Chapter 5 - A Searing Flame
The morning sun filtered through the curtains, mocking the darkness of my reality.
Diego had left for work before seven, snatching the freshly ironed blue shirt from my trembling hands without a single word of thanks or apology. He only left a sticky note on the kitchen island: Dinner with the investors at 8:00 PM. Have the house spotless.
I stood in the kitchen, gripping the edge of the marble counter. My body was a landscape of agony. The thick black girdle was strapped tightly around my torso, digging mercilessly into the fresh welts and cuts from the leather belt. Every time I inhaled, it felt like a serrated knife was dragging across my ribs.
I reached for the broom, intending to sweep the hallway to fulfill his demands.
As I bent forward slightly, a sudden, blinding spike of pain ripped through the right side of my lower abdomen.
It wasn't a contraction. I had read all the pregnancy books; I knew what Braxton Hicks felt like. This was entirely different. It was a sharp, tearing sensation, as if the muscles and tissues beneath my bruised skin were physically ripping apart.
The broom clattered to the floor. I collapsed onto my knees, gasping for air. A cold, clammy sweat instantly drenched my forehead. The pain was so intense it made my vision blur with black spots.
"Oh God... Mateo... please..." I whimpered, clutching my belly.
I couldn't drive. Diego had taken the keys to my car months ago, claiming that pregnant women were terrible drivers and it was a liability. I didn't have a cell phone to call an ambulance, and even if I did, I was terrified Diego would find out and kill me for making a public scene.
Desperate, barely able to breathe, I crawled across the kitchen floor to the landline mounted on the wall. I pulled the cord down, my fingers shaking violently as I dialed the only number I knew would answer at this hour.
Doña Carmen.
"Hello?" her sharp, aristocratic voice answered on the third ring.
"Señora Carmen... please," I gasped, tears streaming down my face. "Something is wrong... I'm in agonizing pain. I think something is tearing inside. Please help me."
She let out a loud, theatrical sigh of profound annoyance.
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"Honestly, Valeria," she huffed. "You are so incredibly dramatic. Fine. I will be there in twenty minutes. Be ready at the door. I have a hair appointment at one, and you are not going to ruin my day."
It was the worst mistake of my life.
