Chapter 3: The Night Truth Broke Free
Hours later, the house was empty.
Police tape replaced decorations.
Champagne glasses sat untouched beside evidence markers.
Valeria stood in the doorway, arms wrapped around herself.
“I should have left sooner,” she whispered.
Ernesto stepped beside her.
“No,” he said gently. “You survived long enough to make sure they never hurt you again.”
Tears welled in her eyes.
“I thought if I stayed quiet… it would get better.”
“It never does,” he replied. “Not with men like him.”
She looked down at her hands.
“They made me believe I was the problem.”
Ernesto placed a hand over hers.
“You were never the problem.”
May you like
For the first time in a year…
She believed it.
