Chapter 9

Célia's hair was black with some gray strands. They were combed back. She wore a white coat and blue clothing underneath, yes, she was an employee at that place.

Nina's mother had been a nurse for many years, and it was with this work that she was able to raise her daughter. And now she was there, not only to try to join forces financially to save her granddaughter's life, but also to give her support as a hospital employee.

She approached her big child and stroked his hair. Nina rested her head on her hand, enjoying her mother's affection.

— Daughter, how are you? You look a little exhausted. — she said.

— I'm feeling really good, Mom. Today was a very busy day. — replied Nina.

— And the interview? How was it? Were the questions too heavy?

— It was perfect, mom. I did very well in the interview. — Nina responds, smiling.

The interview didn't go that well, but she always tried to appear positive in front of her mother, not only because of the situation they were going through, but because she always thought that her mother might be sad if she told her the things that happened, especially if she told about the meeting with Samuel.

  But his face did not show tranquility, as it was not easy to face Samuel and his threats again.

Célia looks at her daughter, not very pleased to realize that she was faking happiness, and says:

—You know you can count on me, daughter! And we also have Júlia. Even if you didn't pass the interview, this was just the first one after graduating. I'm sure you'll get something better in the future.

Nina gets up and hugs her mother, smiling a lot. She loved her very much.

— No, mother, I'm telling the truth! I passed the interview and will be the billionaire's secretary! Mom, I will be able to pay our debts. You will see! Hannah will have better treatment.

Célia had no reason not to trust her daughter, so she returned the hug and said:

— Daughter, I'm very happy for you. We will continue to support you. Now things may get better, but nothing will change between us, no matter what happens.

As they hugged, they didn't notice someone lying on the bed opened one of his eyes. Hannah observed the display of affection between her mother and grandmother.

She smiled, forming dimples on her pink face. After some quiet time, deciding to stop pretending to be asleep, the child opened his second eye, which was an intense green color. One eye was honey colored and the other was green, and yes, she also had heterochromia.

The girl was born with the same appearance as her mother, in fact she was almost a perfect copy. She was as beautiful and charming as Nina.

— I want a hug too! — the child then gives a shrill smile.

Hannah made the two women loosen up and smile back. Nina went to her daughter, hugged her and said:

—To you, I give all the hugs in the world, my little one!

Hugging her favorite person in the world, Nina asked the girl, who was as much of a liar as her mother when it came to hiding negative feelings, how she felt today.

The mother knew that little Hannah always played the same game of looking good to others, even though she was feeling pain, drowsy or dizzy.

The girl replied:

— I feel much better than yesterday. I think I'll be leaving the hospital soon, mom!

She smiled, squeezing the corners of her eyes. She was the cutest thing in the world, and Nina felt her heart sink when she saw her baby being a liar and pretending that everything was fine, that everything would get better.

Hannah was her biggest motivation to continue standing, without collapsing, as Nina knew she had to guarantee a better future for that girl. For her there was no other alternative than to achieve this.

When being hugged by her mother, Hannah, a little careful, looked at her arm and saw that it was a little purple. She watched with a furrowed brow and then asked:

— Did mom get an injection too?

Nina looked at the arm where her daughter's little fingers were touching and only at that moment did she realize that it was purple where Samuel pressed it.

She hadn't realized this before. As soon as she arrived at the hospital, she ran to the hospital bathroom and quickly took a shower. As the daughter of a nurse at that hospital, she had access to the staff changing rooms.

  Nina didn't even look in the mirror, she just took a shower, put on clean clothes and went to her daughter's room.

A little embarrassed, she replied:

— You know, Mom had a shot today. She had a bit of the flu and needed to get a vaccine.

He explained while looking at his daughter.

Nina's mother also looked at her arm and saw purple marks, and noted that the marks were shaped like fingers. She knew those marks weren't from an injection.

Celia's face took on a heavy expression, she knew that her daughter had probably been through some difficult time.

She lamented that her daughter was such a good person, whom people always try to hurt and take advantage of. She wished that one day she wouldn't have to go through all this, that she would meet good people on her path.

little Hannah kissed her mother's arm, exactly where it was purple. Nina felt the child's delicate lips touch her skin and felt like crying, because her daughter was so pure and innocent, little did she know the real cause of those marks. For Nina, she shouldn't even know that her own father did that to her mother.

While Nina was deep in thought, little Hannah said:

—You have to be a good girl, mommy. You didn't cry, did you? You can't cry, you have to be strong. It was just a little injection.

Hannah repeated the same words that Nina used to say to her to calm her down when she needed to be on IV fluids or take injections. Those moments were very delicate for everyone, but Nina always tried to appear calm and strong.

Even though people look at these women and think they were fragile, because they were going through a lot of difficulties, they were strong women who supported each other.

Nina never gave up hope and being able to overcome Hannah's illness. Her mother supported her, being present in her granddaughter's life, trying not to get upset, and leaving all her resources available.

Júlia, who was like a sister she never had, was also always there, providing support and trying to help with whatever she could. She hadn't gotten a good job, she worked as a librarian in a bookstore in the city, she didn't earn much, but she always shared what she had with Nina, with the sole aim of saving little Hannah's life.

That night, Nina played with her daughter, her dolls were there in her hospital room. They played with combing the dolls' hair, Nina told her stories and answered her thousands of questions, until she fell asleep again.

After making sure her granddaughter slept, Célia took her daughter to a corner to talk.

— Nina, I know you've been keeping quiet, but I need to know the truth. What happened there? That purple isn't from an injection, and it never will be. I've never seen an injection that caused a purple stain on the arm like that. Don't try to fool me, respect all my years as a nurse. — Celia had a serious look on her face, as if Nina were still a child and she was scolding her.

Nina lowered her head, knowing she couldn't lie. She pulled her mother out of the room, as she avoided talking about Samuel in front of little Hannah, because of her, the daughter would never know that she had a father and he would never know that he had a daughter.

After the threats and what he did to her, almost forcing her to have an abortion, she would not allow him to participate in the child's life.

— Mom…I found him. He wanted to kick me out of the building, you know? For some reason, Samuel doesn't want me there.

Célia was impressed and said: — Samuel... After all these years, did you meet again?

— Yes... After all these years, we met. And it was exactly the day I went to do the interview with Dominic, the billionaire. — replied Nina.

  — Nina, sometimes life puts us in front of people who want to harm us, but we shouldn't let them determine our destiny. This man may have caused you a lot of suffering, but you passed the interview, and that is a great achievement. Don't worry about him, because I'm sure justice will come. Focus on building a better future for you and little Hannah. As for me, I have lived many years and made my own mistakes, but you, my daughter, are young and full of kindness. You don't deserve a destiny marked by people like him.

She takes her daughter's hand and continues:

— We will overcome this situation together, and I will be by your side, supporting you every step of the way. And about Samuel, let him appear in front of me, I have a razor in my bag, which is very sharp, I'm going to destroy that playboy face he has.