Chapter 5: Learning to Live Again

Chapter 2: Every Lie Falls Apart The ambulance arrived within minutes. Paramedics rushed through the broken doorway, carefully placing me on a stretcher while Deputy Collins stayed at my side. Alex refused to let go of my hand. "You'll ride with her?" one paramedic asked. "I'm not leaving," Alex answered. Behind us, metal handcuffs clicked. Victor turned violently as a deputy secured his wrists. "You can't arrest me!" he shouted. "She's my wife!" Deputy Collins looked him in the eye. "Being her husband never gave you permission to assault her." Victor searched the room desperately. "Mom... Dad... tell them." Helena finally spoke. "It wasn't that bad." The deputy quietly picked up Nora's phone. "Let's see what the camera says." The recording began to play. Victor's insults. Helena laughing. Raúl locking the front door. The crack of the wooden stick. My scream. Then Victor's own voice. "Today you'll learn what happens when you humiliate me." Silence swallowed the kitchen. No explanation survived hearing the truth. Nora burst into tears. "I... I was only recording because they told me to." Deputy Collins shook her head. "You still recorded a felony instead of stopping it." By the time the ambulance doors closed, every member of the family was being questioned separately. For the first time since my marriage began... Victor wasn't the one asking the questions.

5 chapters