His Second Heart
The day I was finally welcomed back into the Salazar family, Nathaniel Salazar—the frail adopted son they'd raised in my place—died from heart failure.
My sister, Alyssa, shaved her head and withdrew from the world, claiming she wanted to soothe Nathaniel's restless soul.
My parents had lost two children in a single night, and they blamed me for both.
To make amends, they decided my heart would one day be donated to a distant young relative suffering from the same condition. After all, that little boy had been Nathaniel's favorite person in the world.
From that day on, I was forbidden from drinking, smoking, staying up late, or doing anything that might damage my health.
They called it