Chapter 5 - Echoes of the Past
Despite the legal shield Leo was building, the emotional scars took longer to heal. One evening, a severe thunderstorm rolled over the city. A loud crack of thunder woke Mariana, sending her heart into a frantic rhythm. Disoriented, she thought she was back in the mansion, bracing for Beatriz’s footsteps.
She rushed to the girls' room and found them awake, huddled together and crying. Mariana climbed into the large bed, pulling Sofia, Maya, and Lily close, but her own tears betrayed her panic.
A soft knock came from the door frame. Leo stood there, holding a tray with four mugs of hot cocoa. He didn't say a word about their tears. Instead, he sat on the edge of the bed, handing out the mugs.
"When I was in the military," Leo said softly, his deep voice acting as a grounding anchor against the storm outside, "I used to hate the thunder. It sounded too much like things I wanted to forget. But a friend told me to think of it as the sky doing the screaming so I didn't have to."
Maya, the middle child, peeked over her mug. "Does the sky scream a lot?"
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"Sometimes," Leo smiled gently. "But it always runs out of breath. And then, it’s quiet again."
Mariana watched him, realizing that beneath his formidable exterior was a man who understood trauma. That night, the storm passed quickly, and for the first time in years, Mariana slept without dreaming.
