Time moved differently after Emmanuel's death. For the Muller family, some days felt endless, while others passed in a blur. But the pain never left. It just changed shape.
Right after the funeral, Michael disappeared. Everyone was told he had gone to America for a master's degree in urban planning at Columbia University. His family believed it was a smart move, planned in advance. But the truth was different. Carlos, afraid that Michael might break down or get exposed for the accident, forced him to leave the country. It wasn't a choice, it was escape.
Back in Berlin, Gerta's life slowly fell apart.
During the first year, her sadness turned into something worse. She started feeling dizzy, tired, and fainted during a school poetry recital. After many hospital tests, she heard something no teenager should ever hear: brain cancer. She stopped talking. Her thoughts felt like heavy clouds. Her mother, Talicia, stayed by her side constantly. Her father, Gerardo, threw himself into work to avoid facing another sick child. Emma tried to act normal, focusing on school, but deep down, she was scared, too.
In the second year, Gerta had brain surgery. The operation was successful — the cancer was gone. But it took something with it. Gerta couldn't remember certain things anymore: important dates, poems she wrote, and small details about her brother. She forgot where she hid certain things. Sometimes, she even forgot what Emmanuel's laugh sounded like. The doctors called it memory loss. For Gerta, it felt like losing parts of her soul.
The third year brought even more changes. Emma moved to London to attend university. She left without saying much, not because she didn't care, but because she didn't know what to say. At the same time, Gerardo's business started failing. He lost clients and money. Slowly, he sold his cars, his shares, and everything he could, except the family house. When he had nothing left, he made a dangerous choice: he agreed to secretly clean money for criminals. He hated it, but it was the only way he could keep the house standing.
Then came the fourth year. Talicia, already weak from stress, got very sick. Her heart couldn't take it anymore. She started going to the hospital often, and her bright spirit faded. She spoke less, but her eyes followed Gerta everywhere, as if she were afraid to lose her too.
By now, Gerta was nineteen. She had survived, but she didn't feel like herself. She often stood in Emmanuel's old room, holding a small silver ring she didn't remember finding. It had a strange symbol on it: 0:0. She didn't know what it meant, but when she touched it, her chest hurt, like a memory trying to come back.
Far away, in America, Michael had changed, too. He finished his degree, but the guilt never left him. Every time he looked in the mirror, he saw the face of a killer. He carried that guilt in silence.
At the end of the fourth year, Michael returned to Germany. He looked older, more serious. His diploma was packed neatly in his bag, but he didn't care about it. What he carried most was the weight of the past.
Summer had already started