Belt's mother returned a few minutes later with two cups of steaming green tea. She sat down, took a deep breath to calm her trembling hands, and began her story.
"You only know him as a shadow, but Belt hasn't always been this cold boy. Before... he was like a sun. He was friendly, the kind of child who helped others before thinking of himself. He got that from the man he called 'Dad'. They were inseparable: movies, video games, vacations... Everything seemed perfect."
She paused, her gaze lost in the void.
"Then came that cursed day. Belt came home from school, proud of a brilliant grade, running to announce it to his father. But what he found in the living room broke him. A simple letter, lying on the table.
His father was gone. In the letter, he explained that he couldn't stand 'playing the role of the perfect man' anymore, that he was suffocating, and that he was leaving to the other side of the world to live his life, even if it meant abandoning his family."
Quiena listened, her heart tight.
"That's horrible..." she whispered.
"That's not the worst part," continued the mother, wiping away a tear. "When Belt read that, he wanted to understand. He waited for me. And then... I committed the irreparable. I told him that I knew. That it was planned.
Belt didn't understand. He insisted, screamed, cried... until I gave in and confessed the raw truth: that man was not his real father. We had made an agreement. He was supposed to play the role of a father figure so that Belt could grow up in a 'normal family'. Everything was just a stage play."
"A stage play?" repeated Quiena, shocked.
"Belt then asked me who his real father was. I didn't want to hurt him more, but he had the right to know. I confessed that his biological father is a powerful businessman. We met at university, but when I told him about my pregnancy, he refused to believe it. His family rejected me, and he... he didn't fight for us.
That day, Belt's soul broke. He understood that society gave a rich man the power to 'refuse' his existence. And that his own mother had built his life on a lie to compensate. Since then, he locked himself in his room. He doesn't believe in humans anymore. For him, everything is hypocrisy."
Belt's mother burst into tears:
"I just wanted to protect him! But I destroyed his personality by locking him in a bubble of lies!"
Quiena stood up and gently placed her hand on the sobbing woman's shoulder.
"It wasn't your fault, ma'am. You did what you thought was right. Your son is a genius, he is strong. I know he will overcome all this."
She added with a firm voice:
"And I will be there to help him get back up, no matter how many times he falls."
The mother raised her head, dried her tears, and looked at Quiena with gratitude.
"You are right. My son is in good hands."
Suddenly, heavy footsteps echoed on the stairs.
Belt appeared, dressed in his new black equipment, his eyes shining with determination. He was ready to prove to Uncle Jisk that the Tiger was awake.
He stopped dead, sensing the heavy atmosphere in the room.
"What's wrong?" he asked, frowning. "Why this funeral atmosphere?"
Quiena straightened up quickly, flashing a big forced smile:
"Oh, nothing at all! We were just talking about girl stuff, that's all."
Belt looked at her suspiciously, then shrugged.
"Ah, just that... OK. Let's go, I shouldn't be late."
"Late? Where are we going?" asked Quiena.
"Where am I going. You, I'll drop you off on the way so you can go home. Come on, move."
They walked to the final alley that separated their paths. The sun was beginning to set.
Quiena stopped abruptly.
"Belt... if I do something stupid, will you forgive me?"
Belt, ironic, sighed without stopping:
"You always do stupid things, so I don't see what would be n—"
He didn't have time to finish.
Quiena grabbed him by the collar of his hoodie and pressed her lips against his.
The kiss was brief, but intense. An electric shock.
Then, as quickly as she had done it, she pulled back, her face bright red.
"Sorry!" she screamed, running away as if she had just committed a crime. "See you tomorrow!"
Belt remained frozen in the middle of the street, arms dangling. His genius brain had just suffered a "404 Error." He touched his lips, totally lost.
"Why...? What just happened?"
Still in shock, he arrived at the old training ground like a robot.
Uncle Jisk was already there, sitting on his bench. At his feet, an old grumpy bulldog was sleeping.
The coach looked up and burst out laughing when he saw Belt's face:
"Damn it, kid, why are you making that face? You look like you met a monster on the way or swallowed a fly!"