Chapter29

— Miss Isabella, you can celebrate. You’re being discharged.
— What do you mean? I haven’t even seen my baby. — Isa asked the doctor with concern. — I want to see my baby.
— I’m sorry to inform you, but you cannot see him right now. He is in the ICU in critical condition.
— But what’s wrong with him, doctor? He was fine in my womb.
— There was a complication during delivery. He’s having difficulty breathing on his own. If you’d like, you can see him through the glass, but you can’t enter or touch him. His condition is very fragile.
— Yes. I want to see him… — Isa responded before the doctor finished explaining.
Paloma was always by Isabella's side. It was as if the whole turmoil had made her forget the events of the previous days with Alessio. She still hadn’t told Isabella that it was all a trap by Mrs. Griselda, and Paloma feared telling her and causing Isabella to have a breakdown.
Through the glass of the room, the doctor pointed out a tiny baby connected to many wires, with a machine beeping beside him. But Isabella's heart didn’t respond as it should; she didn’t feel the emotion of being a mother. It was as if that baby wasn’t hers.
— Are you sure that’s my baby, doctor? — Isa asked the doctor without hesitation.
— Yes, Miss. What will his name be? — The doctor quickly changed the subject to deflect from the questions.
— Paulo. His name will be Paulo, in honor of the great man my father was to me and whom I didn’t appreciate.
— Oh, friend. You’re going to make me cry. — Paloma hugged Isabella’s neck, moved.
— You know how much my father cared for me. He would never want to see me in the state I’m in now. One day, I’ll bring my little one to meet him. — Isabella said, stroking Paloma’s hand on her shoulder.
— Your father was a great man. — Paloma added.
— I suggest you go home, rest, and come back tomorrow. Your baby might be in better condition, and perhaps you can hold him.
Isabella left lamenting the situation and asked Paloma to accompany her to Alessio’s apartment; she didn’t want to be alone during this delicate moment. Paloma didn’t refuse and accompanied her friend.
Upon arriving at the building, Isabella encountered someone she hadn’t intended to see so soon. Griselda’s black Cadillac was strategically parked to observe who was coming in and out of the building. As soon as she saw the girls enter the garage with Paloma’s car, Griselda got out of the car and waited for them in the building’s lounge.
— What are you doing here? — Isa confronted the woman with courage.
— I should be asking that. My son is in prison; you shouldn’t be here. Give me the keys to his apartment. — The woman extended her hand towards Isabella.
— The apartment is ours; it’s been transferred to my name and our baby’s.
Griselda laughed loudly, with a mocking air.
— Oh, Isabella, darling, do you really think that’s going to stop me from reclaiming what’s mine? You’re either very naive or just plain stupid.
— Alessio made this decision to secure our future, Griselda. He knew you would do everything to harm us. — Isabella, confident, crossed her arms.
— Your future is with my son behind bars and a baby to raise alone? What a bright future are you planning, my dear? — Griselda, still smiling, took a step closer.
— Griselda, you shouldn’t be here. What do you want? — Paloma spoke up.
— You know, my dear, I think we might have more in common than you imagine. — Griselda, with a penetrating gaze, addressed Paloma.
— We have nothing in common. You’re completely mistaken. — Paloma retorted.
— I love money, and you, didn’t think twice before betraying your best friend for 300,000. — Griselda threw the venom in the air.
— What is she talking about, Paloma? — Isa asked, intrigued.
— You threatened me and my brother with death, you damned witch.
— I don’t recall having a gun to your head the day you suggested 500,000 for the betrayal. You couldn’t even negotiate well for the betrayal; you accepted 300,000 so quickly.
Paloma broke down in tears; she didn’t know how she was going to get out of this situation.
— Is what she’s saying true, Paloma?
Paloma could only nod without saying a word. Her crying took over her face. Her sobs sounded like a baby’s.
Griselda, with a mischievous smile, made a mysterious proposal that left both Isabella and Paloma bewildered.
— I think we can make a deal. If you help me recover what’s mine, I can ensure your problems disappear as if by magic.
The triangle formed by Isabella, Paloma, and Griselda was about to become a much more complex game. Alliances were about to be tested, and the pieces on the board were moving towards an unexpected outcome. The family’s fate hung between dark secrets, unlikely alliances, and the unknown unfolding before them.
— I would never negotiate with a person as unscrupulous as you. And you know what? I know you set up your own son to be arrested.
— You don’t know what you’re saying and have no idea who you’re dealing with, girl. If you were smarter, you’d accept my offer.
— Get out of here and shove your proposal where the sun doesn’t shine, you damn witch. Come on, Paloma. Let this snake writhe in her own venom.
Isa and Paloma went into the building, leaving Griselda fuming and seething with anger.
The next morning, Isabella got up almost at dawn, her anxiety high to see her baby and, if possible, hold him. It was all she wanted.
— Paloma. Wake up, friend. Let’s go see Paulinho.
Isabella couldn’t contain her joy; she was finally going to see her baby’s face up close.
— Calm down, Isa. Does it have to be so early? I’m hungry. Can I have some coffee? — Paloma said lazily.
— No! Let’s go, there’s coffee at the hospital. Come on.
The two friends set out for their happy day, ready to start a new life together and investigate Alessio’s arrest once everything was in its place.
Upon entering the hospital, a shiver ran down Isabella’s body. It was as if a cold electric current had traveled up her spine, leaving her tense and alert. The atmosphere felt heavy, as if charged with a dark and sinister energy.
Isabella looked around, noticing the furtive and worried glances of the people passing by her. Something was wrong; she could feel it deep in her soul.
An anxious premonition began to settle in her chest, a sense that something terrible was about to happen. She tried to ignore these feelings, but it was as if a whispering voice in her mind was warning her of imminent danger.
Upon reaching the neonatal ICU corridor, Isabella found it empty, except for the presence of a nurse who looked visibly distressed.
— Where is my baby? What’s happening? — Isabella asked, her voice trembling with anxiety.
The nurse looked at her with a somber expression, her eyes filled with concern.
— Who was your baby? — the nurse asked solicitously.
— My baby was in that crib over there. — Isa pointed to the crib the doctor had indicated the day before.
— The baby that was there is now with the mother, in the room. — The nurse said, puzzled.
— But the doctor said that was my baby.
A sense of confusion filled the room; the nurse became concerned with the information and took Isabella to the reception desk. She asked the receptionist to check the name Isabella and the baby born two days ago.
— The record for Isabella Romanov is here, but your baby was listed as deceased on the same day.
— What? — The ground Isabella stood on seemed to open into an abyss. Her body gave way, her legs buckled, and she fell to the floor.
The nurse’s words echoed in Isabella’s mind, a mix of horror and despair overtaking her. She woke up minutes later with her heart racing uncontrollably, knowing she might never find out what had happened to her baby.
— It was her, friend. I’m sure of it. She orchestrated everything perfectly. — Paloma said in a tone of investigation. — That damned woman.
— Oh, but she’s going to pay. Inch by inch, for everything she’s putting me through. She thinks she’s powerful, but she has no idea what’s coming for her.
— Friend, I need to tell you what she made me do. — Paloma confessed anxiously — I can’t keep this from you any longer.
Isabella, who had been pacing back and forth in the hospital reception, stopped abruptly without looking at Paloma. She clenched her fists, took a deep breath before speaking.
— Did you let yourself be manipulated, Paloma? How disappointing, one after another with you, who claimed to be my friend. — Isabella now expressed a fury never seen before.
— Forgive me! Forgive me! I was naive, stupid, ambitious.
— For money? Paloma?
— She paid me to denounce Alessio and have him arrested. That way he would be out of your way, and meanwhile, she would deal with you and your baby. — Tears streamed down Paloma’s face, and Isabella didn’t know how to react anymore. She slammed her fist against a wall that decorated the cold hospital reception and was interrupted.
A nurse appeared and said that a woman claimed to be the baby's grandmother and took him away.
— She will pay for this.
Isabella, with her eyes shining with determination, vowed revenge against Griselda. Every injustice, every challenge, would be repaid "penny for penny." The thread of the plot was far from untangled, and fate had even more surprising twists in store.
Meanwhile, the news about the mysterious woman claiming to be the baby's grandmother lingered in the air, leaving an open question, a mystery hanging. What did this woman want? Who was she really? And what was her connection to the complex story involving Isabella, Aléssio, and Paloma?
Destiny awaits, and the truth is about to be revealed. And nothing will escape the eyes of a frustrated, anguished woman, a mother in search of answers, a woman seeking justice. The story will have an ending, but one that is far from cliché.