Jane's POV. "We've been here for a week," Mateo mentioned. I covered my eyes from the sun to look at him. The sun was setting and we were outside painting the barn. Maybe I was just trying to bide time until I was all alone. Mateo agreed to come with me to Texas. I thought it would be better to have him with me this time.My grandmother and mom loved him. They treated him like their own and I appreciated that. Mateo wasn't happy with my decision to leave Alvaro but he did support it. The last thing I wanted was to come between him and Alvaro. If he chose to stay with Alvaro I couldn't force him away. "Why haven't you asked me to come with you?" He questioned. His face held a certain amount of offence. "I thought you would by now." "Because I don't want you to have to choose between him and me. I want you to know that you are always welcome to live with me. I'll take care of you. I might not be able to spoil you the way Alvaro does but you'll have a home and you'll be safe." "Wh
The plane ride was long. My tolerance for travel depreciated. Besides the cramped toilet I couldn't stand being in a compressed space with Alvaro. Especially when he sat close to me. I wanted to choke him and I would have loved to blame my hormones but it would be a lie when I knew it was what I would naturally want. I was upset for a long list of reasons especially this morning when he insisted I get into the car. I didn't know what I would say to my grandmother and mother so he said this wasn't a final goodbye. I could come back after I saw the place and say my goodbyes. Mateo looked between us. He barely spoke to Alvaro it was just mutters and grunts which seemed to amuse Alvaro. "Have you decided?" Alvaro asked him. "Where do you want to stay?" Mateo didn't answer. "Your silence speaks volumes. You chose her, " Alvaro smiled. "I'm not surprised. I knew you would." Mateo looked away from him. "It's okay, mi hijo." Mateo stood and went into the room at the back of the plane.
Jane's Pov. 5 years later I sat on a park bench watching a little girl running and leaping with her friends. I couldn't help but wonder how things would be different if it weren't for the sacrifices Alvaro and I made. She was free. I felt two hands come around my eyes and block out the light. "Al?" I asked. "No," I heard Mateo's voice and I sprung up jumping on him. "Easy," he chuckled, stumbling back and trying to regain his footing. "Mat what are you doing here?"I missed him too much to care if I was embarrassing him. "It's Rosie's birthday. What do you think I'm doing here?" He was grinning from ear to ear. "How'd you know we'd be at the park?" I asked. "Today is Saturday. You always come to the park on Saturday to do some bird and people watching." He sat down next to me. Mateo left for college when he turned eighteen. His grades were incredible and he got a bursary to study medicine at Oxford in England. When he chose medicine I asked why and he said it was so he could a
Mateo's Pov. I always believed I was more lucky than unlucky. I was a homeless boy and then I was adopted by one of the richest families in the city that treated me like their own flesh and blood. I gained a family and it was more than an orphaned boy like me could dream of. I never knew struggle after Alvaro and I was grateful. This time my luck was up again. Maybe I was creepy for this but this was the closest opportunity I'd ever get to see her again. She had tweeted that she would be doing her medical practicals at Hôtel Dieu Hospital in France. I may have admired her from afar for years after I said my final goodbye but I promised her that she would see me again and we kissed one last time. Not a day passed that I haven't thought of her. I saw her in my dreams. From the day I met Julia I was drawn to her. It was like everything in my head just clicked from the moment I saw her in that little boutique. The programme was starting soon and I was stuck in a cab in traffic. I wa
I woke up to someone banging on my apartment door. "Jane!" It was my brother, "Jane please wake up. I'm in trouble." I got out of bed. I was sick of this. I knew why he was here. He only ever called or visited when he needed money. My brother was good at spending money and didn't have the same enthusiasm to work hard and make it. "Give me one good reason to open this door, Jason?" I yelled, putting on my robe. "They're going to kill me, JJ. Please." I sighed, opening the door. He pushed past me, his clothes were torn and his nose was bloody. "What the hell happened to you?" "I took some money." He wiped his nose. "How much is some?" I demanded. "Five..." "Five hundred dollars?" I questioned. He remained silent looking around the apartment. "Jason. How much did you take." "I fucked up big time." He ran a hand down his face. "Five hundred thousand," he said. My eyes widened. "What did you do with so much money!" "I paid my mortgage, my car..." "So what the hell do you want fro
With each step I took, getting closer to a man I wanted to run from. His icy glare settled on me and it felt like my skin was being pricked with a thousand needles.I stopped for a second, unable to take the intensity. I could feel the barrel of a gun being pressed against my back as his goon walked me down the aisle. I looked for the exits. There was only one door. "Easy there," his goon whispered in my ear, "it's either this or a funeral. You choose." I narrowed my eyes at the man- indicating for him to move the gun, the material of the wedding dress was thin and the gun was digging into my back. The goon looked amused, releasing the pressure he was putting on the gun. I continued walking, looking at all the smiling faces looking back at me. I wanted to scream 'help me' but something in me doubted they would. "Smile," the goon ordered. I put on my best smile but I couldn't promise its genuineness. We reached the alter and he handed me off to the groom -as if I was his to give a
It was hard for me to believe that this is what my life came to be. Married to Alvaro. It had been exactly one week since we wed. I thought about what Jason said. He was right the only chance I had was running. I stayed in my room all day, every day. I didn't have a phone or a laptop. No access to the internet. Just a TV. I felt more like a pet than a human. Cynthia one of the workers was the only person I spoke to.She even helped dress me for my wedding day. It helped that she had a nurturing persona. She reminded me of my nana. She always smiled at me, and it warmed my heart seeing her every day or just having little conversations with her. She would always stay a little longer each time she visited but then she would say she needed to get back to work.She brought me breakfast, lunch and dinner. I refused to leave the room— telling her to tell Alvaro I wasn't feeling well or was napping. He never came to check so I got away with it and after a while I guess he got the idea that I
I phoned the store manager apologizing for not being to work for the past week. She was a grumpy woman and she threatened to take it out of my leave days. I had no problem with that, as long as I got my job back. I got ready for work and walked out of the house to see Mat had already pulled the car out of the garage. He opened the passenger side door for me. "Thank you," I said and he jogged over to the driver's side. I felt excited to go back to work, and I wasn't going to let having a bodyguard stop me, but Mateo looked young— now that I sat next to him. He was tall, just an inch shorter than Alvaro. "So who is Alvaro to you?" I squeaked, hating the fact that I was sounding nosey. "Alvaro kind of adopted me when I was five years old," he said, "I tried to steal from him and he was so amused by it that I won his heart." "That's sweet of him." I didn't think Alvaro was the type to adopt a child or even care about children. Mat shrugged. "He's always been so good to me. He is a n