2855 words
POV: Alejandro
"Don't you walk away from me!" The annoying bitch I'm being forced to live with for however fucking long Ricardo continues being business partners with her dad, angrily stomped after me.
"Fuck off." I murmured.
It's been a month since Valentina officially left my life.
It's been pure Hell.
I thought after a month, I thought I'd heal somewhat. But the hole in my heart is still there, never repairing itself once.
Shortly after, Ricardo forced me to involve myself with a Cecelia because her father was going to promise him a hefty donation for Ricardo in his will, in exchange that I be with Cecelia.
I've hated every. Single. Minute.
I cannot stand the bitch, and never have.
It started out with mandatory, monthly dates with her that usually consisted of me give Cecelia a bored expression as she rambled about herself, and her trying to get me in bed at the end of the night.
The the frequency of dates increased, and here I am. An engaged man.
Call me a fucking actor though, because I've done one hell of a job of putting on a fake performance for the public.
People are convinced we genuinely love one another and even call us "couple goals".
I could never love anyone else, especially not Cecelia.
My heart is reserved for one woman only, and I'll never be able to see her again.
"Why did you tell the cameras to turn off when I asked you if you loved me?!" Cecelia screeched.
"It's simple. Because I don't." I answered in a monotone voice.
"Ugh, I am very aware of that! You remind me on a daily basis that you cannot stand me."
"Yet you still haven't gotten the hint to just fuck off."
"Because I love you! And I really do believe that if you just gave us a chance you would see things from my perspective too!"
"Cecelia, I'm gonna say this once. I will never be attracted to you. Ever. You are one of the filthiest women I've had to interact with in my entire life, and everyday I wake up wishing upon your death. I will never love you, so stop fucking trying."
I turned away to go to my room.
Oh yea, I made Cecelia sleep in a room on the other side of the house from me.
"It's because of her right?!" Cecelia angrily yelled.
I froze in my tracks.
"What was her name? Something like Valentine's Day? Ah I got it! Valentina! I just don't understand how you found yourself attracted to her? She's literally the size of a midget, and it definitely sucks for her because it's so obvious when she puts on weight. She compressed so you can just see all of her ugly bod-"
I crossed over to Cecelia and put my hand on neck and picked her up, slamming her against the wall.
"DON'T YOU EVER TALK DOWN ON VALENTINA! IF I HEAR HER NAME COME OUT FROM YOUR MOUTH AGAIN, SCREW YOU FATHER'S WILL, I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU MYSELF YOU CUNT!" I screamed.
I ended up pressing against Cecelia's windpipe with my body weight and let her go when she started turning purple.
Unfortunately, I can't kill her.
She fell to the floor with a thud, manically wheezing.
"Y-you're crazy!" She gasped.
"And you're a waste of space." I replied.
Finally able to get away from the needy whore, I made a phone call to the one person in this world I hate more than Cecelia, and that's saying a lot.
"Ricardo." I greeted.
"Why hello there son-"
"Don't fucking call me that."
"Alright, alright. To what pleasure do I owe this call" Ricardo teased.
"I want to divorce Cecelia. I can't fucking do this anymore. You've put me through enough suffering. Just do this one thing for more." I practically begged.
Ricardo didn't say anything for a good minute, and thinking my effort was a waste I was about to press hang up, when he spoke again.
"Fine."
What-
"Wait- what did you say?" I asked in surprise.
"Fine. I finally got the bastard to write me in his will, and the poisoned tea I sent a maid with for him should do the job soon, and I'll have my money's worth. I got what I wanted. Do whatever you want with Cecelia. Her father should be dead in the next few minutes."
With that, Ricardo hung up on me.
Fucking finally. I can get away from this bitch!
I wouldn't say I felt happy, since I haven't felt that emotion since Valentina left me, but I felt relief.
Turning back around to see Cecelia's pathetic figure on my floors, I said, "Pack your shit and leave, you're done."
"W-what?! You-you can't do that! My father will-"
"Fuck your dad, because he's fucking dead and all of his money and assets were passed down to my family instead. You have no one or any support, and I couldn't give a shit. If you're not out of here in the next five minutes, I'll kill you myself."
Cecelia just continued to gasp for air while staring at me in shock.
"I-I'm not apart of the will?" She asked.
"No, you're not. Now go."
Cecelia let out the most wretched cries I've heard before and all I could do was roll my eyes, walking over to her so I could stage drag her by her hair to get rid of her.
"YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS ALEJANDRO! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU-"
Her annoying threats were cut off when I slammed the door on her, after literally tossing her out of my home.
Finally.
Peace and quiet-
The sound of my doorbell interrupted my thoughts.
I went to my door and opened it, not checking to see who it was.
"What the fuck do you wan-"
I was met with a hard blow to my face.
That sobered me up pretty fast, and before the person could hit me again, I blocked their punch, only to feel one come to my stomach.
When the fuck did three arms come into play-?
Finally actually looking at who was attacking me, I was confused when I saw it was the Russo triplets.
The fuck?
I was able to beat all of them and contain them, since I have very good hand to hand combat. Taking three people at once isn't all that difficult for me.
"What the fuck are you guys doing?!" I yelled.
"Who do you think you are walking into my property to beat the shit out of me-"
"FUCK YOU ALEJANDRO. IT'S ALL YOUR FUCKING FAULT!" Gio screamed at me.
What-?
"Gio, I don't think he even knows-" Enzo tried saying before Alfonzo cut him off.
"NO, THIS BASTARD DESERVES TO FUCKING ROT IN HELL. I WANT TO FUCKING KILL HIM!"
"Can someone please explain to me what the fuck is going on?!" I yelled.
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! STOP FUCKING ACTING DUMB, YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID!" Gio yelled.
"No I don't actually! So someone fucking explain, so fucking help me God!"
"YOU FUCKING BROKE OUR VALENTINA'S HEART. YOU DESTROYED HER!" Alfonzo yelled.
My anxiety increased at the mention of Valentina and what I did to her, all of my dreadful emotions coming to the surface at the thought of my past.
"I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU SAID TO HER, BUT EVER SINCE SHE LEFT YOUR HOUSE THAT DAY, SHE HASN'T BEEN THE SAME!" Gio screamed.
"What do you mean she hasn't-"
"SHE'S BEEN IN HER ROOM FOR THE PAST FOUR MONTHS, AND HASN'T COME OUT OF IT MORE THAN 10 TIMES. SHE DOESN'T EAT, SHE DOESN'T DRINK, SHE CAN'T TAKE CARE OF HERSELF. SHE EVEN DROPPED OUT OF SCHOOL. AND I KNOW YOUR ASS HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE WAY VALENTINA IS!" Gio explained.
My heart dropped to me stomach hearing the state of Valentina.
I thought I was bad, but hearing the horrible things I inflicted onto her since that day, is making me feel pure guilt.
"She's not eating? Or drinking, or anything? Is she okay-"
"NO, SHE'S NOT FUCKING OKAY. I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU DID TO HER, BUT BECAUSE OF YOU SHE HAS DETERIORATED SO MUCH, EVEN WORSE THAN HOW SHE WAS AFTER BEING IN A FUCKING SEX TRAFFICKING RING, TO THE POINT WE FOUND HER UNCONSCIOUS IN HER BATH TUB AND HER WRISTS SLIT!" Alfonzo yelled, tears streaming down his face.
At the mention of Valentina's suicide attempt, my heart legitimately stopped.
The world around me started disappearing and I couldn't function properly.
My cariña, my Valentina, tried taking her own life?
And it's all because of me?
I felt my anxiety rise to levels it had never been at, and I could feel my airways closing off.
God no, fuck fuck fuck fuck.
Valentina attempted suicide and it's completely my fault.
I drove the woman I love to insanity, where she was forced to take her own life.
It's all my fault.
"I-is she dead?" I whispered, dreading the possible response.
"We don't even fucking know because the doctors won't fucking tell us. We found her this morning and we haven't been updated since." Enzo answered.
I felt the tiniest bit of relief because that means she could still be alive.
My Valentina could still be here.
"Listen, you're lucky I want to get to the bottom of this shit and I'm willing to talk to you instead of beating you up, but if I don't like your answer, then I'll carve your ass." Enzo said.
I don't know if I should come clean.
I so badly want my Valentina back, and this would be to first step to make that happen.
I, myself, cannot defeat Ricardo alone, let alone the entire Mexican and Russian Mafia.
If I want to even stand a chance against them, I need reinforcements.
But I can't let Valentina get hurt either.
What the fuck do I do?
I nodded my head to signal for the boys to follow me.
"The fuck are you doing? This isn't the time to play-" Gio accused.
"Shut the fuck up Gio, look." Enzo whispered.
I had my finger to my lips and pointed upwards toward the ceiling, indicating that audio could be recorded right now.
I led the boys to my hidden basement that was soundproof.
It required a thumb print, retina scan, and a piece of my hair, in order to be given access.
Once we finally made it down there, I guided us to an empty cell room.
"Okay you better fucking explain yourself, Alejandro." Alfonzo threatened.
Taking a deep breath, I settled my nerves.
I need to be strong.
Strong for Valentina.
"You're gonna want to get situated. This is going to be a long explanation."
~
"And that's why what happened, happened." I wrapped up.
The triplets' faces were indecipherable.
It was mixtures of shock, anger, sadness, and more.
"So you're telling me, that your father-"
"He's not my father." I interrupted.
"Apologies, Ricardo, was the person responsible for my sister's abduction, and her main abuser?" Gio got out.
I nodded my head.
"Fucking bastard was right under our noses for the last 14 years. Are you fucking kidding me?" Alfonzo seethed.
"Hey, none of us could've known. None of us. This isn't the time to be mopey and self deprecating. Valentina is our priority." Enzo mediated.
"He's right. We need to find a way to get Valentina out of Ricardo's clutches. I'm risking her safety by even telling you this, but I have to try to save her, and telling you guys is the first step." I said.
"Thanks for telling us this. Seriously. This has brought more closure than you think." Gio said.
We were interrupted by Enzo's phone ringing.
"It's Papá. It has to be about Valentina." He said.
"Put him on speaker then!" Alfonzo encouraged.
"Papá?" Enzo answered.
We could all hear Antonio's cries on the other side of the phone.
My chest was so tight and I could hear my heart pounding in my ears.
"She-she's alive." Antonio answered.
Alfonzo broke out into sobs of relief and I saw a few tears stream down both Gio and Enzo's faces.
"Thank the fucking Lord. Papá, we have a bit of an emergency. We need you as soon as possible." Enzo said.
"Your sister just got out of surgery, I'm not fucking leaving her. And where the fuck did you guys go off to?" Antonio questioned.
"I know Papá, but this is about Valentina's abuse. We know who runs the rings now."
"Are you fucking serious? Don't fucking joke around about this shit."
"Yes Papá. We need you to come to Alejandro's house." Enzo explained.
"THAT BASTARD?! YOU GUYS ARE WITH THE MAN WHO IS THE REASON YOUR SISTER TRIED KILLING HERSELF?! HOW DARE YOU?!" Antonio screamed.
"Papá, trust me, we came here to beat his ass, but we swear there's an explanation for this entire mess. But you need to be discrete. Make sure no one knows you're coming here. I promise Papá, you're going to get your answers, but it's too risky over the phone."
"Fine. I'll be there in 5-10 minutes."
Antonio hung up the phone and we all went upstairs to wait for him, so I could let him in.
When we made it back upstairs, I could see a figure standing outside of the door.
Cautious and paranoid, I got my gun out and went into a defensive stance.
When I checked the peephole, I sighed in relief.
It's just Antonio.
"Antonio, come inside-"
Before I could greet him, I was met with a harsh kick to the worst place a man could be hurt: my balls.
"HOLY FUCK, SWEET MOTHER OF JESUS. AY DIOS MÍO!" I screamed out in agony.
"That's what you fucking get. And that doesn't even crack the surface of the shit I want to do to you." Antonio seethed.
"Papá, I know you want to hurt him, but we need Alejandro healthy. Follow us and we'll explain everything." Gio said.
We all went back downstairs, but not before I got some ice for my balls.
~
"I can't believe this." Antonio said, stunned.
"I couldn't either, but it's the truth." I said.
"After 48 years, 42 of them being Ricardo as my best friend, he is the one responsible for my daughter's trauma."
Antonio had tears streaming down his face.
His sons just gently patted in support.
"I-I can't believe my best friend, the only person in my school who didn't bully me and put me down, is the reason my daughter almost killed herself, all because he was upset that Elena and I were in love." Antonio said astonished.
"We're sorry Papá." Gio said remorsefully.
"I want to kill that bastard. I swear to God, I'll do whatever it takes to bring him down." Antonio hissed.
"We can't be rash, Antonio. Ricardo has some serious threats on Valentina. Her safety is our priority." I said.
"What do you suggest we do, Alejandro?" Alfonzo asked.
"I think we need to get Ricardo away from Valentina. I'm thinking we fake her death."
"Not a bad idea actually." Enzo murmured.
"If we pretend Valentina died and news spreads of her death, Ricardo will obviously stay away from her and we can attack from within." Gio strategized.
"Exactly. And it'll be believable if we say she killed herself because Ricardo knows exactly how mentally fucked up she is. He knows he's the reason she was driven to insanity. It was his purpose." I said.
"Thankfully Valentina is in the house right now because we used our personal doctor. So it shouldn't be hard to keep her alive status a secret." Antonio said.
"Perfect. Antonio, I think it makes the most sense for you to spread the word. Definitely tell Ricardo first hand. And whatever you do, do not lose your shit. This is about Valentina. We need to put her before us." I reminded.
"Not a problem. Anything for mi topolina." Antonio smiled a little.
"Alrighty then, you guys go home and get the plan rolling. Best of luck."
"Sorry about us Alejandro, you didn't deserve the beatings." Alfonzo said.
"Nonsense, I 100% did." I guiltily said.
"No, we're not gonna do this shit. You are innocent. Ricardo played all of us. There was no possible way for you to get out of the situation unscathed by not conforming to Ricardo's plan. If you impulsively tried killing him, Valentina would most likely be in the middle of nowhere experiencing the most heinous things I don't even want to say aloud. Even though it's very upsetting Valentina is in the state she's in right now, you are not at fault. If anything, you did this with her best interests in mind, as fucked up the consequences were. I admire that you did what you thought was best for our topolina." Antonio comforted.
I tried keeping the tears in but I broke out into ugly sobs hearing that.
I have waited 29 years to feel real fatherly love.
Hearing that I'm not the bad guy and being validated felt so fucking good to me.
"I just want my Valentina back, and I will do anything to be with her again." I cried.
"You're okay Alejandro. You're okay."