged that whole thing. Turns out she was pregnant, and I didn't want everyone talking." The corner of his mouth lifts. "She's the one, Lily."
I stare at him for a second. Then I start laughing. “You know, that actually explains a lot.”
"I'm happy for you," I say when it settles. "I really am."
"Thanks." He looks down at his hands. Or what's left of one of them. He catches me noticing and shrugs it off before I can say anything. "Don't worry about it. It’s the reason I’m here today, actually. Apparently, I have replacements. I'll be better than ever with all the new parts."
"Bionic Carlos," I say.
"Exactly."
