Chapter 95: The Pain After the Revelation

Mr. Frederick asked me to stay with his wife while he went to deliver the money to the Ratasquilla. I was also to ensure that they upheld their end of the deal and left the country. However, Mrs. Amalia insisted on going with him, leaving the little baby in my care.

For the first few minutes, everything seemed calm, but then the baby began to cry. Her cries resonated through the room, not because of their volume, but because of what they conveyed: a deep, heartbreaking sadness. In my years of experience, I had never been bothered by a baby's cries, but this time was different. Not because it annoyed me, but because her cries seemed to be pleading for something I couldn't give her: the warmth and arms of her real mother.

I tried to calm her, remembering the song I had heard from her father. With a trembling voice, I sang a verse:

—It's as magical as everything that happened, you came to color our gray world, flowers bloom in our garden knowing that you will always stay here...

To my surprise, the little one stopped crying. Her teary eyes looked up at me with a mix of tenderness and trust. Soon after, she smiled, one of those smiles that melt hearts and ease any anxiety. At that moment, I knew that despite everything, I would do everything I could to take care of her with love while she was in my charge.

Fifteen minutes later, Mrs. Amalia and Mr. Frederick returned. Amalia appeared deeply shaken. Her face was pale, and her hands trembled as she tried to control her breathing. Without thinking, I went for valerian water to help her calm down.

When Mrs. Amalia finally recovered from the aftereffects of childbirth, she was discharged, and along with her "daughter" and her husband, they left the clinic. However, the other family, the Thompsons, weren't as fortunate. Mrs. Ana Lucía and her husband Albert left the clinic with empty arms and broken hearts. They were allowed daily visits, but on a strict schedule. During the following two weeks, I was the one who cared for Analú, the baby who had been switched and abandoned by her biological parents.

—That's all I can tell you —Miriam concluded with a broken voice—. I hope you keep your word and don't get me into trouble. After my daughter received her surgery, the guilt didn’t let me continue working there, so I resigned.

Mateo nodded seriously.

—Don't worry, ma'am. Your testimony is helping us solve a very important case. We guarantee there will be no legal consequences for you.

When Mateo and Alexia left Miriam's house, the silence between them was deafening. Once inside the car, Alexia could no longer hold back and broke into a heartbreaking cry. Hot tears rolled down her cheeks as she hugged her legs, trying to contain the pain that overwhelmed her.

Mateo, not knowing how to comfort her, simply drove slowly, allowing her to release everything she had inside. He knew it wasn’t the time to say anything, that words would be useless against the storm of emotions she was going through.

—Alexia, I know you’re shattered —he finally said in a soft tone—. I don't want to take you home. Let’s go to a hotel. You need to cry peacefully, without questions or curious glances.

She didn’t respond, but her silence was enough for him to decide. He booked a room at the Freshcool Hotel and, after parking the car, helped her inside.

In the room, Alexia collapsed onto the couch, her eyes swollen and her body trembling. Mateo tried to cheer her up.

—I’ll order some food and call the mansion to let them know we won’t be coming back tonight. Rest for a bit.

At the mansion, Mr. Michelini answered Mateo's call, who assured him that everything was under control. However, the businessman wasn’t entirely convinced by the explanation. Intrigued, he went to find Analú.

—Analú, can you explain what Alexia is helping you with? —he asked seriously.

Analú looked up and, without suspecting anything, replied naturally:

—I’m working on a project to catalog the birds of Lorgan. Alexia and Mateo are taking pictures to save me time while I finish the report.

Mr. Michelini nodded, muttering something inaudible, before leaving.

Back at the hotel, Alexia, after drinking a glass of wine, broke the silence:

—The only good thing about all this is knowing that I don't carry the blood of someone as ruthless as Frederick Michelini.

Mateo looked at her seriously.

—Don’t say that, Alexia. Mr. Frederick, despite his mistakes, has always been a good father to you. What you are today, you owe at least in part to him.

Alexia sighed deeply, feeling overwhelmed by guilt and confusion.

—I’m sorry, Mateo. It’s just that all this is too hard to process. My life and Analú’s life will change forever. I don’t know how the Thompsons will react... I don’t even know how to refer to them.

Mateo approached, placing a hand on her shoulder.

—You need to rest, Alexia. None of this will be resolved tonight.

But she shook her head.

—No, Mateo. I want to drink until I forget my problems. If I had listened to you, I wouldn't be facing this situation.

Mateo watched with growing concern as Alexia emptied one glass after another, faster each time, as if she were trying to drown the flood of emotions overwhelming her. He knew she wasn’t a drinker; she had never been. But that night, it seemed like the pain had surpassed any limit, and the only thing he could do was stay by her side, watching her try to escape her own internal storm.

The atmosphere in the hotel was calm, almost desolate, and the dim light from the desk lamp created shadows that danced around them, as if they too were part of her anguish. Alexia said nothing, only drinking the liquor at a pace that scared Mateo. The young man tried to think of something he could say to console her, something that could help her process everything she had just discovered, but his words seemed empty compared to the sea of emotions that overwhelmed her.

He knew she was facing a brutal truth, a truth that shattered everything she had known up until that moment. The pain of the revelation that she wasn't Frederick Michelini's biological daughter was unbearable, and on top of that, there were feelings of betrayal, confusion, and fear about the future. What was left now? How could she rebuild her identity? The world she had known seemed to be crumbling before her eyes.

Mateo wanted to offer comfort, but he didn’t know how. Alexia’s anguish was palpable, like a pressure filling the air. He sat next to her in silence, unsure if it was right to interrupt her thoughts, but unable to look away. His heart ached seeing her so broken, so vulnerable. It pained him to see her sinking into such deep sadness, but he understood that he couldn’t force her out of it.

When Alexia placed the empty glass on the table and held the next one between her trembling hands, Mateo whispered softly, almost as if afraid to break the silence with his words.

—Alexia, I know this is a lot to take in, but please, don’t hurt yourself more. You don’t need to drink to forget.

She looked at him with teary eyes, sadness reflected in every corner of her face. With a sad, almost bitter smile, she replied:

—What else can I do, Mateo? I don’t know how to move on. Everything I thought I knew about myself, about my life, has vanished. The truth... is too heavy.

Mateo, feeling the knot in his chest, leaned closer to her, placing his hand over hers, which was still holding the glass.

—I know, there are no magic words, no quick fix for this kind of pain. But... I’m here. You don’t have to go through this alone.

Alexia let a couple of tears fall, struggling not to break into uncontrollable sobs. What Miriam had revealed to her, the whole baby-swapping situation, Ana Lucía’s suffering, and the fact that her life had been a lie, made her feel empty, as though she had never known the whole truth. Her mind felt like a puzzle with missing pieces, and she didn’t even know where to start fitting them together.

The silence between them was deep, dense, but Mateo didn’t move away. He wanted to be there for her, every second, no matter how difficult it was.

—If you can’t talk, if you can’t sleep, then cry, Alexia. Cry as much as you need to, but don’t drown in that despair. I’ll help you find the way out, just don’t get trapped in the pain.

She looked at him for a moment, her eyes full of gratitude, but also with such overwhelming despair that it was hard to fully understand. However, in that instant, something inside her softened. Mateo wasn’t pressuring her, he wasn’t judging her. He was just there, offering a safe refuge in the middle of her storm.

Alexia took a deep breath and finally let the tears she had been holding fall. A silent cry, but filled with everything she couldn’t express with words. Mateo, with his hand on her shoulder, let her cry as much as she needed, without rushing her, without trying to stop the pain she needed to release.

He knew she would heal, that she would find peace eventually, but for now, all he could do was stay with her in her pain.