Chapter 8
It was his own mother.
Ricardo's phrase kept echoing in my head.
For a few seconds, I couldn't understand the meaning of those words.
My mom.
The person who has always been there for me.
The person who worked every day to put food on the table.
The person who gave up everything so that I could study.
How could she be connected to the beginning of it all?
I looked at her.
But my mother didn't try to deny it.
And that was the moment I felt something inside me break.
Because sometimes a lie hurts less than the silence of someone who could have told the truth.
- Mother...
My voice came out almost as a plea.
- And truth?
She closed her eyes.
For a few seconds, it seemed to return to a distant place.
A place where I didn't exist.
A place where she was still just a young girl with dreams and fears.
- Yes.
Her response was weak.
But enough to change everything.
I took a step back.
So all these years...
She approached.
Gabriel, listen before you judge.
But I shook my head.
I'm not judging.
My voice cracked.
I'm trying to understand why my own mother let me believe that my father had simply left.
She lowered her gaze.
And at that moment I saw something in her that I had never seen before.
Blame.
It wasn't anyone's fault for having done something wrong.
It was the fault of someone who had been carrying a burden for many years.
Ricardo remained silent.
For the first time, he didn't seem like a man who was hiding information.
It seemed like someone who had been waiting for that moment to arrive.
"Gabriel," my mother began, "before you were born, your father and I worked together."
I stood still.
Working together?
She nodded.
The project didn't start with him alone.
She looked at the box.
It started with me.
I sat down slowly.
It was difficult to hear that.
But I needed to.
I was studying different ways to teach students who didn't have access to resources.
My mother took a deep breath.
I believed that a good education shouldn't depend on a family's money.
I looked at my hands.
Because, suddenly, everything made sense.
My whole life I had watched my mother create solutions.
She always found a way to solve problems.
When money was tight.
When materials were lacking.
When it seemed impossible to continue.
So my father got your idea?
She shook her head.
- No.
The answer came quickly.
Her father was the first person who believed in her.
Ricardo spoke for the first time:
He knew that his mother had created something important.
I looked at him.
So why does everyone talk about it as if it were his project?
My mother remained silent.
And I realized that was the hardest part.
Because I asked him to do it.
My expression changed.
- Why?
She held up an old photograph.
There were three people on board.
My father.
My mom.
And Ricardo.
Much younger.
Because I knew that if my name was associated with the project, some people would try to stop it.
- Who?
My mother looked at Ricardo.
He replied:
People who believed that education was a tool of power.
Those words reminded me of Professor Sonia.
From my torn-up test.
My name has been removed from the list.
Everything seemed connected.
But one question remained.
And my father?
My mother remained silent.
Then he said:
— When Ricardo tried to take control of the project, his father found out.
I looked at Ricardo.
He did not deviate.
I made a mistake.
The phrase surprised me.
What mistake?
He took a deep breath.
I thought I could control people who had more power than us.
He looked at his own hand.
I thought I was protecting the project.
A pause.
But I ended up putting your father in danger.
My anger subsided a little.
Not because I forgave.
But because for the first time I saw a man admitting that he had failed.
What happened that night?
I asked.
Ricardo became serious.
His father discovered that someone was using the project to choose which students would receive opportunities.
My heart raced.
That was exactly what was happening to me.
They didn't want to help the best students.
Ricardo continued.
They wanted to decide who deserved to win.
My mother held my hand.
— Your father tried to report everything.
— And it disappeared.
She nodded.
The silence that followed was heavy.
But then Ricardo took something out of his pocket.
A small device.
It looked like an old memory card.
I kept this for years.
My mother looked startled.
Ricardo...
I can't hide it anymore.
He placed the object on the table.
— Your father left this with me before he disappeared.
My heart raced.
Why did you never deliver?
Ricardo looked at me.
And for the first time I saw fear on his face.
Because the last message recorded on it was a warning.
I picked up the device.
What warning?
Ricardo took a long time.
Then he replied:
— His father discovered that the person who was trying to destroy the project wasn't after the money.
He paused.
I was behind you.
My body grew cold.
From me?
Ricardo nodded.
Gabriel, your father discovered something about you even before you were born.
I felt my breath catch in my throat.
- What?
No one answered.
Then the device I was holding lit up by itself.
A recording has begun.
My father's voice came back again.
But this time it seemed more urgent.
More frightened.
If Gabriel is listening to this...
A pause.
That means they've discovered the truth.
I looked at my mother.
She started to cry.
The recording continued:
Son, there's a reason why they tried to erase your name from the national team.
My heart raced.
It wasn't just because you were a talented student.
Silence.
Then came the phrase that completely changed everything:
Gabriel... you weren't chosen by the university.
May you like
A pause.
— You were chosen for this project from the day you were born.
