Chapter 10 - The Choice to Heal
I woke up to the steady beeping of a heart monitor.
The room was dim, smelling of sterile cotton and lavender.
“Valeria?”
I turned my head. Elias was sitting by the bed, looking exhausted, disheveled, and completely terrified.
“Where is she?” I whispered, my throat dry.
Elias smiled, tears instantly spilling over his eyelashes.
He stood up and walked to a small, temperature-controlled incubator in the corner of the room.
He carefully brought over a tiny bundle wrapped in pink.
“She’s small,” Elias whispered, gently placing her against my chest. “But she is perfect. And she is healthy.”
I looked down at my daughter. She had a mop of dark hair and the tiniest, most resilient fists.
I began to cry, pulling her close.
“Leonor and Rodrigo?” I asked softly.
“In jail. Held without bail,” Elias answered, sitting on the edge of the bed. “They will never hurt us again.”
The door creaked open.
Sofia peeked her head in, her arm still in a neon-pink cast.
“Can I come in?” she asked shyly.
“Come here, bug,” Elias smiled, waving her over.
Sofia climbed onto the bed, staring in awe at the baby.
“She was born?” Sofia whispered.
“She was,” I smiled. “Do you want to know a secret, Sofia?”
She nodded eagerly.
“She needs a big sister to protect her. Do you think you can do that?”
Sofia beamed, puffing out her chest. “I will protect her from everything.”
Elias reached out, placing one hand over Sofia’s and the other over mine.
“I spent six months running because I didn't know how to build a family,” he said softly, looking deep into my eyes. “But I know now. If you'll let me try.”
I looked at the man who had torn my heart apart, and the father who had just moved heaven and earth to put it back together.
“We have a lot of work to do, Elias.”
May you like
He smiled, kissing my forehead.
“I have the rest of my life to do it.”
