Chapter 7 - The Secret Clinic
Marta knew she couldn't wait any longer. Vanessa’s charity gala was scheduled for the next evening. Daniel would be busy playing the charming host, and Vanessa would be center stage. It was the perfect distraction.
Marta reached out to her cousin, Jose, who drove a taxi in the city.
"Jose, I need a favor. A big one," Marta whispered into her phone. "Bring your car to the back gate at 8:00 PM tomorrow. Don't ask questions. Just be there."
The next night, the mansion was glowing with lights. Music drifted up from the gardens, and the laughter of wealthy guests drowned out the quiet pain of the upstairs rooms.
While Vanessa was giving a speech about "helping underprivileged children," Marta slipped into Maya’s room. The little girl was semi-conscious, her skin burning and dry.
"Maya, sweetheart, we are going to see a doctor," Marta whispered, wrapping her in a thick, warm blanket.
With a strength born of pure adrenaline and maternal love, Marta lifted the eight-year-old child into her arms. She carried her down the back service stairs, her breath coming in heavy gasps, her own body aching under the weight.
She slipped out the kitchen door, past the busy caterers who paid no attention to the maid carrying a bundle of laundry—or so they thought.
Jose was waiting at the back gate. He opened the door, his eyes widening when he saw Maya's pale face. "Marta, what is this?"
"Drive, Jose! To the public hospital! Hurry!"
At the hospital, the emergency room doctor, Dr. Silva, took one look at Maya's back and gasped.
"Who did this to her?" he demanded, his voice tight with professional outrage. "This is severe, deep-tissue trauma. The bone of her lower thoracic vertebra is fractured and has healed at an abnormal angle, compressing her spinal nerves. And this infection... if you had waited another twenty-four hours, she would have gone into septic shock."
May you like
Marta felt a tear slip down her cheek, but her voice was steady. "I am her maid. Her stepmother caused the injury and refused to let her see a doctor. Her father doesn't know."
Dr. Silva looked at Marta, his expression softening from anger to deep respect. "You saved her life, señora. I am calling the social services and the police immediately. We are taking her into emergency surgery."
