Valeria sat in her office, facing her small window through which she could see the sky. To the left, on one of the extensions of her desk, was a picture of her mother, her little sister, and her. The three of them looked happy... very happy. It had been happier times.

She couldn't say that everything had changed since her mother's death, because they had never had much money, but at least Alice didn't get so sick before.

She sighed, looking up at the sky.

“Is it wrong to be strong, Mom? Is it wrong to want to feel powerful even though I'm not? I get trampled on enough, can you imagine if I were a submissive woman on top of that?”

She shook her head, looking at the photo.

“No, Mom, you taught me to be a warrior. I'm not going to keep quiet, I'm not going to lower my head, and if he has his tastes, I have my character and I'm not going to change for anyone, no matter how handsome he is.” She rubbed the glass with her fingertips and kissed the photo before returning it to its place.