Love & Lies

Chapter 10: ~Elena~

Seeing her daughter again after so long and holding her once more in her arms, Elena felt nothing but pure happiness. Her heart wanted to burst inside her chest when she saw her bend down to smell the herbs. Her mind wandering briefly to that time when she taught a two-year-old Natalia to smell the flowers in her garden. It was a memory she cherished wholeheartedly. Her daughters bright smile and laugh were the only things that kept her motivated when she fell hostage to Mauricio Solano. A man she hated with everything she had within herself. As mother and daughter walked hand in hand away from the field and sat on a bench close by, Natalia began to question how she could be alive after all this time. She could read her own heart. Elena did not give her an answer. How could she tell her daughter all the things she had gone through while she was away? She was sure Natalia would blame herself even though Elena had been the one to make her leave without her.

As they sat together on that bench and she listened to her daughter's quiet cries beside her, Elena looked far towards the distance where the field of crops and the blue sky met. She let her mind wander.

Elena loved Natalia's father with a fierce heart. She would stand by him through everything and that did not change after he found ways to abuse his newfound power and fortune and manage to find new forms of exploring his ego and rage by taking it out on her. His alcoholism and drug intake did not help at all. She had to hide her bruises with makeup and change her clothing for something more covering like long pants, dresses, and long sleeve shirts. She stuck by him even when she found out he had another woman who had recently given birth to his son. Elena held no grudge and welcomed the child into her own family as Mariano brought him every other weekend to their house. That changed when she found out she was pregnant for the first time.

Natalia was a beautiful precious baby girl when she was born. She became her father's princess right away. Mariano wanted to protect her all the time, and so he would take her with him as often as he could. There was something about him knowing exactly where she was that always brought some peace to him. It was then when Mariano finally understood what having something or someone to lose really meant. He found himself vulnerable. It was a feeling new to him, unlike when his son was born.

Mariano changed towards Elena after Natalia's birth. He became a different man. He would come home early with flowers in his hands and try to be a better husband by spending some time with his wife. They would have romantic diners every now and then and dance under the stars in their backyard. She did not question him when he decided not to bring his son to their home anymore, or when he paid for the child's mother and son to move out of town. Mariano maintained the communication with them, made sure his son was well taken care of, and he would visit as often as possible. But from that moment on, mother and child never returned to town.

When Mariano left, Elena's heart broke into million pieces. The love of her life had betrayed her for the very last time. She never recognized the changes in him. She was too distracted by his attentions towards her and her daughter and as the months went by, she berated herself constantly because of it. Because she could not understand what had happened, she blamed herself. How could she had been so reckless and not notice? Elena guessed Mariano really did not want anyone to know what he was planning to do.

When Natalia was left to step up and take her father's place, Elena couldn't find a way to stop her. The feeling that something terrible would happen remained in her, just like when Mariano told her he was getting involved in the cartel for the first time. Worry became her most loyal companion.

Then a few years later, two dangerous looking men knocked on her door and told her to get in a black SUV. Mauricio Solano was summoning her and the two men drove her to his property.

Elena only knew Solano by the rumors she heard in town. He was feared by all. A man who people said, walked hand in hand with the devil himself. When they arrived at his villa in San José, she did not let the luxurious life Solano lived get to her head. He offered her the opportunity to stand by his side as more than a new ally. Solano wanted her to rub it in Mariano's face that he was the better male, but when he was met with her rejection, Solano found ways to torture her. He was never physical with her. He enjoyed playing with people's mind best. And so she became his new pet.