Eva. (English version)

Chapter 5

I heard voices in the distance, Am I dreaming?I had a sharp pain in my belly, I felt very cold and wet, I guess it rained. I was all curled up, or at least that's how I felt.

I heard footsteps, slow steps, then a voice.

-Is she alive? -A woman asked in a distressed tone.

-I don't know.

-I think we should call the Master.

-You're right, I'll call him.

I tried to open my eyes but they were heavy, as little as I could see I noticed an elderly lady, trying to cover me from the rain with her umbrella, looking at me with pity and astonishment.

-Where am I? -I asked, but my voice was too low.

-Don't speak, child, help is coming.

I closed my eyes again, where am I? and what the hell happened to me? My body did not react well at all, I felt dizzy, weak and very sleepy. Everything hurt, and to top it all off, I was naked.

After a moment I felt like some arms were lifting me up, I felt several steps and then the warmth of the interior. We climbed what I suppose were stairs, my body was shaking, I thought I was going to die.

A padded surface enveloped my body, I felt the warmth of a blanket and then I knew no more.

Christian

An exhausting day as always, being my own boss and owner of several hotel chains didn't sound so bad when I thought about it.

I live on the outskirts of town, Carmela and her husband Antonio live with me.

We arrived here when I was barely twenty years old, my fiancée Vanessa and I spent the best three years of our lives until she was kidnapped, at that time my fortune was nothing, I couldn't pay her ransom, she was beaten to death and one morning in March, Vanessa was dumped at the door of our house, lifeless.

And three years later, I still think about her, I never imagined that at 26 years old

I would be alone, mourning my loss.

-Sir, dinner is ready.

-Thank you, Carmela.

-Sir, do you remember what I told you about my daughter?

-Yes.

-I wanted to know if my permission was still valid.

-Of course it is, I'll see you on Monday.

Carmela and Antonio left the house, I got ready to have dinner, although I didn't feel much appetite, sometimes I wanted to find Vanessa in other women, but it was useless, there is not even a woman who can make me forget her.

I took a bite of food to my mouth, that was like glory, my mother used to cook this delicious, how was it possible that such good people left this world? I was beginning to believe that I didn't deserve to have good people around me. Surely one day I will die alone.

-Sir! -shouts a desperate Antonio.

-What's going on? -I asked in confusion.

-There's a girl out there. -He barely says.

-And what does she want?

-It's not that, she is beaten and I don't know if she is alive.

Did I hear correctly? I got up from the table in a hurry, took my coat and went out together with Antonio, it was raining too much, in the distance Carmela was standing with who I guess was the girl. We approached her and I was able to see the girl, naked, with traces of blood on her body and plenty of bumps. My heart shrank.

-What happened?

-I'm sorry Sir, we were on our way out and a truck dropped this creature here.

-She says in fright.

-Did you see the license plate? -I asked angrily.

-No sir, it's very dark, I just know it was a big, black truck.

-Why is she naked? -I asked, puzzled, although they knew as much as I did.

-I don't know, Sir.

-We'll take her inside, we can't leave her here. -I said, taking her in my arms.

I walked to the entrance, I could feel the girl's tense body, relaxing as I entered the house. I walked up the stairs and she was shaking, I was afraid that she would die.

I went into the room and laid her down on the bed, put a blanket over her and left the room, not without looking at her first, poor girl.

I went downstairs and asked Carmela and Antonio to go home, that I would handle everything. I took the phone and called my doctor, in this kind of situation I was happy to have good friends. Ulises is one of them, just like his father, who had the same name, was my father's.

Phone call.

- Hello?

-Ulises this is Christian, could you come home?

-Christian, have you noticed the pouring rain outside?

-I know, and if it wasn't urgent I wouldn't call you.

- Has something happened to you?

-No, there's a girl who... -I sighed in frustration, -she arrived home in bad condition, naked and pretty beaten, she is almost unconscious.

-Don't touch her!

-Define "don't touch her", because I just took her to the room, she was in the street. I just carried her.

-Don't do anything, I'll be right there.

I hang up the phone and go up to the room, I look at the girl in my bed, she looks so fragile, so unprotected. I almost feel that it is Vanessa who has appeared in my house again, the only difference is that she is alive and Vanessa, she was not lucky.

Half an hour later Ulises arrived home, he asked me to leave and he did his job. I was desperate, I wanted to know what had happened with that girl, where she came from, and why she was like that. I walked from one side to the other in the hall, I was nervous.

Damn it! Why do I feel this way?

Ulises comes out of the room and looks at me worried.

-What's wrong? How is he?

He sighs, shaking his head, that just means bad news.

-Christian, she... shows signs of physical and s****l violence, she has several bruises on her face, the lower lip injured, a couple of broken ribs and bruises on both arms, she also has blood in her intimate area, she has been brutally raped.

I closed my eyes tightly, clenched my fists, How the f**k did they dare?

-What do you recommend me to do?

-I already have the DNA samples, you can proceed legally when she is conscious, wait for the medical report as soon as I analyze the samples that I took, it seems that she has been drugged, her pupils are very dilated and her pulse is at a thousand per hour, I will only recommend that she takes a warm shower, and that she eats something after she wakes up to diminish the effects of the drug. And another thing, give her this pill, whoever abused her did not use protection, this will prevent a pregnancy.

-Thank you Ulises.

-You're welcome my friend and I'm sorry.

-Why? -I ask not understanding.

-I know Vanessa went through almost the same thing, and this may remind you of her.

-Don't worry, and once again thank you.

Ulises left the house leaving me with the task of taking care of this girl, I should have asked Carmela to stay with me. Now I'll have to bathe her.

Will that be okay? God, what a mess! I left the thoughts for later, I guess I must bathe her and put some clothes on her.

I went up to the room and there she was, still asleep. I went into the bathroom and filled the tub with warm water, I had doubts for a moment but I made up my mind.

I took her in my arms and put her in the tub, a pitiful moan came out of her, I lathered her and gently carved her arms, where the bruises became visible, I washed her neck, her chest, her legs that showed minor scratches, her face, that little face that looked like of angel, his hair that was in knots.

Tears were threatening to come out, I rinsed her and wrapped her in a towel, dried her, bandaged her ribs as Ulises explained and put on a simple blouse and a small pair of pajama pants, the clothes that on one occasion my sister left here.

I laid her down again and let her sleep, it was already late, I was tired, I had to sleep too, I prepared the sofa bed I had in my room, I took a blanket and pillow, I know I wouldn't sleep well tonight, but I was hoping she would be good. It was the only thing that mattered to me.

Eva

My body hurts, my head is spinning and it's hard to breathe. I open my eyes slowly, the clarity of the place hurts me. Did I drink too much? I question myself internally, suddenly the images come to my head like a horror film, Ian, Harry, and their brutality.

I raise my arms slowly, bruises and scratches, feel my body tight, I have most of my chest bandaged, if not all of it. I look around, this room is not mine, panic takes over me, I get up very quickly causing me pain, on the bedside table there is a note and a pill next to a bottle of water. "It's to avoid a pregnancy"

I hesitate to take it, I don't know where I am or if that pill is for what it says it is, but in this moment I swear I have nothing more to lose, Ian and Harry have screwed me and much more. I slowly get up and walk to the mirror on the dresser. The tears start to fall without being able to avoid it, my face is full of bruises, my lip is broken, I have marks on my neck, I am half-dressed in clothes that are not mine, anger consumes me, those two are going to pay, I swear they are going to pay for hurting me when I didn't deserve it.

My fist crashes into my reflection, I feel pain but it is not as sharp as the one they have caused me, I get down on my knees and cry, I cry as much as I can before the door to the room is opened unexpectedly, a man with an anguished face looks at me from the frame. I go back as far as I can and his expression changes.

-Calm down, I won't hurt you.

-Who are you and where am I?

-I'm Christian, you're in my house, last night the lady from the service and her husband found you in the street, I brought you here so that a doctor could check you, nothing else.

-That pill? What happened? -I asked almost crying.

-Ulises... the doctor who examined you last night said that ...- He pause and close his eyes - He said you were abused., the pill will prevent a pregnancy, because whoever did it didn't use protection.

Again my world feels nothing, my heart is crushed by those words.

-I'll get you some clothes, we have to go to your family and report it to the police.

The man now known as Christian leaves the room and leaves me there just as I was on the floor when he came in, scared to death.

Helen

I arrived home and it was completely silent, I was a little worried, Eva left me a note where she warns me that she would not come to sleep but does not answer me on her cell phone, without lying I've called almost fifty times, I just hope everything is okay.

I light a cigarette and put water back in for coffee, I don't know how long I've been awake waiting for her to answer her phone, I feel that something is not right.

Hours later.

-Eva Lowell if you don't answer the damn phone you're punished until you're a f*****g raisin.

This is the sixth voice mail I've left for Eva. I was frustrated, it was my second pack of cigarettes and my fourth cup of coffee. The door opens, letting me see my niece in a state of s**t.

She was wearing a huge sweatshirt, oversized pants and a pair of vans that didn't belong to her. How do I know? I buy her clothes. She was pale and you could see some bruises on her face. There all my fear and anger was gone.

-Eva, what happened to you little girl? -I asked, terrified.

Eva hugged me tightly and started to sob.

-Aunt I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.

-Why are you sorry?

-I failed you. -She says and my heart tightens in my chest.

-Don't say that my child. Who the hell did that to you?

-Ha-Harry Blumer, Ian Shepard, and...

-And? -I urge her to continue talking.

-Marco Galasso. -She says with a sigh.

I felt my blood boil, how dare they hit my girl, that's not going to stay like that. I took Eva by the arm and sat her on the sofa, she moaned in pain and grimaced.

-What's wrong Eva?

-It hurts.

-What did they do to you?

Eva bit her lip and played nervously with her fingers.

-They raped me. -She tells me, tearing herself apart one more time.

I couldn't believe my ears, they raped my little girl. Damned, a thousand times damned.

I took my bag and stormed out of the house, they would pay for what they had done to Eva, and I knew who to go to... Nicholas Blumer.

Marco

Last night was the worst night of my life, as much as I thought about it I couldn't believe what I did, Eva didn't deserve that I did this to her, but I didn't deserve that she slept with my friends either, tonight I would ask her to be my girlfriend, and what I find is Eva having s*x with Harry and Ian, and the worst thing was that she was cheating on her friends, Nina and Marcy, they didn't deserve it at all.

At that moment I was overcome with rage, I shouldn't have taken her by force, but what the hell, that's how she likes it, I guess she enjoyed it, why did she leave? Who cares, maybe she just left.

With Harry or Ian, or for sure with anyone else. Damn you Eva, damn the time when I thought you were different, damn the moment when I thought that you and I could be happy. I finish with the third bottle of Tequila, I need to forget about that woman.