By December, the Alvarez house had developed two parallel timelines: the holiday calendar Lucia could see and the marital crisis she could not. They decorated the tree together because Lucia had been counting down to it for weeks. Miguel hung lights along the porch. Sofia made tamales with Maribel and their mother. Lucia insisted Daniel's watch should not be in the house, so Miguel returned it through Daniel's office receptionist with no note.
Daniel emailed Sofia once afterward from a new address to say he understood and would not contact her again. Sofia showed Miguel without being asked. Miguel read it and deleted nothing. Transparency had become exhausting and necessary.
Christmas itself was quiet. Miguel gave Lucia a beginner telescope because she had become obsessed with planets. Sofia gave Miguel a new leather wallet he had mentioned needing months earlier, then looked embarrassed as soon as he opened it, as if gifts had become inappropriate evidence of a marriage not yet decided. Miguel thanked her sincerely. He had bought her a set of drafting pens for work because refusing to acknowledge Christmas would have forced Lucia to carry the tension. They did not exchange romantic gifts.
After Lucia went to bed, Sofia and Miguel sat on opposite ends of the couch with the tree lights on. "Do you hate me?" Sofia asked. Miguel thought for a long time. "Sometimes."
She nodded as if she deserved nothing kinder. "But not all the time," he added. "That's what makes this hard." Sofia looked down at her hands.