29

ELEONOR.

Yesterday was an incredibly challenging day for me. Even now, I can feel the lingering fear from the moment when that unknown man forcefully lifted me over his shoulder. Despite my screams, it seemed that no one noticed I was being kidnapped. The blood rushed to my head, and my breath started to falter as he carried me out of that den. I had absolute confidence that Ever would come for me. I knew he would find me, no matter where they took me. What was even more significant was that he didn't let them take me out of that place; he prevented it completely.

I won't pretend to feel sorry for the blows Ever delivered to the man who tried to kidnap me. Instead, I felt relief, pride in having a boxer by my side, and a deep sense of protection and safety. Although I trembled at the thought of him potentially killing the man, I couldn't deny that, in that moment, I felt like the luckiest woman alive to have him in my life.

As I was settling into bed for a short nap of just half an hour, the door opened.

""We need to talk, Eleonor,"" Mom entered the room with that sour expression that rarely led to anything good lately, except perhaps more wrinkles.

""I'm really tired. I spent the entire morning at the university working on projects for this semester. I just got home, had lunch, took a shower, and now I want to sleep a little to be ready for my shift at the library,"" I knew she wanted to discuss last night's incident.

""I don't understand how you're supposedly so busy and never have time to talk to your mother, but you always make time to see that boxer,"" she looked at me with her large eyes, widening them like fried eggs.

""Well, Ever will see me wherever I am,"" I replied, wanting to ignore her.

""Don't you feel ashamed? Don't you feel bad being with a guy like him?"" Her question irked me. Mom didn't even know him, yet she was already belittling and judging him.

""I'm more ashamed of your way of thinking,"" I retorted.

She raised her index finger as if to say something about it but took a deep breath, ran her hands through her hair, and paced around my room in front of the bed.

""Have you ever stopped to think that he's a boxer and the last thing I want for you is for him to mistreat you, hit you, tear you apart? He's five times taller than you. One day, things will spiral out of control during one of his fights, and he won't want to fight with words anymore. He'll slap you or punch you. He's like Hulk. I don't know how you managed to get yourself involved with one of those rat traps and fall in love with the first ogre you laid eyes on. And no, I'm not talking about his looks because I must admit he's very handsome. You have good taste, but my God, have you seen those arms? That strength? Aren't you afraid of what could happen one day?""

""The first thing is that he would never lay a finger on me, Mom. Ever is fantastic, and I love my 'Hulk.' You have no idea what you're talking about, you know? Because your whole life, you've judged based on appearances and not true feelings. That's what happened with Dad, Mom. You've always emphasized whether someone has money, whether they're intelligent, their social relationships, and other trivial things that don't compare to having a beautiful heart, even if the person may seem like a stone on the outside. It doesn't compare to when they wrap their arms around you, and you feel at peace, to when they respect and love you for who you are. Money doesn't compare to emotions; you'll never understand, Mom. A blind person doesn't know the terms of beauty, and you are blind in that sense. It saddens me, but I don't have to blindfold myself and be like you."" Each word came out calmly and with great emphasis, ensuring she understood that I wasn't playing when I spoke to her, nor was I expressing myself just for the sake of it." """Don't forget that I'm your mother!"" she threatened, raising her index finger and staring at me with wide eyes, so wide that I thought they might pop out of their sockets at any moment.

""And don't forget that I'm your daughter, but that doesn't mean I have to be just like you. I have my ideals, my tastes, and I'm free to choose who I fall in love with,"" I spoke, crossing my arms simply.

""Keep thinking that your life is one of those books you read, where they end with absurd happy endings that don't match reality,"" she tried to offend me.

""Oh no, Mom, not at all. In fact, yes, I prefer to believe I'm living a story with an absurd happy ending rather than pretending to live one and going through hell, like your case, Mom. I'm very happy with Ever since he came into my life; all he does is make me smile. But what about you, dear Mom? Your family has fallen apart. We all know that Dad cheated on you at some point, but your children were here with you. Now it turns out that even your own children don't want to be around you anymore. And mind you, it's not because we don't want to be with you, Mom, it's because you push us away with your bad attitude, your negative thoughts, your outdated ideas, and your deceitful attempt to make us believe you have a perfect life. It's all a lie,"" I could see the tears welling up in her eyes, but it was simply the truth. A few years ago, Michael and I found out that Dad had been unfaithful to Mom, and since then things have been a bit colder and tenser between them. I believe it may have been a factor that contributed to Mom becoming as bitter as she is today.

""Listen carefully, Eleonor, I'm going to tell you something,"" she tried to speak with an angry face, clenched fists, and a deeper voice tone, but our conversation was interrupted by my phone, saving me from that unpleasant discussion.

Incoming call.

""Hello, Mrs. Lucia!"" I answered cheerfully when I saw my mother-in-law's name on the screen. It was strange for her to be calling me, but I still picked up the phone.

""They've taken Ever into custody. I need you to explain what's happening, and above all, I need you to come to the police station right now,"" Lucia's voice sounded broken on the other end of the line as if she were crying, and her sobs were barely audible.

At that moment, my heart stopped, and I swear I stopped breathing for a few seconds. What I never wanted to happen had to happen today, of all days. My worst fear became a reality.

Tears filled my eyes immediately. My Ever.