11 – Echoes of a Painful Past

*MAGO’s POV*

"Stop it, Miguel!" my mother's voice pierced through the darkness, sharp and filled with pain. "You're hurting me!"

I clamped my small hands over my ears, squeezing my eyes shut. ‘Don't cry’, I told myself. Daddy always said crying was for girls, and I wasn't allowed to cry.

"Please, I beg you, stop," she whimpered, her voice breaking.

It was always like this—Daddy forcing himself on Mommy. Even at six years old, I understood more than I should. But what could I do? I was just a child, powerless against the storm raging in the next room. All I could do was hide in the closet, curled up among the shadows, waiting for the nightmare to end.

"MAGO," Nana's gentle voice called softly. "You can come out now."

I must have fallen asleep, tears drying stiff on my cheeks. As the closet door creaked open, I rubbed my eyes, blinking up at Nana's kind but weary face. She was the only one who knew my hiding place, the only one who cared enough to find me.

"Where's Mommy?" I whispered,