Chapter 2

— Paulo, you love that bastard girl more than your own children. — Isabella's mother shouted euphorically.

— Laura, you need to stop with these insanities. I love all my children legitimately and equally. — Isabella's father tried to calm the woman who was becoming increasingly uncontrollable.

— Who knows if this girl isn't your legitimate daughter with that slut? I wouldn't doubt it, with so much love that you offer her. — Laura questioned.

— Woman, look at what you're saying. It's absurd. I can't stay here listening to your babbling any longer.

— Go to the streets, you scoundrel, it's what you do best, run away from important family matters. DAMN YOU!

The woman grabbed the first thing in front of her and threw it at Paulo, hitting the wall and making a strident noise of shattered glass.

— Is that it? Am I crazy? Now you'll see who's crazy.

While Laura and Paulo exchanged barbs in the living room, and in the kitchen, Isa headed to her room, pressing her ears between two pillows trying to muffle the sound of the disorder that frequently occurred in her home.

Isabella, from a very young age, dreamed of a refuge, a place where she could escape the pain she felt at home. She sought temporary relief in school, dedicating herself to her studies and taking refuge in the stories she found in books. However, school was not enough to take her out of the chaos that surrounded her. Paying attention in class, with the mental confusion that resided in the head of the little adopted girl, seemed like an impossible task.

Teachers were in constant conflict with Isabella's parents, calling them to attend school and pay attention to the declining development of their daughter. However, Isa's mother always promised to improve, but as soon as she left school, she pushed the girl in front of her and immediately started scolding.

— Do you see how you ruin our family's life? Bastard. — Laura held the girl by her hair. — Hurry up, are you dying? Before you, we had peace; we only received praise from the school. Now you cause trouble and make me go to school frequently. 'DAMNED, BASTARD. — Laura finished with a cursed grumble.

The girl had no voice to speak, complain, or even cry. She simply lowered her eyes, stared at the tips of her fingers peeking through the worn-out front of her tattered sneakers, and let the tears flow without making a sound.

“Would living with my mother give me love, peace, and a new pair of shoes?" were questions that frequently crossed Isabella's thoughts. She didn't know why her biological mother had abandoned her as soon as she was born.

As she grew older, Isabella experienced desperate escapes from her foster home. She ran to the dark streets of the city, where she encountered other equally abandoned youth. There, she began to learn survival lessons that were not part of the books she read. She became involved with a local gang, which provided her with a sense of belonging she had never felt before.

— Bam! — Isa began a reflection beside her best and biggest companion on the streets, Paloma. — I swear to you, one day I'll marry a wealthy man, have beautiful and happy children. We'll be a family with peace, unity, and love; I promise you.

— Friend, stop daydreaming. — Paloma responded with a cold reality check. — In our conditions? The only thing we might achieve is a sugar daddy or becoming a high-end escort.

— Ugh... not even for you to give me a boost, you damn. — Isabella replied and gave her friend a shove. Both burst into laughter with these conversations. As time passed, Isa felt comfortable with the people she knew and the things they did, even though she felt it was wrong. She had an immense sense of justice, as if she were taking out all the suffering she had endured on anyone who crossed her path.

At the age of 13, Isa began her activities. It was revenge against a man nearly 50 years old. Isa and her group returned the same day, in the somber period of the night that preceded, and took everything the old man had in the cash register. The old man tried to call for help, but Isabella used her intelligence and seduction to threaten him.

— Call the police you disgusting old man, they'll be happy to know that you harassed a thirteen-year-old girl asking to go to bed with you in return for payment. Go, call the police. — Isabella at thirteen was already imposing and tempestuous.

The old man lowered his head and kept his hands on the back of his head, Isabella felt something she had never felt before. Adrenaline ran through her body, her lungs released the air that seemed trapped for a long time, it was as if the chains that held her had fallen to the ground. Isabella felt completely free and fulfilled.

The world on the streets became Isabella's refuge, where she could hide the pain of her biological mother's abandonment and the aggression and disdain from her adoptive mother. She immersed herself in illegal activities, seeking the adrenaline and the sense of power that the criminal world provided.

As Isabella delved deeper into this dark world, her life became increasingly dangerous. She knew she needed to find herself, but felt she had no other choice. It was the only way she had found to deal with her pain and desperation.

However, behind the tough facade she had built, Isabella continued to be the same wounded girl longing for love and acceptance. She was trapped in a cycle of self-destruction, desperately seeking an escape from the nightmare her life had become.

At the age of 15, Isabella's father found her in an alley, fallen like a stray dog. Isabella was so out of her mind that she couldn't remember her father and attacked him.

Paulo took his daughter to a rehab clinic, where she didn't stay for long. Isabella was shrewd and didn't let anyone hold her where she didn't want to be. She used her power of seduction, enchanted the clinic's doorman, and swiped the key without him noticing. The next day, the guy was left wondering how a fifteen-year-old girl had fooled him and escaped, so he made up a story that he had lost the key while using the bathroom. Since then, Isabella lived on the streets.

In the impenetrable shadows of the streets, where the bright facades of the city gave way to dark and sinister alleys, life continued its relentless course. In the city of Palhoça, amid its extreme contrasts, where the gleam of success rivaled the darkness of evil, Isabella's story began to unfold.