Page 60 of Shadow Man
“Colombia is a very traditional place, Anna.” Her hand closes around mine and I feel her warmth and acceptance seeping into me. “Our society can be cruel… Unforgiving. There are stigmas that these women will carry around for the rest of their lives.” She sighs heavily,wearily, impressing on me her feelings about the matter without the need for more explanation.
“How long do they stay for?”
“Weeks… years. There are no time limits. No restrictions. Our charity is available to them for as long as they need it.”
“Is Vi one of these—?”
“No.” Gabriela shakes her head. “She is exactly who she says she is. I brought that wild flower up all by myself. For a time, it was just myself, my two sons, Viviana and…one other.”
“She told me about your sons… I’m so sorry.”
She nods, accepting my sympathy graciously. “Viviana carries that grief so deeply inside of her.”
“Will she ever forgive me?”
“For contacting Señor Santiago?”
A hush descends over the room at the mention of his name.
I nod, feeling self-conscious. “Will you?”
“I do not blame Señor Santiago for their deaths, unlike Viviana.” There’s a pause. “You made the right decision in calling him. You would have died otherwise. Fernandez is not known for his forgiveness.”
I glance at the women again. A couple are poring over a western fashion magazine splayed out in front of them, laughing and comparing like any other twenty-year-old would do. It’s hard to imagine the hell they must have faced.What I’ve faced…
“Oh shit, we brought their abusers to your door,” I say, rising up in horror. “There are close to a hundredsicariosoutside!”
Gabriela stays seated. “We do not fear Carlos Gomez or his men. They fall under the direct order of another, who has sworn to protect this place.”
But my heart is beating too loudly to hear her reassurance.
“This isn’t just regular over-dinner conversation, is it?”
“You are so strong and bright and clever, Anna,” she says gently. “Don’t let those dark clouds block out your sunshine forever.”
“How did you know?” A sudden rush of tears is blurring my vision. “Is it that obvious?”
“Only to me. Maybe because I see so much of myself in you, and because this is the place where the once-broken will seek to help the broken parts of others.” My head jerks up in shock. “I was twenty when I started working for a bad man who beat and raped me. I stayed because I had nowhere else to go. I stayed for twelve long, terrible years. I stayed because, even after all he did to me, I loved his wife and I couldn’t bear to leave her behind, even after I bore her husband’s child.”
“How did you get away?” I whisper.
“Good fortune, faith…” She squeezes my hand again. “His wife eventually killed herself, which was her way of escape. After that, I stayed because I couldn't remember how to leave. The human soul can only take so much before it starts to forget the joy of light and laughter.” Her words ring so true that I forget to breathe. “Then one day his son came to me. He handed me five thousand dollars and the keys to his car, and told me to leave.”
“Just like that?” I frown. “Why would he do that?”
“He had a baby daughter. He knew that if his father found out about her, he would do unspeakable things to her innocence. He begged me to take her and run.” Grief darkens every soft, salient inch of her face. “I kept my promise until the day his father hunted us down and stole her from my arms.”
“What did he do to her?”
There’s a pause. “He killed her.”
My hand flies to my mouth in horror. “Whoisthis monster?”
“Was,” she says swiftly. “He resides in hell now, sent there by the same man whose daughter he killed.”
We sit in silence for a moment as I ponder her words.
“We all have our stories, Anna,” she muses. “Some are more raw than others, but those who endure and conquer are the strongest, most beautiful of all. Whatever happened to you, never doubt your courage. Never doubt your sense of self. You are a princess, no matter how damaged your crown.”