Hate And Revenge

Santoro's POV

*TWO MONTHS LATER*

I lay on my back and stared at the ceiling like it owed me money.

It's been two months.. two whole months since the divorce… and the accident… and the coma and now the doctors were whispering about “maybe discontinuing oxygen support.” That phrase alone made my stomach twist every night.

I let out a long breath.

Two years.. For two years Sofia and I had tried to get pregnant. Two years of tests, doctors, stupid herbal teas her mother forced on us, weird positions from some YouTube lady with a questionable accent but nothing… absolutely nothing.

Then suddenly the doctor told me she had been pregnant. A week old and because of that stupid accident… it was gone.

I pressed my palm over my eyes and my chest hurt like someone sat on it. I must have closed my eyes for only a minute because the next thing I felt was a sharp slap on my chest.

“Wake up,” Lucia snapped.

My eyes flew open. 

“Jesus, woman...”

“Oh, please,” she cut in, rolling her eyes. “Are you still sleeping at eight in the morning? Do you think this house runs on your beauty sleep?”

I blinked at her. 

“Good morning to you too, my lovely wife.”

“Don’t call me that,” she said, tossing her perfectly styled hair. “And hurry up. Dad... wants you on time today. Don’t embarrass me.”

We’d been married barely two months and honestly, even prison walls felt friendlier.

“I’m not late,” I muttered, rubbing my face.

“You’re always late. Without me, you’re nothing, Santoro. You only got that job because you married me.”

“Yeah,” I said, sitting up, “you remind me every morning.”

“I should,” she said proudly. “Because it’s true. You’re a nobody. My family made you.”

I snorted. 

“Thanks, sweetheart. Your love overwhelms me.”

She glared. 

“And don’t start that stupid sarcasm. I’m not in the mood today. You know what today is.”

“What? The anniversary of you yelling at me for the first time?”

She hissed. 

“It’s the day I should have taken two more steps towards holding our baby if I hadn’t... ” She paused dramatically. “...if I hadn’t miscarried.”

I stared at her quietly. I didn’t want to pick a fight but I had a feeling she didn’t miscarry anything. I had a feeling she removed it before it became a thing. But if I ever voiced that thought… I’d probably be hanging on her father’s gate like a political warning sign.

“I’m going to shower,” I muttered, standing up.

“Good. Wash that attitude off your face too,” she said, folding her arms.

I shut the bathroom door before I said something fatal and inside, I pushed my toothbrush into my mouth and leaned against the sink, scrolling my phone mindlessly.

News, gossip, some politicians stealing money... normal stuff and then my thumb froze.

I stared with the toothbrush fell right out of my mouth and hit the sink with a loud clack.

I blinked again but the headline didn’t disappear.

“SOFIA ESTEBAN WAKES FROM COMA AFTER TWO MONTHS.”

I grabbed the phone with both hands.

“What the hell…”

My heart pounded as I reread it. Then again and again.

Sofia… was awake?

Sofia’S POV

The first thing I heard was beeping.. soft, steady and annoying beeping.

The second thing I heard was someone shouting, “She’s opening her eyes! She’s waking up!”

I blinked and everything was bright.. too bright for my eyes.

My eyes fluttered open slowly. The ceiling above me was white, the lights hurt and my throat felt like sandpaper.

“What…” My voice cracked and it didn’t even sound like me.

“Miss Esteban? Sofia? Can you hear me?” a doctor leaned over me, smiling with relief.

I stared at him like he was a talking goat.

“Where… am I?”

“You’re in San Rafael’s General Hospital. You’ve been unconscious for a while. You’re safe.”

I looked around at the machines, tubes.. a weird plastic thing in my nose and my body felt heavy… like I had been underwater forever. It felt like someone pressed pause on my life.

“How… long…” I whispered.

The doctor hesitated. 

“Two months.”

My mind went blank.

Two months?

The doctor began checking my pupils and asking me questions.

“What is your name?”

I opened my mouth… and nothing came out.

My name? My name?

I tried again. 

“I… don’t know.”

A nurse gasped softly but the doctor nodded calmly. 

“It’s okay. It’s normal after a long coma. Don’t panic.”

Easy for him to say. My brain felt like a crashed computer.

After a few minutes, they finished checking me and let me rest. I stared at the wall, trying to pull memories from my mind like pulling clothes from an empty wardrobe but nothing came.

After maybe thirty minutes, a nurse came back followed by a woman and the woman immediately rushed to my bedside, tears in her eyes.

“Oh my God… Sofia…”

She hugged me gently like I was made of glass and I froze.

I didn’t know who she was… but something warm bloomed in my chest when she held me. Like my heart recognized her even if my head didn’t.

“Are you… my mom?” I whispered, my voice small.

She nodded quickly, smiling through tears. 

“Yes, baby. Yes. I’m your mother.”

I swallowed hard. “I… I’m sorry. I can’t remember anything.”

“I know,” she whispered. “The doctor told me. It’s alright. I’m here. I’ll help you remember.”

The doctor stepped closer. 

“Mrs. Esteban, your daughter is experiencing retrograde amnesia. It should be temporary. Bring familiar items... photos, her belongings. Anything that might trigger memory.”

My mom nodded. 

“I will. I’ll bring everything.”

I watched her wipe her eyes and something inside me hurt too... like I should remember her. Like I should know what made her sad.

***

The next day, my mom came back with a small bag.

“Hi, sweetheart,” she said softly.

“Hi,” I whispered and the word felt strange on my tongue.

She pulled out photos.. old ones, me as a kid, me in school and me with friends. Some of them made something spark in my chest, but nothing was clear. Just flashes of feelings.

Then she brought out a picture of a man with a stern face.

I stared at it. 

“Who… is he?”

My mom’s eyes dropped and I noticed ears gathered. 

“Your father.”

I swallowed. 

“Where is he?”

She held my hand tightly. 

“He… he passed away. Two days after your accident.”

My chest cracked open. I didn’t remember him but my heart felt like someone squeezed it.

I pressed the photo to my chest. 

“Did… did he love me?” My voice shook.

My mother nodded quickly. 

“Of course. So much. And... he left something for you.”

She reached into her bag and pulled out a small camcorder.

“This is a video he recorded before he died. He wanted you to have it.”

I held it carefully like it was a treasure and my throat tightened.

Before I could press play, something else caught my eye.

A picture…a picture of me… smiling next to a handsome man, tall, dark hair, warm eyes. We looked happy… ridiculously happy.

I stared at it and suddenly... flashes. Tiny, sharp flashes.

I saw papers.. a table, a pen, someone saying “sign here.” and my own voice shouting.. a ring hitting the floor and a broken heart.

My fingers shook.

“Who… who is this man?” I asked.

My mom’s face hardened instantly, cold and hateful.

Before she could answer, a burning anger shot through me out of nowhere. I didn’t understand it and I didn’t recognize it but it was strong and it rushed through me like fire.

“I hate him!” I shouted suddenly, tearing the photo right in half.

My mom flinched but didn’t stop me. I didn’t know his name at the moment,  I didn’t know what he did but my heart reacted like it remembered.

“Sofia…” my mom whispered gently, reaching for my hand. “There’s… something else you should know…”