Breaking

Chapter 28.

"What?" I whisper. I was just screaming a moment ago, now I can barely say anything above a whisper.

"She's my brother's kid. My twin brother." He waves his hand back and forth between him and Arabella. "That's why we look so alike. And we do look alike." I look at Arabella. She's frozen in her seat, tears pouring out of her glassy eyes. "I promised my brother I would look after her but if you think you can do better, go ahead. I'll hand over my rights."

"Hold up!" Chris exclaims.

"Shut up, Chris," Julio hisses at her. "Now that I'm out, the money's gone. Arabella has no more used-"

"Shut up," I tell them. She's right there, I want to yell at them. How can they be so fucking inconsiderate? Instead of snapping at them, I cross the room to Arabella, wrap an arm around her back, the other under her legs, and I pick her up. Instantly, she wraps her trembling arms around my neck and hides her face there. "I'll take you home," I promise her.

I take three steps when Chris jumps up and stands in my way with her hands on her hips. Instinctively, I pull Arabella closer. "Fifteen thousand if you want to adopt my daughter."

I nod. "Okay. But she's my daughter. Legally she's yours, but she's my real daughter." I step around Chris and leave her apartment.

Arabella's crying softly.

I hold her closer. I'm crying now too, just as softly and as quietly as my daughter. "I'm so sorry, baby girl." I kiss her head. "I love you."

A few hours later...
Manuel hands me a cup of coffee as he sits down next to me, joining me n the floor, and pressing his back to the wall. Alex is in the living room. I asked them to leave but they both refused. And I cried. I don't know why it took so long to truly hit me but I realize now that we're more Arabella's family than her birth family. A little over nine months and this little girl didn't just change my life but everyone else's too. Patrick and Rosalee are demanding to come over and Manuel keeps turning them down.

After crying for almost two hours, she finally fell asleep. Since then, Arabella hasn't moved in three hours.

When I realized she was sleeping, I slowly moved off the bed and sat on the floor. I haven't moved since. I've been watching her the whole time. For some fucking reason, I'm scared shitless that she would just stop breathing.

"Tobias," Manuel says firmly, like he's been saying my name since he sat down. Tearing my eyes away from Arabella, I look at him to see him holding a pill bottle. "You have to take your pills."

My pills? What time is it?

I take my medication, swallowing the pills without drowning them with coffee. I put the cup aside.

"You should get some rest," Manuel whispers. "I'll watch her."

I shake my head, my hands automatically curling into fists. If I've learned anything from today is that no one can protect Arabella like I can. She's my kid. "I need to adopt her," I say. "I need her-" I'm suddenly crying again.

The last thing I remember is lying on the floor and crying myself to sleep I didn't welcome.

There's something soft underneath my head that wasn't there before. Rubbing the sleep out of my right eye, I sit up and look back to see a pillow on the floor. Manuel is sleeping next to me v

The last twenty-four hours rush back to me like a smack to the face, and I jump to my feet and find the bed empty.

"Arabella!" I step over Manuel and hurry out of the room. Alex is sleeping on the couch, and Arabella is still nowhere to be seen.