Those first two words caused my stomach to turn. Once I calmed down, I looked back at the letter and started again.

"Dear Raul, I would like to begin by apologizing for everything you have experienced because of me, surely by the time you get this package, I will be about to die..."

I stopped for a moment and reread those brief lines again. Anger appeared when I realized she knew what was waiting for her, she knew what was waiting for me and that did not stop her. I had to bite my lower lip to force myself to go on and find out what was behind all this.

"... I’m sure by now your grudge will be so great that it’s not necessary, but I ask you not to try to prolong my life, just let me die.

Having said that, I think it’s time to start explaining things to you. First let me tell you the truth after your birth and what lead us to that fateful night. I bet you think that’s unnecessary since I told you a long time ago that your father had died during a patrol shortly after getting pregnant, I even showed you his photo and obituary. Actually, your father was his killer.

I met your father during high school, he was famous for getting into trouble and being the only son of the owner of the largest technology companies in the country. He was the envy of men and the object of desire of women. I, on the other hand, was just an outcast; the only times I saw him was in the basketball team’s championship games.

Still, fate works in unknown ways, so, during our last year, we ended up meeting each other. The situation seemed to come out of a fairy tale. Like a knight in shining armor, one day I was being disturbed, and he rescued me. Then, we began to establish a relationship as friends, when we finished high school and started college we did not lose contact, and so when we graduated we decided to get married.

Shortly after the wedding, your father took over the family businesses. That was when he started to be cold and violent. I wanted to believe it was all because of the stress of the job, and once he settled in, he would be the man I fell in love with..."

Those last words made me feel sorry for my mother, and at the same time courage, I did not understand how submissive and foolish she had to be to not leave and wait for him to stop being violent. Lower the letter for a moment and breathe a little to calm me before continuing. As I was doing this my brain kept spinning with respect to what I had read, and then I realized. I opened my eyes like plates and desperately repeated "It can’t be that" over and over while returning to the letter.

"... after a while, I realized that wouldn’t happen. After removing the blindfold, I decided to leave. One day when your father went on a business trip, I packed my things and left our home.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get very far when your father’s men found me and took me back. Once in front of him, he yelled at me for the humiliation of leaving him, and he make it clear that I would never be able to leave. That’s when I end up in a dark room, chained to the wall.

During my stay in that room your father only showed up occasionally and whenever he did, he would beat me and then he would abuse me. One time, the damage to my body was such that he had no choice but to take me to a hospital. After leaving the ER, a nurse came over and with a smile told me that both me and my baby were fine..."

"Damn" I shouted angrily as I read the confirmation of what I suspected. Tears started rolling down my cheeks. I let my cry go until I felt like I was out of tears. So, I decided to finish reading.

"... Hearing those words made me panic, the nurse must have noticed the fear in my eyes and made sure if I needed help I could ask for it. It was then that I let everything out; she was amazed at my words, but with a voice full of calm, she assure me that everything would go well.

Thanks to her support, I managed to escape from your father. At first, I thought it was all over and we were safe. However, one morning when I was leaving home, I saw the package I sent you with this letter. When I saw it, I didn’t think it was anything worrying, but once I opened it, the horror came over me. Seeing its content, I understood that nothing was over. I hope, after you see the content with your eyes, you could understand a little my actions. I’ll let you absorb this information for a while. Expect more from me. With love, Mom."