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Nicknames

-Camilo's pov-

I feel a tinge of pain in my heart when Amira simply brushes me off. I watch as she runs off, leaving me.

"Don't take it too personal Cami, she's just worried about her stepsister." Dolores tells me as she walks by. Her words don't convince me though.

It's like she can sense my worry, because she continues with, "Remember that time Mami thought that Tonito was lost and you got paranoid? Even though he was just sleeping in the corner of his room." She reminds me with a giggle. I wasn't exactly fond of that memory but she had a point.

Yeah, yeah... Amira still loves me.

I grin softly to myself, satisfied.

-Amira's pov-

Holy crap.

It's the birth certificate I'd been so stressed about. And this time, I've got a better look at the information.

It says that the father is...

Ricardo Reyes.

I freeze, stunned. There was no reasonable explanation to this. Ma's last name specifically says that she'd been married to my father at the time.

What the fuck Ma!?

If she'd been hiding an affair, then wouldn't Pa just have assumed it was his child? Then his name would be assigned as the designated father. So Papa knew!?

Oh, god.

This makes no sense.

I realise that freaking out won't help me, so I slow down my breathes to a reasonable pace once more. "Wait, do you know who Margaret is?"

"...Yes." Peggy ducks her head, burying her face into her knees.

She's crying, so obviously worried. I don't want to pressure her answer but curiosity gets the better of me. "Can you tell me who that is?"

She doesn't respond for a decent amount of time. Seemingly rather reluctant in her response.

"I'm Margaret Reyes. Peggy is my nickname."

I was stunned. This only triggered even more questions. We share a mother!? While my mind is racing, Peggy sits silently, huddled to herself. I can only assume she's as confused as I am.

I sit beside her, pulling her into a hug despite her hesitant manner. "...Did you know?" I mumble curiously.

"Of course not."

A tincture of empathy prods at me, she probably grew up assuming she doesn't have a mother. But in reality, her missing parent was living her life to the fullest in Colombia. The most upsetting part of it was that Mama had deliberately chosen me, me over her.

I was just grateful that she knew better than to channel her anger through me.

I was about to tell her that her parents were back home, worried about her. But I was quick to stop myself, knowing they were probably the last people she wanted to hear about.

There's an unsettling tension in the air, the usually consoling sounds of the river stream weren't enough to ease the atmosphere. Not this time.

-Camilo's pov-

I feel myself zoning out as Isabela rambles on about colour theory. I honestly had no idea how she thought I would be able to take in any of that information.

All I can focus on is Amira. Well, that's normal but usually I'm not worried.

I started at my knees in frustration, wondering about the current state of the girl I adore so much.