Chapter 5: The Beginning Again
Weeks later, the bruises faded.
But Sofia didn’t try to erase them completely.
She said they reminded her of who she refused to become.
Carmen was charged.
The women were identified.
Javier signed the divorce papers without a fight.
And the condo?
Still in Sofia’s name.
Exactly where it belonged.
One evening, we sat together on the balcony, watching the sunset paint the sky in gold.
Alexander stood nearby, quieter now, but no less watchful.
Sofia leaned her head on my shoulder.
“I thought my life was over,” she said softly.
I kissed her hair.
“No,” I whispered.
“It was just beginning.”
She smiled.
And for the first time since that night…
It reached her eyes.
Because Carmen had tried to break her.
Instead…
She made her stronger.
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And this time—
Sofia would choose her own future.
