CHAPTER 12.
By Isabella.
I awoke in bed alone. Looking from one side to the other, he was nowhere to be seen. I wondered whether the events of last night were a dream or had actually occurred. I headed to the bathroom for a shower and then got dressed. It was too late. I had to get to work and try to arrive as soon as possible. I chose a grey silk shirt and a black leather miniskirt.
Descending the stairs, I encountered Mrs. Cristina in the living room.
"Hello, beautiful. It's good to see you up," she said, embracing me.
"Good morning, Mrs. Cristina. I’m feeling better now. Thank you for your concern. I’m heading to the office. I could use the distraction," I replied.
"You’re not going anywhere," Valentino exclaimed from behind me.
"Valentino. I'm sorry I... fell asleep, but I was just on my way to the office. I promise to work overtime."
"No, no. Isabella. You’ve got to stay here. You need to rest after what happened. It wasn’t just a little thing. I won't let you go to work. You’re going to stay home and rest."
"Son, don’t be so strict with her. I can’t leave feeling like this. I’ll talk to your father. I’ll stay here."
"That won’t be necessary, mom. You go with dad, he'll need your company. However, there is something I need to discuss when you return. It’s... important."
"Mrs. Cristina. Are you going on a trip?"
"Yes, dear, just for three days. We’re closing a deal, as Valentino asked us to handle it so he could stay here with you."
"What? Valentino… your parents need a rest. You can leave with peace of mind, I won't be any trouble. I promise."
"You’re not in a state to be alone. You must take care of yourself, and my parents will make this trip. Besides, it'll do them good."
Reluctantly, Mrs. Cristina bid us farewell and went to join her husband at the airport.
"Are you going to the office?"
"Just for an hour, okay? I need to sort something out and then I’ll be back. I'll be working from home until you're better. Okay?"
"Okay. Thank you, Valentino. Thanks for looking out for me."
He approached me and took my hands, when suddenly we were interrupted by a furious pounding at the door.
"I’ll get the door," he said, heaving a sigh.
Valentino opened the door to find a distraught and loud Julia followed by an embarrassed Matias.
"Damn bastard!" she screamed.
"Hey, hey. What's the matter?" I asked.
"What are you doing here? You can't be around this guy!" Julia exclaimed.
"Calm down!" shouted Matias. "Issi. I’m relieved you’re okay. I was really worried," he said, embracing me.
"I'm sorry, Matias. I'm so sorry," I said, starting to cry.
"It's okay. Calm down. You need to relax," he said. "I'm here for you. I’ll never leave you alone. You know that, right?"
"I know," I said.
"I knew this would happen. I knew it," Julia stated agitatedly. "I knew you couldn't keep away, you egocentric, moron! I won’t let you near her! You got it?" she yelled desperately.
"Juli, stop. I don't know what you're talking about," I interjected.
"TELL HER!!! SAY IT!!! YOU JUST WANT TO SCREW UP HER LIFE YOU DAMN FOOL, WRETCH, ARROGANT JERK!" she shouted.
"What gives you the right to burst into my house like this and who the hell do you think you are to treat me this way? Who the hell do you think you are coming to my house to insult me? Get her out of here, Matias, because I swear I won't be responsible for my actions," Valentino said angrily.
I'd never seen him so enraged, not even when he confronted me about Francisco’s "flirting".
"Why the hell didn't you tell me my friend was like this? Damn son of a bitch."
"For that reason! She was unwell, and I was focused on her, not your selfishness! Spoiled girl," he retorted. "Who the hell do you think you are? Do you think you’re better than me because you work for my uncle, you damn bootlicker. GET OUT OF MY HOUSE. I don't want to see you here again. MATIAS!" he yelled at our mutual friend. "We've talked countless times about this."
"You didn’t have time to tell me? To me? But you could tell Mariana; she was the one who informed me!"
"Well, you see, you found out anyway," said Valentino. "And yes, Mariana knew because she was worried about her friend! Because I tell you, the whole block heard about it, but you, living right next door, didn't even suspect it."
"Enough!" I said. "You're both acting like children. I honestly appreciate everyone's concern, but now I want peace," I declared.
"I’m sorry, friend," Julia said. "I panicked when I found out what happened," she said, hugging me. "If you want, I can stay. We might talk about some things," she said, looking defiantly at Matt and Valentino, which I didn't understand.
"NO!" they both exclaimed at the same time.
"It's okay, Juli. You can leave; I’ll be fine."
They said their goodbyes and left the house, followed by Valentino, who gestured to indicate he would be back soon and also apologized for the scene.
Finally, peace. Julia's behavior spun in my head. I couldn't grasp what was going on. Why had she treated Valentino that way? Why can’t I be near him? Julia must be crazy. It took me back to the dream from last night. The time I found her in that odd situation with Ezequiel. What is Julia's issue with the men around me? I pushed that thought from my mind and headed to the bedroom to change into something more comfortable, check some work emails, and then went to the kitchen for breakfast.
Esmeralda, the Marshall family's maid, was there.
"Miss Isabella, good to see you’re awake."
"Hello, Esmeralda. How are you?"
"Good, dear. Would you like something for breakfast?"
"Just coffee, please."
As I sipped my coffee, Esmeralda talked fondly about Valentino and the Marshall family. It was clear she adored them.
"And tell me, how did you like the estate?"
"Oh, I haven't really had much chance to see it, but what little I saw seemed very nice."
"Of course. The family has so many memories there. We used to go every summer with the kids."
"The... kids?" I asked.
"My brothers," he said, approaching.
"Valentino. You’re back already."
"Of course. I said I'd return early. I brought work home. I wanted to say hello and tell you I'll be in my office; Matias is waiting to discuss some business with me."
"Valentino... wait... I... want to talk about my staying here. I agree to stay, but I want to continue working. Valentino, I don't think I should be dependent on you; what I mean is… you’re under no obligation to me."
"No, Issi. You’re not a burden... you are part of this family."
"What are you saying?" I asked.
"My... my parents care about you as if you were their own daughter, which makes you part of the family."
"Okay, Valentino, but... I'm independent and I don't want to rely on anyone. Please."
"Fine. But you’ll recover first. Agreed?"
"Deal," I said.
"Good. Now I’ll go and meet with Matias," he said, leaving.
His presence wreaked havoc within me. His scent, his face; he was an incredible man. Perhaps under different circumstances, I would be in love with him. I dismissed the thought and headed to my room. However, as I ascended the stairs I heard an uproar from Valentino's office and decided to investigate.
"I don’t know, Matias! I just don’t know. The only thing I'm certain of is that I’ll make whoever did this pay. For what they did to my brother, to my family, to me, to everyone. I won't let this go."
"I’ll support you, Valen. But you have to calm down. We’ll get to the bottom of this. Moreover… you have to tell her the truth."
"I know," he stated. "I'm just waiting for the right moment; I can't let her fall apart again."
I retreated up the stairs as Valentino’s footsteps neared the office door. I was lost in thought about what he had said as I passed by a partly open room that seemed to belong to a man. Curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to enter. Does someone else live here? I thought Valentino's brothers had died.
Entering the room, my chest was pierced with a sharp pain. Maybe it was the scent or the familiar items. I began to look around the room, and then meticulously examined each detail. My heart was heavy with anguish, and my tears began to fall. I observed the framed photos, the perfectly made bed. I picked up their picture frame and felt like I was dying. I put it back and took the adjacent photo, feeling my heart shatter. I felt cheated, foolish; I had been blind. What the hell is all this? I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
"Ezequiel."
I clutched his photo tightly, him smiling and appearing content.
"Ezequiel, come back," I cried out.
I lay down on his bed, his scent still lingering as if he were still here. My heart was ablaze. It felt as though he was there with me. I could feel his body against mine. I returned his photo to the nightstand, then proceeded to his wardrobe, opening it to find all his clothes, neatly folded, neatly hanging. His fragrance. I took a bottle and inhaled deeply, falling to my knees with a heart in tatters. Inside a small box in the wardrobe were mementos. Photos of us, the napkin from our first date, photos of me, his cellphone. I tried to turn it on. On the screen was a photo of us together—so happy. I returned to the bed and opened the nightstand drawer. Inside was a beautiful bag which I decided to open. Inside was a box with an exquisite engagement ring and a card that read:
""Happy anniversary, my sunshine. Will you marry me?""
My tears fell faster and burned into my skin. My world began to crumble once again, like that day. My soul was in agony; I couldn’t believe this was happening. I remember it all too well. I never wore the ring. He had forgotten it, and then... what we know happened. I heard footsteps approaching and quickly replaced everything as it was. Despite that, sorrow overwhelmed me. I couldn't believe that Valentino and Ezequiel were brothers.
"Issi..." exclaimed Valentino.
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