Episode 17

ALANA

When I woke up, Chris did too, and as we were about to get out of bed, my icy husband walked in, quickly thawing, and brought us breakfast. After washing our faces, the three of us sat down to eat. He said we would spend the day at the pool, preparing a barbecue, which excited me as I had never done anything like that before. Chris was thrilled about getting in the pool. Once we finished breakfast, we changed. I chose a white swimsuit while both Christophers only wore pool shorts. As we descended, we helped those who had gone shopping, namely my sister, Cristobal, and Ian. While they went to change, some employees and I took the items out of the bags and started preparing everything. When we gathered everyone together, only Christopher's parents and Carmen were missing. Carmen told me she was with a group of friends and would bring them if she couldn't get rid of them. So when one of the employees told me a woman was looking for me, I thought it would be one of her friends who had arrived early, but to my surprise, it was none other than Lucrecia Rodriguez, the woman who has caused me the most harm in the world.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, annoyed. "How dare you stand in front of me? I just hope you don't see Lucia here or there will be trouble."

"I came to see you, to confirm that you're a whore just like your mother," the old woman spewed her venom.

"I don't care what you think of me. You're not my mother and never will be," I replied.

"Thank God for that, because you're an ungrateful whore. You left when your father needed you the most. The money is never enough, and you, marrying a millionaire, don't even help," the old witch said, her audacity overwhelming me.

"What am I supposed to be grateful for? For the beatings I received in that house? For the times I went to sleep without eating as a child? Or for all the insults every time you laid eyes on me? Don't be ridiculous. After so many years of abuse and insults, do you still believe I owe you anything? You are the one with serious mental issues," I spoke angrily, though I trembled inside. Suddenly, I felt a slap, catching me off guard.

"Thanks to us, you didn't grow up on the streets begging for alms. Your mother was a starving wretch with whom you would have died within days. Thanks to us, you're alive," she shouted.

"No, thanks to my grandfather, I'm alive. He was the one who gave me his love and affection. From you, I only received beatings and insults. So don't be ridiculous and get out of my house. You and your husband don't deserve any help from me," I yelled, extremely annoyed. The crazy old woman got even more agitated and tried to hit me again, but Christopher's hand stopped her.

"Who do you think you are to hit my wife?" Christopher asked angrily, his gray eyes darkening.

"I raised her, so I can do whatever I want to her!" Lucrecia said, completely out of control.

"Leave before I forget you're a woman and do something crazy," Christopher threatened.

"I'm not leaving, and if you lay a hand on me, I'll report you for hitting a woman," Lucrecia said.

"You hit my wife, so I have every right to remove you from my property, as you're trespassing without my permission," Christopher said, annoyed.

"You can't lay a hand on me," Lucrecia insisted.

"He can't, but I can, you old witch. Take this opportunity to despise and detest you," my friend Carmen, who had just arrived and apparently overheard everything, said as she grabbed Lucrecia by the hair.

"Let go of me, you stupid girl," Lucrecia shouted, annoyed.

"Stop it, old witch," Carmen said while pulling her hair. Cristóbal, who had been standing aside, opens the door for Carmen to leave, and then they both close it. I am being embraced by Christopher.

"Are you okay?" he asks as he approaches me and hugs me.

"Yes, and thank you. But you didn't have to do that. That woman could have hurt you," I said, feeling embarrassed.

"That witch is no match for me, and she knows it," my friend says, knowing that she is an expert in martial arts. I should train with her.

"Alana, I think you should go back to Chris. He saw when that woman hit you and got scared. I'll go with Cristóbal to sort something out," Christopher says, taking my hand.

"Yes, I'll go get him. He's Cristóbal, Christopher's brother," I said, and they greeted each other with playful smiles. Poor my brother-in-law, I think my friend won't let him off easy.

Carmen and I went to the pool where my little one was crying in Lucía's arms, trying to calm him down.

"Come here, sweetheart, everything is fine now. Look, Aunt Carmen is here," I said as I took him in my arms.

"Mummy, that bad lady hit you," he said while crying.

"My love, that lady is a witch, but Aunt Carmen put her in her place, and she won't hurt mummy anymore," Carmen tells my prince.

"Yes, my baby, everything is fine, and we will go swimming soon," I said, caressing him.

"Do you promise you'll be okay and never leave me?" my baby asks with his teary eyes.

"I promise you, my beautiful prince. Now, let's go to the pool," I said. In the water, while my baby played with Carmen, I told Lucía and Ian everything that happened.

Ian went to see what Christopher and his brother were doing and left us at the pool. Thank God some employees stayed to take care of the food because the cooks went to do I don't know what. I also appreciate that my in-laws said they would arrive late because if they had seen that spectacle with that woman, I wouldn't know how to explain.

"It's a good thing I stayed with Chris and didn't go see what was happening. If my mother had seen me, it would have been worse," Lucía said.

"Yes, you're right, but I thought you would call them this morning," I asked.

"I did, but since they were so insistent about the wedding with that man, I told them I had left the country and wouldn't be back," she said.

"Well, for now, it's better that they believe that. I don't want them to have more reasons to come and yell at me or try to hit me," I said.

"Alana, forgive me for not protecting you when we were children. I was afraid of mom and dad, and because I was a coward, I couldn't be the older sister you needed," Lucía said apologetically.

"Don't worry, we were both children, and if you had defended me, it would have been worse. They would have hit you too, and nothing would have changed. So, there's nothing to forgive," I said, and she hugged me.

"You're going to be very happy because you have a beautiful heart, and life will reward you for that," she said with a smile.

"I hope so. Now, let's go into the water while the men come back," I said, and we approached Carmen and my little one to play in the water with them. As we wait for the men in this house who must be plotting something because they haven't returned, I wonder what they could be doing. Christopher was very angry with Lucrecia, and who knows what she is capable of now. I hope she doesn't come up with something crazy.

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