Episode 1

The sun began to hide behind the few clear clouds that remained, making the inside of that small room feel cozier as it dimmed. The clouds began to turn gray and a cold wind lashed against the white skin of that young girl.

Eda felt the cold air run through her body, giving her chills. She walked to the window of her room and looked at the rain that was beginning to fall. The pastures moved from side to side in the sound of the wind. The thin coat she was wearing hardly covered her in that season when the rain began to fall almost every day.

Before the cold hit her room any harder, she lit the small fire that was there. That afternoon she was alone in her modest house. Her parents had gone to a meeting with the neighbors of the small farm, and as usual, they didn't take her into account to accompany them.

It was almost seven in the evening when the rain continued to fall, but now with more force. Eda left her room and went to the kitchen for a glass of hot milk. Just as the girl was returning with it in her small hand, lightning struck, making everything clear, followed by a loud thunderclap that made her jump and immediately drop the glass. Before she could prevent it, it fell on the rug in the middle of the small living room, spilling the liquid on it. At that moment, the front door was opened, and when she looked up, her heart began to beat very fast as she saw her parents enter. The gaze of Gema, her mother, and Elio Gazmey seemed to pierce the young woman at that moment, who quickly stood up to apologize for what had happened.

"I'm very sorry, Mother, I was startled and it fell," she hastened to say with nervousness in her voice.

"You are a very silly girl!" the woman blurted out. "You've stained my mother's rug!" Followed by that, a strong slap landed on her white, or rather pale, cheek.

Eda restrained herself from shedding a tear in front of them, bringing her hand to where she had received the blow.

"It wasn't my intention, Mother, I'll clean it," she tried to appease the woman's fury.

"I don't know what the hell I'm going to do with you," the man growled, looking very angry. "You are a useless girl, I don't know what I'm paying for, my God," that man blurted out with his eyes full of rage.

Eda stared at her father and didn't understand why he was acting that way just for spilling a glass of milk on a rug that was already old.

"Father, I think it can be fixed, I'll clean it in the morning," the girl said, bending down again to take out the rug, but before she could reach it, a strong hand grabbed her arm and made her stand up.

"Tomorrow?" the man asked and she nodded. "You will do it right now!" he exclaimed. "And you won't come back until you've done it."

"But it's raining very hard, Father," she reminded him. "I'll get sick if I go out like this in the rain," she tried to make him understand, but the man refused.

"I said now!!" he exclaimed forcefully. "Go before I give you a lesson," that man blurted out as he also released her, causing her to fall to the ground with force and hit her knees.

Without saying anything more, Eda stood up, took the old rug, and left the house. When she reached the porch, the cold enveloped her, making her shudder. A tear began to fall down her cheek and many more followed. She went to the side of the house where the laundry tub was and began to scrub forcefully on the fabric. After a good while, it was finally clean. Eda hung it on one of the ropes to let it drain, and luckily if it was sunny, she would take it out in the morning.

At that moment, the feeling of loneliness returned to take hold of her with such force that her tears fell again like waterfalls. She tried to clean them before returning home, but when she reached the door, it had been locked from the inside with a bolt. Her father had left her outside, without the slightest compassion for the torrential rain. Eda looked around to find a place to stay for the night and shelter from the cold that was reaching her bones. Then she noticed that the only place was that small barn.

Without being able to do anything else, she began to run calmly, careful not to fall under the rain, until she reached the structure in the middle of that land.

When she opened the door, she was completely soaked from head to toe, and she knew that the next day she would wake up with a cold. The young woman took off her coat and wrung it out with her thin hands and threw it on a wooden bar next to the door...

Ironically, she felt at peace in that place. In the barn there were only four horses, including a mare as black as the night, which belonged to her deceased brother. That horse was the only thing she had left of him, plus the memories she had before the tragedy where he had lost his life a year ago. After that, her father's mistreatment had increased towards her. Every time he came home drunk and got angry about some business matter, hitting or insulting the girl was his best way to vent, and her mother did nothing about it.

"Someday I will leave here and take you with me, darling," she told him with a sweet voice and a small empty smile to the animal that clung to her as if seeking her warmth.

That idea of leaving had occurred to her after, less than a month ago, her father came home very drunk and, seeing her without any reason, gave her a beating that made her spend two days unconscious. They had taken her to the town doctor's office, but he convinced the doctor on duty not to notify the police and not get him into any trouble. Eda knew that if she continued to endure that, he would end up killing her at any moment. Although she had wanted to leave before, she didn't because she felt that if she did, she would be abandoning her brother's memories, but she remembered the times he told her that he would help her go to the city to continue her studies at the university, all the times he defended her from the mistreatment of her father and mother. Without a doubt, he was the only good thing left in her family, but using her father's mistreatment turned into physical injuries, she knew she had to escape, but the idea of doing it to some city was a distant hope, since she didn't have money to do that.

The mare lay down to one side and Eda next to her, so she could calm her cold with the animal's warmth and she could feel that her brother was still accompanying her.

The crowing of the roosters woke her up very early. When she opened her eyes, she found herself curled up on the straw piled up to one side of the cutter. The mare had woken up next to her.

"Good morning, Bonita," she exclaimed with a sweet smile, and the mare made a sound as she approached her.

Eda began to caress her when she stood up. Her back hurt from having slept in that place, but she ignored it.

When Eda left the barn, she found her father who was mounted on his horse already ready to go and tour the fields and start yelling at the few workers they had left.

She passed next to him and without saying anything, went to the house, where her mother was on the porch with a steaming cup of coffee in her hands.

"Good morning, Mother," she greeted her politely, but the woman made a gesture of contempt when she saw her with her clothes wrinkled and dirty and with her beautiful jet-black hair disheveled and with some hay branches in it.

"You are shameful as you are, go take off those rags, I don't know how you can be my daughter," she said dismissively. "No one will ever notice you like that."

Without responding to that, Eda entered the house and went to her room to take a shower. The hot water seemed to restart her life. After washing her hair, she came out of the water and looked for something comfortable to wear to go and do her chores on the farm.

A good while later, she came down with worn jeans and a simple flannel shirt as well. Her hair, as it was still wet, fell over her shoulders like a cascade of waves.

"Oh my girl," was heard to say suddenly. Eda turned towards the kitchen and saw Yaret, the woman who took care of her and her brother when they were children, and who now helped her mother with the housework. Eda could say that apart from her brother, it was that older woman who truly loved her.

"When have you returned?" she asked with a smile as she gave her a strong hug. The woman had been away on the weekend at her sister's house who had fallen ill and she had gone to take care of her.

"I did it this morning," the woman said, then a trait of bewilderment passed through her eyes and Eda gave the reason why.

"Don't worry, it wasn't very cold," she said feigning a smile as she shrugged her shoulders.

"Anyway, come, I have prepared a tea to prevent you from getting sick, darling," the woman said as she led her to the kitchen.

After breakfast, Eda went to tour the fields as she always did. Although she was a girl, her father entrusted her with tasks that men normally performed, but she did them without complaining and that helped her keep her mind occupied.

It was around six in the afternoon when Eda returned to her house. Being several meters away, a flutter in front of her house caught her attention. Her father raised his arm and lowered it again with force, the animal in front of him neighed from side to side trying to break free. When the young woman saw what was happening, she ran there.

"DAD!" she shouted forcefully. "But what are you doing?" she asked when she arrived at the place, a pair of eyes as dark as the night rested on her. Seeing that her father's eyes were red, she knew that he was very drunk.

"Don't interfere," the man shouted.

"Why are you mistreating Nick's mare?" she asked with sad eyes.

"Get out of here before I give it to you too," the man blurted out angrily.

That afternoon, Elio had received the news that one of the investments he had made with other farmers had been a fraud for which he had lost what for him was a lot of money. Rage had blinded him and he had drunk a lot. When he arrived at the house, the first thing he saw was the mare that was eating in a pasture near the house and he went for her. Without thinking twice, he began to vent his rage with whiplashes to the poor animal.

"I won't let you hurt her, she's my brother's mare," Eda blurted out, raising her voice.

"Very well," Eda was surprised to hear that. "I won't give the animal another blow, but I will give it to you."

A strong lash fell on her arm leaving a mark quickly on the white skin, just when Eda was about to move away, her father threw her to the ground.

Her screams were drowned out by the moans of pain that came from her mouth, the man had given some blows to the girl leaving her lying on the grass, the shirt was torn, Eda felt the blood gush from her back, without being able to move even a little, she closed her eyes from the strong pain she felt burning in her injured back.

A week later.....

Eda was opening her eyes carefully, she tried to move a little but couldn't do so, a somewhat intense pain ran through her body forcing her to remain still.

"Don't move much darling," said a man's voice, Eda opened her eyes quickly and found herself with a look full of sadness and pain.

"Grandfather?" Eda asked in a low voice.

"Yes my daughter," said the older man taking her hand "I'm sorry I didn't find out sooner about what the wretch of your father was doing," darling," he expressed with impotence.

"How did you find out?" she asked.

"Yaret has called me daughter," he explained "I'm sorry I didn't arrive in time, the wretch of my son hurt your back a lot darling, but the doctor has assured that you are improving very well and that perhaps there will be no marks on your skin," explained the old man calmly.

Eda began to remember everything that happened, each of the blows that her father gave her and each whiplash that he released, a chill ran through her entire body when she remembered the pain she felt.

"What has become of him?" the girl asked.

"He is in prison where he should have been a long time ago darling, I have denounced him and he is detained dear." assured the man "but don't worry about him, he is not worth it" just make sure you get better "said in man with a smile and the girl nodded.

Josue Gazmey lived on the outskirts of the town in a small house, he did not know at all the situation of his son's family whom he had not seen for many years, but despite that he loved his grandchildren, a huge sadness overwhelmed him when he lost one of them so when he found out what his son had done to her, he did not hesitate to go for the girl and denounce him. The man knew that he did not have much time left to live because he had recently been diagnosed with lung cancer but he refused to undergo any treatment, that was alien to Eda, The man seeing that his granddaughter would be left out in the open again when he died, he made a decision, he would collect a favor that they owed him from many years ago..

The days passed and Eda was recovering quickly, a smile and a different gleam in her eyes adorned her beautiful face, the bad days were behind her, she felt happy next to her grandfather who gave her all the affection that she lacked before, but all that lasted only a month and a half, because the man had declined so much that his last day was approaching.

After telling everything to the girl who was crying next to his bed, he made her promise a couple of things, the first was that she would never return to her old house, the second that she would not let herself be humiliated by anyone ever again, the third that she would obey him by calling a number that he left written on a paper, that number was of the person who would help her change her life and protect her for the rest of her days.

"I know it's very hard to do something like what I ask of you darling, but he is a good man I assure you, he will never hurt you or force you to do something you don't want to," assured the man taking her hands between his.

"It's okay grandfather," she agreed "I will do it as you ask," she said sincerely.

A week later it happened, the old man had died in a room of the town's medical office, the girl asked for a mobile phone and did just what her grandfather asked of her in life.

"I am Eda Gazmey," she said in a sweet voice when the call was answered on the other side.

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