Summary:

Gabriela faces her demons and reveals her dark past to Bruno.

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Written in Gabriela's POV.

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My first love was someone I've known for a long time.

Marco Rodríguez. The man whose name could make any woman swoon.

He was the epitome of conventional masculinity. A very attractive face, a muscular body, a deep voice…and a dominance that allowed him to command a room. I had a little bit of a crush on him ever since I was a young girl, which garnered the amusement of his sister, who was my best friend. My admiration for him was cliché, but I couldn't help it I didn't mind that he was seven years older than I was. I think maybe that kind of thinking became the reason why none of my other relationships worked out. My friend used to tease me that I was picky, or deliberately saving myself for her brother. A part of it was true, sure, but she didn't know that those relationships ended because of my gift. I always knew what they thought about me.

I stayed single for a long time. Even if there were some moments between myself and Marco, nothing happened.

…until his sister got married.

I was twenty-six when he finally took the opportunity and confessed his feelings for me.

When my best friend found out about the confession, she pushed us both together. At first, I was unsure if I would accept his courtship. I was secretly thrilled, but I had doubts. I knew he didn't have a stellar reputation. I had heard rumors about what kind of man he was and I was worried about what other people would think.

But it was something I had dreamed of my whole life.

Against my better judgment, I started a relationship with him. It was a whirlwind romance. We didn't have much in common, but it didn't matter.

I was happy.

Then a year later, on my birthday, he asked for my hand in marriage.

I should've seen all the red flags before I said yes. Who knew that I'd been lied to when he told me he loved me?

I realized I'd been played like a fool on the day of our engagement party. It was the middle of the celebration but he was nowhere to be found. I looked for him and my heart broke into a million pieces when I found him with another woman. They didn't notice me, but I saw everything they were doing.

I ran away.

The guests were none the wiser when he returned, but I avoided him for much of the night. I believe my actions made Marco suspect I saw something I shouldn't have seen. I knew I shouldn't act like I was bothered, but couldn't help it.

"Gabriela, amor, what's gotten into you tonight?" He asked as the last of the guests had left. We were all alone in the room.

He wrapped his arms around me. I could smell the liquor on his breath, mixed with the faint scent of his mistress. I felt angry. He had promised he'd be true to me. I was his one and only.

How could he?

How DARE he?

"Nothing," I lied. I didn't even glance as I shrugged him off. I was afraid of what I would see or say if I saw his face.

"You're a terrible liar, amor." I felt sick to my stomach when he forcibly turned me to look into his eyes. It was the only time I wished I didn't have my gift. He didn't know that I had one, but the look on my face gave me away. "You've seen me earlier, haven't you, Gabriela?"

The anger got the best of me.

"Que te jodan, Marco!" I spat and yanked his hand off me. "Tienes cojones,hijo de puta, to come back here, smelling like your other woman? During our engagement party? Have you got no shame at all?"

"Gabriela," He laughed. "I just gave her a send-off. She's nothing but a memory to me."

"And am I supposed to feel better about that?"

"Why?" He was unremorseful. "You know I'm a man who has his needs."

I gritted my teeth. "So you went and cheated behind my back because I wanted to wait? How long has this been going on?"

"Does it matter? She's nobody."

"It matters to me!" I was on the verge of tears. "If you don't tell me, you'll leave me no choice."

"You wouldn't dare call off our wedding just because of this, would you?" He sneered. "Imagine what the people would say. It's unbecoming of a woman like yourself to be an old maid."

I took off my engagement ring and threw it in his face. "To hell with what people think. Maybe I'm indeed better off alone. You should've thought hard of the consequences before you went with your puta. I'm way too good for you. Keep your stupid ring. We're through."

I walked past him to leave. I wanted nothing to do with this man who broke my heart.

"Where do you think you're going?" He grabbed my wrist and pinned me to the wall. "You're not going anywhere. Not until we've settled this."

I've never seen that side of him, but I didn't back down. I was fuming that it clouded my better judgment. "There is nothing to settle, Marco. We're through. Now let me go or I'll scream."

I should've been afraid. No, I should've been terrified. I read his thoughts, but I still gave him the benefit of the doubt. I hoped everything was a blip. I wanted him to apologize.

His smile turned evil. "You're right. Why don't I make you scream instead?"

Before I could do anything further he forced himself on me, kissing me with that same mouth he used on the putahe was fucking earlier. It disgusted me. I pushed him off with all my might and slapped him. "Don't you fucking touch me, Marco Rodríguez. I'm not some cheap woman. Leave me alone!"

"You shouldn't have done that, Gabriela." Marco spat. He moved closer and I immediately ran out of the room. His maniacal laughter rang in my ears. "Playing hard to get, I see. Well, this should be interesting."

I ran and ran and ran. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me. I wanted to get away from him. I was too lost in my thoughts that I didn't think about where I was going.

Marco caught up to me and dragged me into a dark alley. There was no escape.

"Game over, amor," His voice was laced with malice. He pressed his whole body on mine, one hand holding on to my face so I couldn't fight him off while the other proceeded to grope me. I hissed when he hitched my skirt up and his hand traveled up my thigh.

"Get off me!" I bit the hand that pinned me down until I could taste his blood in my mouth. He howled in pain and let go. I scrambled to put some distance between us, but he was a big man. He easily closed the gap.

"¡Perra!" He yelled and hit me.

I fell to the ground. My head came into contact with the floor. He kicked me hard in the stomach and I cried out in pain. "Please! Stop it!"

"You've gotten yourself into this mess, Gabriela." Marco cackled as he straddled himself on top of me.

"Wait, what are you doing? Stop it! DON'T TOUCH ME!" I thrashed around to push him off, but he had locked me into place. I felt something hard in his pants as he grinds on my leg. "I wonder what pretty little sounds you'll make, Gabriela, when I fuck you?"

"No! Don't touch me! Stop this, Marco! Let me go, please!"

He licked his lips as he pulled my underwear down. "A little too late for that, don't you think?"

I cried for help, though I doubted anyone would hear me. "DON'T TOUCH ME! SOMEONE, PLEASE! HELP ME! HELP ME!"

"Call out all you want. No one's coming to save you." He growled as pushed his fingers in.

"NO!" I screamed. "PLEASE, STOP! PLEASE!"

It was torture.

I don't know at what point my mind disassociated itself, but I felt like an outsider viewing the scene. My body stopped struggling.

"That's right. Take it in." He hissed.

My back arched moments later and I heard a broken sob in a voice that's not my own.

Marco growled as I lay there, glassy-eyed and gasping for air. "You came on my fingers, Gabriela, like a good little whore."

Just when I thought the agony was over, he pushed something else in. "Fuck." He groaned as a new wave of pain shot through my body…over and over and over.

It felt like being broken in half.

He breathed heavily by my ear. He moaned about how good I felt to him, all the while I was suffering. I didn't fight back. What can you do when you know you're on the losing end? I kept waiting for it to be all over.

I don't recall how long it had been going on before there was an echo of a loud crack, like bone connecting with metal.

The weight got kicked off me.

"Step away from my sister, hijo de puta."

My soul immediately went back into my body when I heard my brother's voice.

"Well, well. If it isn't el cuñado, Julián." My vision was impaired, but I could see the blood dripping down Marco's face. "You've come in at a very inopportune time. The adults are having fun here."

"I said, step the fuck away from my sister." Julián's eyes burned with hate. He waved a broken pipe, prepared to take another swing. "I won't hesitate to kill you if you step any closer."

A glint of a knife.

NO!

My instinct to protect my brother rushed the adrenaline. I crawled on my hands and feet, inching to grab something, anything. They don't notice me do so.

"Well, I never thought you'd be stupid enough." Marco waved his weapon threateningly, cornering Julián to the wall. "Pretending to be a man, are we? You'd walk away if you know what's good for you. Maybe I'll consider pushing through with the wedding and taking your sister as my wife."

Julián spat at him. "Fat chance. You're loco if you think I'd allow you near my sister again, you coño!"

A dark laugh escaped Marco. "Well, I guess you'll just have to die here. Your sister can join you right after!" He lunged towards my brother, knife ready to slash into his throat, but…somehow I managed to pick myself up. I stabbed Marco on the back with a shard of glass I grabbed off the floor. He fell with a thud.

All I saw was red. I had no idea of what I was doing until Julián stopped me.

"Gabriela. Gabriela. Hermana.Put that down. Look at me. Look at me. You're safe." Julián quickly took off his ruanato cover me. "I'm here. Gabriela. It's me. I'm here. I'm here. Shh."

I dropped my weapon and stared in horror at my bloodied hands. Everything spun and I became very nauseous.

I threw up.

"Come on. We have to get you out of here," Julián urged me, but I was too weak to move. He lifted me on his back and the last thing I saw before I passed out was Marco's lifeless body on the ground.

I awoke to the sound of angry voices.

"Gabriela? Gabriela, are you hurt?" Mamá cried. "Mauricio! Julián! She's awake!"

I'm dazed, unable to talk. It barely registers on me that I'm home. Papá rushed over with Julián following behind him. "Mija. What happened to you? Where's Marco?"

At the mention of his name, I curled up into myself. The memory made me ashamed.

He said I came on his fingers. I didn't enjoy what he was doing to me and yet…then he had his way with me.

"Not a word about him, Papá!" Julián hissed as he stepped between us. "Right now we have to get Gabriela out of here."

I covered my ears as they began arguing again.

Papá shouted. "Julián, for the last time, we are not doing anything until we know what's going on!"

"I already told you that we don't exactly have time to discuss, please!" Julián argued back.

Suddenly there were loud knocks on our door. I jumped at the sound. Papá composed himself and walked over to answer, but Julián stopped him. "Don't!"

It's all too much.

You're a whore, Gabriela.A good-for-nothing puta.

Dirty. A disgrace. Shameful.

No one will love you.

"Julián, if you don't step aside…" Papá warned.

"My sister has just been assaulted!" Julián's whole body shook in anger. "That good-for-nothing fiancé of hers did this to her. If I wasn't too keen, she would've…"

Mamá immediately removed the ruana covering me. She gasped when she saw the dried blood on my hands and bruises blooming on my body. "Mija. What…"

I stared at my parents with dead eyes, no more energy or tears left to cry. My voice broke as I confessed my shame. "Lo siento. Lo siento. Lo siento…Papá y Mamá. I've brought shame to our family. Everyone was right. I should've trusted what I knew. They said…he was bad news. But…but I still fell in love with him. I let myself love him. He…he took advantage of me. I let myself be disgraced. No…no one…would…want…a broken woman...like me."

Papá's expression changed. I've never seen him with eyes ready to kill. "That bastard. We've welcomed him with open arms, and this is what he does to my daughter? I'm going to make sure he's not going to come back here alive…¡Pinche!" The knocking on the door doesn't stop. "What is with that blasted knocking?"

He opened the door to find Señor Zapata, one of the town peacekeepers standing there. "Buenas noches, Señor Álvarez," He greeted. "Just wanted to check in with you if Gabriela had gotten home safely? I'm aware that she had her engagement party earlier this evening."

"Andres Zapata?" Papá turned to look at me. Thankfully I'm hidden from view. "Um…buenas noches. Mi mija's been home hours ago." He lied. "What's going on, Señor?"

Señor Zapata spoke in a hushed tone, but we could still hear much of the conversation. "I'm sorry to be the bearer of this news. Someone had reported that her novio was found unconscious near the questionable part of the town. He had been stabbed multiple times."

Julián stiffened when he heard what the Señor said.

Papá coughed. "Dios mio."

"I know this is shocking. Thankfully he is alive but in critical condition. He is under the care of his family. We're currently investigating if it was a robbery gone wrong or an attempted murder. If it is the latter, best to avoid letting Gabriela roam around town on her own for her safety." Señor Zapata said before he tipped his hat and turned to leave.

"Gracias, Señor, for letting me know." Papá called out before his expression turned into a stoic one as soon as the door closed. "Elena," He instructed Mamá. "Get Gabriela cleaned up. Her clothes, Julián's, everything they both wore tonight. Burn them."

Mamá nodded and quickly ushered me away.

"Julián," I heard Papá ask my brother before I was completely out of earshot. "Tell me everything you know about what happened. Do not skip anything."

In the bathroom, Mamá peeled off my clothes and frowned at my bruises. She tried to touch me but I flinched away. "Mija. It's okay. You're safe."

I shook my head, not wanting any physical contact, even from my mother.

"What has he done to my poor bebé?" Mamá wept.

I lay in my parents' bed later that night. They decided to let me stay there to rest, worried when I went hysterical over the thought of staying in my room. I wondered if they knew I was afraid that I would see all the reminders of him that I had kept…the letters, poems, and photos from a chapter of my life I now wanted to forget.

My mind replayed the scene over and over and over.

I hated myself. I wanted to die. I should've known better. Was I so desperate for love that I allowed it to get this far?

If I could start over, I would never let anyone have my heart again.

I listened to the noise outside the door. I managed to find some peace before Mamá gently shook me awake. Without a single word before the night gave way to dawn, we left on a carriage bound for the mythical town of Encanto.

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Silence settles in after I finish telling Bruno about my past.

I never thought I would be able to tell him the truth.

My family's darkest secret. It was never about me having a gift.

Our family fled and went into hiding to protect Julián and me. If my brother wasn't able to find me that night, we wouldn't be in this mess. But I would've been long dead.

We endured months of laying low and moving from town to town until we arrived in Encanto, the only place in the whole of Colombia where the law outside has no reach. It was never an easy journey, but it had to be done to give us a chance to start over.

Nightmares plagued me every night. I had not fully processed everything when we got here. Still, I was grateful for the new beginning. I slowly recovered a part of me, but I knew I would never be the same again. It left me crippled with fear. I built walls around my heart and swore to never let anyone near.

Then he came along.

I never expected it when we first met. I dismissed any notion of it.

I wasn't ready. I never wanted to be.

But we became friends.

I tried so hard to avoid it. There were moments when my shame and regret ate at me but he never treated me any differently. He didn't know why I acted the way I did, but he was still kind. We bickered a lot, but he'd always made me smile.

It became so difficult for me to hate him.

And then it hit me. He slowly made his way into my thoughts. I stayed up so many nights just thinking about him.

He won. He stole my heart away.

In the end, I stopped fighting what I felt and let him in.

I fell in love with Bruno.

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Glossary of terms (in order of appearance in-text):

Que te jodan - F*ck you
Tienes cojones - You have balls
Puta - Wh*re
Perra - B*tch
El cuñado - The brother-in-law
Coño - C*nt
Y - And
Pinche - F*cking