Then he blurted out the phrase that ended up breaking me.
“They held me down, mom.”
I left the cup on the table.
“What did you say?”
“I told them no. Aunt Marisol pushed me into a chair. My grandmother grabbed my arms. My grandfather said it was going to serve as a lesson to me. And Vale shouted that they should cut off my forehead too.”
I felt nauseous.
“Has anyone helped you?”
He shook his head.
“Mateo was recording with his tablet. He laughed. He said he was going to send it to the family chat.”
There I stopped feeling afraid. I began to feel clarity.
“Sofia, what they did was not a prank. They touched you without permission, held you down and humiliated you. That’s aggression.”
She looked up.
“So I’m not exaggerating?”
I knelt in front of her.
“No my love. They want you to think that because it suits them.”
