Carmen was sitting in the usual room upstairs, staring blankly at the book in her hands when a sudden commotion caught her ears, startling her awake.
She sat up straighter quickly, frowning at the closed door, wondering if she should even bother to take a look. It wasn't as if she cared what Simon and her mom were up to. Sure, the reason for them to be together for any reason at all made her curious as hell, but the truth was, as weird as it sounded, she had decided not to pry. And it was nothing if not poetic justice in her eyes. For years, Diana had stayed away from her family, not bothering to look back even once, so what right did Carmen have to care about what that woman had been doing with her life?
Exactly. None at all.
However, despite all that, she still found herself peeling the sheets off her legs, putting the book aside, and slowly heading for the door. For some reason that she could not understand, her heart had started to beat like a drum, and the knots in her stomach pulsing to life, as if everything inside her was pushing her to leave the room and follow the sounds.
Carmen took a deep breath, bit her lip, and after assuring herself one last time that she was only going to take a slight look and nothing more, she turned the knob and pulled the door open.
The commotion was much clearer now. And now that she could hear the voices and recognize them—and could see the heated scene downstairs—her poor heart almost bolted out of her throat, wanting nothing more than to break all the barriers and go to him.
Tears stung her eyes so badly that she almost whimpered from the pain. The relief that gushed down her spine, she couldn't even explain. Before she knew what she was doing, her bare feet padded quickly down the stairs, her eyes blurring with tears, her body aching. But none of that mattered. Not when he was here. Not when all she could see was a way to finally escape this hell.
"Ronin!" His name came out of her trembling lips, and she barely noticed the stance he was in when she threw herself at him. Ronin stumbled backwards with the force her body slammed into him, his arms quickly coming around her. "Jesus!"
"I can't believe you're here," she gritted out, putting all her strength into suppressing the storm brewing inside her. She couldn't let go of it right now. She wanted to hold onto it for a little longer.
There was so much she wanted to say—so much to ask—but all of it got smothered by the force of her emotions, which surprised her just the same. Her arms tightened around his neck, her chin trembling as she started to get used to his warmth.
It was only when someone cleared their throat that she opened her eyes for the first time, blinking away the tears clinging to her lashes and focusing on the scene set all around them.
Her eyes fell on Eric first. He stood behind Ronin, his fingers balled into fists on each side of him. Let's just say, he did not look very happy at the moment. And now that she wasn't blinded by the relief of seeing familiar faces, she could tell why.
Carmen pulled away instantly—or at least she tried—but Ronin wasn't ready to let go of her yet. Instead of releasing her from his grasp completely, he let her pull her head back, only for her eyes to lock with his. But the way he was looking at her, the way the lines across his forehead were strained, and the way his lips were pulled into a frown, she couldn't tell if he was happy to see her or mad.
However, all her doubts shattered when he brought his lips down to press against her forehead, gripping her chin and lifting her face upward. "Just tell me you're okay."
Words abandoned her, her throat tight with the swell of her own stupid feelings. Carmen nodded, twice.
"Good." Only then did he peel his gaze away from her and stare at someone behind her.
Carmen felt Simon's eyes drilling a hole into the back of her head long before she turned around to face him. He wore a stern frown just like Eric, but he didn't look as tense. Like always, his stance remained calm and poised. It was only his eyes and the way his brows were furrowed that betrayed his blunt disapproval of what he was seeing.
Eric spoke up first, his voice edged with annoyance. "Looks like Carmen isn't as bedridden as we were being told."
Simon merely shrugged, not even a little bit guilty or uncomfortable now that his lie had been exposed. "I was just trying to do the right thing."
"Right thing?" Ronin frowned. "The 'right thing' would have been to be honest with us, not to lie to our faces."
"Oh, come on, gentlemen. I think you're just misunderstanding the situation," Simon shook his head, mocking. "She's here because someone believes Carmen is safer in this place than with you out there. Believe it or not, we have her best interests in mind. This is all being done for her own protection, not because I'm getting some kick out of this."
Ronin's jaw tightened, his grip on Carmen instinctively tightening as well. "Maybe it's a fault in your memory, but the man she needs to be protected from is you, bastard. How dare you keep her here against her will?"
"Against her will?" Simon scoffed. "You two need to get your facts straight before embarrassing yourselves with such utter nonsense." Then, he looked back at her, tipping his head to the side. "Why don't you tell them, sweetheart? Am I keeping you here against your will? Is that really the truth?"
Carmen swallowed, staring back at him. Not able to deny that he was completely wrong. After the accident, she had been unconscious most of the time, and when she did gain consciousness, she barely had the strength to walk on her own, let alone travel back home. Even if Simon had not blocked her way that day, she wouldn't have made it past the door. She was too weak then, both physically and mentally.
Not to forget when Diana allowed her to make a call, she herself had promised to cooperate.
"She doesn't need to say anything," Ronin gritted out, but before he could say anything more, he felt Carmen's hand land on his chest, silently asking for his attention.
He looked down at her, slightly confused.
"He is right," she admitted. "As odd as it sounds, he is the one who came to my rescue on the night of the accident." Though it still remained a mystery how he found her or even knew that she was in trouble.
"Carmen, you don't have to—" Ronin tried, but she gently cut him off with a shake of her head.
"No. I'm not saying that because he has something over me. It's true."
"And that call?" Eric voiced.
"Only to let you all know that I was okay."
For a moment, no one said anything. While Simon looked smug as heck, Ronin only gazed down at her, his eyes softening. Eric, on the other hand, looked away, running a hand through his hair.
The silence in the room stretched on for an eternity when Ronin cupped her face and asked, "What do you want now? Do you want to stay here, or...or do you wanna come with me?"
With him. She wanted to come with him. The answer was so obvious.
Her nimble fingers wrapped around his wrist, and her heart almost jumped at the opportunity. She had been trying to find a way to get out of here anyway. This was a chance as good as any. Besides, something told her that if she said yes to his offer, Ronin would go against the world to make it happen. He wouldn't let her stay at Simon's even for a second longer if that's what she wanted. All she had to say was say yes.
And she was about to when another person walked into the room.
"She can't," Diana's voice echoed against the walls, and everyone's eyes flew to her at once.
Instinctively, Ronin pulled Carmen closer, growing protective by the minute. "And you are?"
Her heels clicked as she walked towards the three men. When the corner of her mouth lifted in a small smile, there was something about her face that resembled so much with the woman in his arms, it left him frowning even more.
She crossed her arms over her chest, staring at the two men one by one. "Did she not tell you?" she paused, moving her gaze to Carmen. "I'm Diana Price, her mother. And whether she will leave this place or not, it's for me to decide. And I say, it's not the right time. Or the right people."
Oops! What does she mean by "right people"? :P