Clara felt the cold hospital room spin around her. She looked at her daughter’s pale, painful face and tried to soothe her sadness. The doctor seemed calm, but in his eyes, an impossible-to-hide worry was evident.
— «Oh, honey, please… tell us exactly what happened on Saturday night?» the doctor asked in a soft voice, leaning against the girl.
The little doll. She bit her lip and tears began to roll down her cheeks.
— «It hurts so much… and Martí told me not to tell Mom… that she would only worry. He gave me some pills… very bitter. Then… I remember everything now.»
Clara’s blood heated up. Pills? Why would Martí give the girl medicine if he hadn’t told anyone?
The doctor reacted immediately:
— «It’s important to know what kind of substances you took. I have requested amblyopia, and we will do all the necessary tests at the hospital. It is not just digestion.”
Each moment seemed like an eternity. Finally, the ambulance arrived, and the blue lights illuminated the victim’s veins. The paramedics transferred the patient to a stretcher and immediately began stabilization procedures.
Clara walked down the hospital hallway, almost in tears. Her mind kept returning to the same question: How could she have seen this before? How could she have left her son alone with Martí?
During the journey, the doctor told her:
— «The symptoms and what we saw on the ultrasound indicate that Aa’s body was exposed to something it shouldn’t have. Her liver and stomach show damage. We will have exact confirmation after the lab work.»
In the waiting room, Clara felt for the first time the burning anger, mixed with unbearable guilt. Martí. The man she had trusted with her life and that of her child. The man she had believed in. What was he hiding from the truth?
Your mobile vibrated. A message from Martí:
“Is everything okay? I’m home. Are you okay?”
Clara clenched her fists. She didn’t respond. At that very moment, the doctor came out of the emergency room door.
— «Aa’s condition is stable, but we have serious suspicions. We must inform the authorities. She must have ingested toxic substances.»
The words “inform the authorities” hit Clara like a bolt of lightning. She realized that the nightmare had only just begun.
She looked up at her daughter’s flushed face, clearly visible behind the living room mirror. And in that moment she made an irrevocable decision: she would never let Martí near the girl again.
And deep down, I knew that the truth about that weekend would be darker than I had imagined.
The girl had complained of severe stomach pains the previous week with her father – and the doctor, upon seeing the ultrasound, immediately called an ambulance …
That morning should have started like any other. Clara, mother of an eight-year-old girl named Aa, was preparing breakfast before taking her to school. But something was very disturbing.
Aa was pale, sitting at the table with her hand on her stomach.
“Mom… it still hurts,” she whispered softly voice.
Clara felt her chest. “Did it hurt yesterday too?” She nodded, her eyes wide and bitter.
— «It started on Saturday night… really bad. I told Martí (Clara’s husband, Aa’s stepfather), but he told me it was probably because of the pizza.»
That weekend Clara had to work, leaving her daughter in Martí’s care. Until then, she had always ignored the young woman’s complaints, convinced that they were just passing the time. But this time, a cold feeling ran through her blood.
Without wasting any time, she took her to the pediatrician who had been treating her since she was born.
After a thorough examination, the doctor decided to perform an ultrasound “just in case.” However, as soon as the images appeared on the screen, the calmness disappeared from her face. She exchanged worried glances with her assistant.
– “Doctor, what’s going on?” — Clara asked with a trembling voice.
The doctor immediately picked up the phone and, firmly, said:
“I need amblyopia for an eight-year-old girl.”Ano ba talaga ang nangyari noong weekend na iyon kasama ang kanyang stepfather?
Then he turned to Aa, painted and scarred on the examination table. And at that moment, a terrifying question crossed Clara’s mind: Ano ba talaga ang nangyari noong weekend na iyon kasama ang kanyang stepfather?