Chapter 19 - The Reunion
The next few days in the hospital felt like waking up from a decade-long coma. The swelling on my face began to subside, turning into a dull yellow bruise. The wounds on my abdomen were treated meticulously by the nursing staff, who handled me with a tenderness that brought me to tears daily.
On the fourth day, the hospital's social worker entered my room with a gentle smile.
"Valeria, your parents are downstairs," she said quietly. "They have been here every day, but the prosecutor restricted all access until Diego was officially denied bail. Would you like to see them?"
My breath hitched. I hadn't seen my parents in eight months. Diego had forbidden it, convincing me that their poverty was embarrassing and that they only wanted our money.
"Yes, please," I whispered.
Minutes later, the door opened. My father, a retired schoolteacher with snow-white hair, walked in, supporting my mother, who was clutching her purse to her chest. When she saw me—lying in the hospital bed, covered in bandages, my face bruised—she let out a heartbreaking wail.
"Oh, my little girl! My Valeria!" she cried, rushing to the bedside and taking my hand, weeping uncontrollably. "Why didn't you tell us? Why did you push us away?"
My father stood at the foot of the bed, his hands trembling as he stared at the medical charts. He looked like he had aged ten years in a single second.
"I was so ashamed, Papa," I cried, tears streaming down my face. "He told me he would ruin your retirement if I spoke. He made me wear that heavy girdle to hide the bruises. I was so scared."
My father walked around the bed and gently kissed my forehead. His eyes were blazing with a quiet, dignified fury.
"The only failure here is that miserable coward," my father said, his voice thick with emotion. "Diego's lawyer called us yesterday. He offered to pay off our mortgage if we convinced you to drop the charges."
"What did you say?" I asked, my heart pounding.
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"I told him to go straight to hell," my father stated proudly. "I told him my daughter’s life has no price tag, and we will fight him until my last breath. You are never going back to that house, Valeria. You are coming home with us."
Surrounded by their unconditional love, the final chains of my psychological prison shattered. I was finally free.
