𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲-𝐓𝐰𝐨: 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐇𝐞𝐫

598 11 2
                                    

                                                                                 ꜱᴀɴᴛɪᴀɢᴏ ᴀʟᴠᴀʀᴏ

                                                                                 ꜱᴀɴᴛɪᴀɢᴏ ᴀʟᴠᴀʀᴏ

Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.


A knock on our bedroom door wakes me up. I look over to Salma's bed and she's still sound asleep. But I could see the tear stains on her face from her crying earlier. 

She had gotten a B on her history report. Papá wasn't going to be happy about that one.

Mamá opens the door and sticks her head inside. She peeks at Salma and smiles at me. "Vamos, hablemos, hijo."
|Spanish- C'mon, let's talk, son.|

I climbed out of bed reluctantly and followed her to the living room. As she sat down at the wooden dinner table, I could see the bruised marks around her neck from the rope.

"What did you want to talk about?" I ask.

"Cariño, quería comprobar lo que viste," she whispered.
|Spanish- Baby, I want to check on what you saw.|

I know she's talking about earlier today when I walked in on her with a rope around her neck. I ran over to her and grabbed a knife from the kitchen. I was able to cut her down, but she was choking, and her skin was paler than usual.

I took Salma to the park across the street while mamá got herself situated. "Lo que viste fue un momento de debilidad," she huffed. "Fue algo que nunca volverá a suceder. Prometo."
|Spanish- What you saw was a moment of weakness. It is something that will never happen again. Promise.|

I looked down at the table and mamá reached for my hand. "Hijo, I promise you that it-"

I snatch my hand away from her. "You were going to leave us with him. With that man who constantly ruins us and our lives. You were going to leave your children with him! And I will never forgive you."

----------------------------

I strolled through the office, a mix of emotions swirling in me. Last night was a lot to say the least.

Leilani and I had finally...experienced each other to the full compacity. Then I told her to put in her two weeks' notice.

It was for the best, I told myself. She was getting attached. She was already breaking down walls and blurring more lines than any other assistant I've ever had.

I moved into her a few more times before I stilled and laid against her. When I looked up at her, I could see the look in her eyes. She was attached. I was thinking that after we had sex, I'd be out of whatever trance she entrapped me in. But it didn't. I could feel a pinch in my chest as we shared the same look. We were trapped in each other and beyond saving. And I couldn't have someone cut me like that again.

I pressed the floor I wanted, but not before a hand reached out and stopped the elevator from closing. Camille walked through and maybe I imagined it, but it seemed like her smile vanished when she saw me.

You'll also like

          

"Good morning, Camille," I say in a polite tone, and I get a flat hum in response. I turned to her in surprise. No witty response? I was her favorite boss after Aidan or at least that's what she told me when she needed me to help her with a business project.

"I'm sure that you know, but I just wanted to confirm that Leilani has put in her two weeks. She sent it to Aidan and will be working from home for the remainder of her time here." She delivers the first part of her news in a snippy tone and the rest in a monotone voice. Like she's speaking to a stranger.

But my brain was focused on the part where Leilani would be working from home. It makes sense. We don't need to see each other. Especially after the way I left things. But I didn't expect to never see her again. I thought maybe...if I see her, I would get a mental confirmation that I did in fact make the right decision.

I remember leaving her in my bedroom and hearing her not even five minutes later, leaving my house. I couldn't even sleep in my goddamn bed because it smelt like nothing but her.

"Did you...did she call you?" I ask.

She gives me a death glare. "Of course, she called me. And she told me everything. You're a dick waffle who deserves no happiness. Good luck finding an assistant and woman half the girl she is. Because knowing you... they're both the same thing."

When the elevator comes to a stop, she steps out and joins Danny, who's standing outside the elevator. He shoots me a death glare before walking off. 

I roll my eyes. Since when is my relationship everyone else's business? I exit the elevator and head for my office. I walk in and see Julian, Nathan, Aidan, and Ethan sitting in there. Great. Just great.

I sigh and close the door behind me. "What do you idiots want?"

"We're not the idiots here," Julian says.

My eyebrow arches in confusion and offense. "What's going on?"

"Aolani gave me a call earlier," Nathan says and I groan. I never realized my business was going to be passed around like this.

"How could you break up with Leilani right after you guys had sex?" Julian says.

"And you didn't even give her aftercare," Ethan adds.

"You can't break up with a person you weren't really dating," I respond, and that only receives an eye roll with a good mutter of bullshit.

"I mean, it's not really our business who you do and don't date, but you did seem happy with this girl. And it seemed like you cared about her a lot," Aidan adds.

"And you let her into your life, dude," Nathan says. "You don't do that with a lot of people."

"What am I supposed to say? That I was starting to fall for her, and it scared the shit out of me? That I could barely breathe when she's not around?" I grit. "The damage is done. My damage is done. I can't change it. Now stop sticking your noses in my goddamn business and do your job."

Everyone goes quiet and shares a few looks with each other. "You guys still have more to say?" I ask, my tongue grazing against my teeth. "Surprise, surprise."

"Aolani told me that Leilani bought a one-way ticket to Hawaii, and she doesn't know when she's coming back," Nathan says. "Or if she's coming back."

----------------------------

My fist pounds on Leilani's front door. I didn't even give the guys a chance to finish anything else. I rushed over to her place. It wasn't even like my brain was guiding me. I was moving on pure instinct.

She doesn't answer and I knock again. After I keep knocking for ten more seconds, the door yanks open and I see her beautiful face, in my vision. Her eyes were red, and her face was puffy. She was crying. She was crying because of me.

But she doesn't let it show. She glared at me, and the heat carried like a thousand suns. "What do you want?"

 I finally breathed for the first time since I heard the news. I ran all the way over here and I don't even know what to say.

"I....I..."

She rolled her eyes. "You...you....?"

I returned her glare. "Don't rush me."

She scoffs. "Don't bang on my door at ass crack in the morning, disturbing me and my neighbors."

I sigh and grip the door frame. "Hermosa-"

"Don't." Her voice sounded hardened. She sounded like that single word caused her so much pain and I felt instantly worse. This wasn't my intention. I didn't think that this was going to happen. Previous assistants I've had have had reactions exactly like Leilani's, but I never had a reaction as strong as this. 

I felt like someone was stepping on my heart. Like they were physically trying to kill me from the inside.

"Santiago." My name sounded like poison on her lips. She honestly sounded like she wanted to shoot the hell out of me. "What is it that you want?"

"Don't move back to Hawaii."

Shock and confusion cross her face for a quick second before she composes herself. "How would you know that I'm going back to Hawaii?"

"Nathan. Aolani told him."

She rolls her eyes before glaring at me. "I don't see how me going somewhere is any of your business."

My head hangs low, and my breathing is becoming heavy. It feels like someone is stepping on my chest. 

I step closer to her, and I hear her breath hitch. "Don't leave."

I can feel her chest rise and fall for a few moments before she calms herself down. "Santiago. You are the one who ended everything. Not me."

I lift my head and stare at her in the eyes. My lips were inches away from hers. She licked her lips, and I leaned forward. She pushed me away, her eyes filled with more pain than when I got here. "You had all of me. I never hid any part of myself from you and gave you everything I could. But you ruined it. You let her come and ruin you again."

I sigh. "Lei-"

"I loved you, you asshole. I loved you like I have never loved anybody before, and I hate myself for it. Because I knew your game. People warned me about it and yet I still fell anyway." Her words rang through me like a siren alarm that awoke something in me. 

"You'll go on living the rest of your life, keeping me as a simple notch under your belt while you'll always be the one who got away with taking my heart and crushing it," she grits. "Have a nice life, Mr. Alvaro."

She closed the door before I could even react and I stood there, in the halls bewildered. 

I can't believe it. I screwed up. I lost her. I was now standing here finally realizing that I truly lost her. And I regretted it. I regretted everything.

Because I loved her. I love her and she loves me too. But I ruined it all.

                                                                 𝕰𝖓𝖉 𝖔𝖋 𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝕿𝖍𝖎𝖗𝖙𝖞-𝕿𝖜𝖔

                                                                         -------------------------


HEY GUUUUUUUUUUUUUUYYYYYYYYYYYYSSSSSSSS!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know it's shorter than normal.

Santiago's finally making some progress, but it seems like it's too late. Or is it?

Please let me know any errors you see in this chapter.

Don't forget to vote, comment, and share this story with all your Wattpad-loving friends!

I LOOOOOOOOOOOVVVVVVEEEEEEEEE YOOOOOOOUUUUUUU GUUUUUUYYYYYYYYSSSSSS!!!!!!

𝑽𝒆𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 (𝑻𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒛𝒊𝒏𝒈 #𝟏)Where stories live. Discover now