Chapter 26

“Do you mean lately, or the last eight years?” she asked, ironically.

I shrugged my right shoulder in a gesture that said I didn’t care. Which wasn’t true.

“Lately?” I asked.

“Um, good. Trying to get over Dad, but okay.”

I looked down. She took my pulse on my wrist and placed the bell of the stethoscope on my chest. She stopped chewing her gum to hear better. She moved with confidence and professionalism. On the other hand, she looked the same as always, with her blonde hair tied up in a high bun and her pale skin, never touched by the sun. Hilda was not very adept at wasting time running around; she had always been very pragmatic and studious.

Even behind the mask of the responsible doctor, I perceived her sadness. It was an essence that the mint in her gum couldn’t cover. I could barely murmur:

“I’m sorry. Hans… your father, he died because of me. I’m so sorry.”

“My father died doing his duty, Nikolai. Protecting you,” she commented, with