Chapter 8
Chapter 8: The Birth in the Aftermath
The adrenaline, the trauma, and the violent stress of the ambush took their toll. The fetal heart monitor suddenly blared a high-pitched alarm.
Valeria’s water broke. The labor, which had been progressing slowly, suddenly accelerated into a terrifying, rapid crescendo.
For the next six hours, the room was transformed. The corrupt staff was replaced by a team of elite doctors meticulously vetted by Adriana, alongside a state-appointed social worker to ensure Valeria’s safety.
Sebastián tried to stay, reaching for Valeria’s hand, his eyes filled with tears of regret.
"Get out," Valeria gasped between excruciating contractions.
"Valeria, please, I didn't know—"
"Your ignorance was a choice, Sebastián!" she screamed, the pain and betrayal fueling her voice. "Get out of my room!"
Sebastián was escorted into the hallway by the police.
At the break of dawn, as the first rays of sunlight hit the Monterrey mountains, the room was filled with the sharp, beautiful cry of a newborn.
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Mateo Ríos was born. He was healthy, furious at the cold air, and gripping his mother’s finger with astonishing strength. As Valeria held him against her chest, exhaustion washing over her, she knew she had fought the hardest battle of her life, and she had won.
She legally registered the baby with her own two surnames. Mateo would carry no trace of the Alcázar name.
