“If you ever ask about that trust fund again, I swear you’ll regret the day you were born.”
Those were the last words I heard before everything went black.
My name is Daniela Rios. I was thirty-four years old, and until that night, I had spent most of my life believing that even the most dysfunctional family had limits.
Apparently, mine didn't.
When I opened my eyes, I was lying on freezing pavement behind a grocery store.
My clothes were torn.
My feet were bare.
My entire body screamed whenever I tried to move.
I reached toward my face and felt dried blood near my eyebrow.
For several seconds, I couldn't remember where I was.
Then the memories returned.
MY FATHER BEAT ME UNTIL I BLACKED OUT… THEN MY MOTHER LEFT ME ON THE STREET AND LAUGHED. THEY NEVER KNEW WHAT WAS INSIDE MY BLUE FOLDER.
