Chapter 28 - Healing the Scars
The physical bruises from the ropes on Valeria’s wrists faded over the following month, but the psychological scars required more tender, deliberate care.
There were nights when the sound of heavy rain hitting the coastal windows would cause Valeria to wake up in a cold sweat, her heart hammering wildly against her ribs.
"I'm here, Val. I'm right here,"
Daniel would whisper instantly, pulling her tightly against his chest in the dark.
"I dreamt about the headlights,"
Valeria sobbed one night, burying her face in his shirt.
"I dreamt the car didn't stop."
"But it did stop,"
Daniel reminded her, his voice a steady, unbreakable anchor in the storm of her panic.
"I stopped it. And the woman driving it is locked in a cage. She can never, ever reach you."
May you like
He would hold her, stroke her hair, and murmur quiet promises until her breathing slowed and she fell back into a peaceful sleep. Daniel’s unwavering, absolute devotion slowly rebuilt the foundation of trust and safety that his mother had tried to violently destroy.
They were healing, together, preparing for the arrival of the life they had fought so fiercely to protect.
