Rebeca, 60, was sick in bed when her son, Rodrigo, approached, took her hand, and told her that his wife, Vanessa, would take care of her. Shortly after, Vanessa entered the room with a smile, standing beside the bed. Rodrigo kissed his mother’s forehead and left for work.
As soon as he left the room, Vanessa’s expression changed: the smile turned to hatred. She murmured that she hated Rebeca and would do everything possible to get her out of there, as she couldn’t accept that her husband paid more attention to his mother than to her. To humiliate her, she spat on the same forehead that Rodrigo had affectionately kissed minutes before.
Vanessa then began her series of cruelties. She left the woman without food for hours, wouldn’t help her go to the bathroom—forcing her to urinate in bed—and stayed by her side only to insult her. She took advantage of Rebeca’s fragility, which left her unable to speak or move properly.
But when the clock struck six, everything changed. Vanessa gave Rebeca a bath, made her bed, and served her a plate of food. And so, when Rodrigo returned from work, he saw his mother seemingly well cared for and couldn’t even imagine the torment she was suffering. Proudly, he kissed his wife and said she was an excellent caregiver. Vanessa, with the soft voice she only used around her husband, thanked her with a sweet smile.
Rebeca just watched in silence. That night she closed her eyes and prayed to God for the strength to get out of bed and never have to suffer like that again.
The biggest surprise came later. Vanessa, with no one to help her, had to prepare lunch and left the house by car. As she crossed the street, a truck with its brakes gone out of control and crashed into the back of Vanessa’s car. She hit her head hard on the steering wheel and fainted, but the car continued down the slope toward a pole. At that moment, Vanessa woke up, looked ahead with blurred eyes, and saw the car crash head-on into the pole.
When she opened her eyes again, she was home, not understanding how she had gotten there. She tried to get up, but her back hurt. She looked down at herself and saw that her body was bandaged; she tried to speak, but her jaw was immobilized with bandages. She could only move her eyes, feeling no pain in the rest of her body.
Shortly after, her husband entered the room. Seeing Vanessa’s eyes open, he smiled and told her that, after the accident, she had spent a few days in a coma in the hospital, but that the doctor had released her so she could be cared for at home. He was happy that she had woken up.
What surprised Vanessa most, however, was seeing Mrs. Rebeca enter the room and walk normally. During Vanessa’s coma, Rebeca had regained her strength. When Rodrigo, Vanessa’s husband, kissed her forehead and left for work, he left Rebeca to care for his wife.
Rebeca sat beside the bed, crossed her legs, and lit a cigarette.
She commented that she could place the hot tip of the cigarette on Vanessa’s forehead. Vanessa’s eyes widened with fear. However, Rebeca put out the cigarette and elegantly threw it away, saying she wouldn’t do that. Instead, she would return everything with love. She kissed Vanessa’s forehead, a gesture that, paradoxically, made her afraid.
Afterward, Rebeca fed Vanessa, helped her bathe, and cared for her with such tenderness that, one day, Vanessa was able to move her jaw and spoke softly, full of love, asking for forgiveness. She confessed that she didn’t know Rebeca was so good and revealed that, because of her own mother, she had believed all mothers were harsh and evil.
Rebeca silenced her by stroking her hair and telling her there was nothing to apologize for. After that, Vanessa made a full recovery and went on to live happily with Rebeca, calling her a second mother. She later admitted that Rebeca wasn’t just a second mother, but the best mother she’d ever had. And so, the family was restored, filled with love and happiness.
