Page 137 of Arturo's Temptation

“You had a choice to talk to me! To explain how you were feeling before you ripped away any chance I had to do what I wanted with my life. Did you assume I wouldn’t listen? Do you honestly think I would have stood in your way of being the best father you could be?” She let out a steady breath. “Of course I wouldn’t. I would have supported you as I always have…”

“Bella, please, it doesn’t have to be like this.” Luca pleaded.

“You should have thought about that the other day when you yelled at me like I was nothing. How fucking dare you tell me I haven’t suffered.” Bella snapped, anger consuming her. “Fuck this, I’m going for a shower.”

The garage door banged as she fled up the stairs. Dumbfounded, Luca stood there frozen, unable to form a coherent thought.

“I don’t get it, Pa.” he huffed, fisting his hair, “Why’s she being like this?!” I couldn’t help but scoff at his question. Narrowing his eyes, Luca turned to glare at my, teeth clenched together. “You got something to say, Arturo?”

“Nah, mate, nothin’ at all.”

“Luc, your sister needs time. She’s had to take on this role pretty fucking quick, and you know she didn’t want it.” Lorenzo sighed. “I may have shattered her world, but what hurt her the most is that you did this without even talking to her. She’s your sister and you couldn’t take one second to talk it over with her or explain the pain you were going through.”

“Pa, it wasn’t like that.”

“Stop it, Luca. Just stop.” Lorenzo’s considerate care and patience for his son’s plight had finally snapped.About fuckingtime.“Stop painting yourself the victim all the time. You know you had it all. You had all my attention, all the damn time, and I stupidly gave it to you. For years your sister needed me. Needed me to be her father and spend time with her, and I couldn’t give her it because I was with you, helping to mould you to be the next me.”

“I lost the love of my life, and since Bella has taken my place, she’s forgotten that.” Luca yelled, rage making his neck flame red.

“Peyton was my daughter’s best friend before she was ever your girlfriend. A little fact you seem to have forgotten.” The air left Luca’s lungs and he sighed. Lorenzo’s voice became quiet and regretful. “This is my fault, my mistake. I should never have made you my successor. You took her place, Luca. I know deep down you knew that, but it was always meant to be her, and I think you always knew that.” Lorenzo continued. “Son, I get that you lost the love of your life and I can’t bring myself to understand how much that hurt, but Peyton was Bella’s whole world too. And despite all that, she put yours and Theo’s needs before any of her own time and time again. She put plans to study and travel on hold to raise your son when you couldn’t. You seem to have forgotten that.”

“I don’t need you to remind me of that.”

“It seems like you do. Buck up your ideas, Luc, your sister is one hell of a woman and did things tonight that I don’t think I could have done, and that’s saying something. But do you know why she’s doing it?” Lorenzo paused as Luca shook his head.“For you, Luc, she’s doing it because she loves you.”

Luca said nothing else, he just turned on his heel and stalked up the stairs.

Nicely done, Lorenzo. You finally grew some balls.

“Night, Lorenzo,” I smiled, making my way into the house.

42

I stood beneath the spray,watching as red flowed down my body. It was like no matter how hard I scrubbed the blood kept coming. My body trembled as tears leaked from my eyes. I felt like a monster. The show I had put on for my father had him pretty convinced, but my actions had made me feel sick. Shaking, I slid down the wall and clutched my knees to my chest, allowing the tears to fall more than they already were.

“Hermosa.” I felt him before I heard him. Once again, he joined me in the shower fully clothed. Short, sharp sobs escaped me as he pulled me into his lap. “It’s okay, Bella, I’m right here.” I fisted his shirt and squeezed my eyes shut, releasing a wail.

“I killed him, Arturo, I?—”

“I know, I know. I’ve got you.” He stroked my wet hair out of my eyes and rubbed circles into my cheeks. “You don’t need to hide from me. I’m right here.”

“It won’t come off. I tried… but it—” My voice caught in my throat. I pulled back and stared down at my hands, seeing nothing but red.

“My love, there ain’t nothin’ there,” he whispered. “You’re clean.” As I searched for the truth in his eyes I took in thedroplets that clung to his eyelashes and cheeks. Exhausted, I fell forward against his chest. He rocked me back and forth soothing my heart and breathing back to a healthy rhythm. A while later, my eyes began to drift closed. “Come on, let’s get you dried off and into bed.”

After wrapping me in a towel, and doing the same for himself, he carried me back through to the bedroom. And there, cradled in his arms, was the safest I had felt all day.

“Are you staying?” I managed between hiccups.

“I wasn’t plannin’ on leavin’.” he soothed, placing me beneath the sheets. I released a shaky breath as the warmth from his chest sank into my back. “Try and get some sleep, I’ll be right here.”

Arturo Ramos was truly my lifeline.

43

Once Bella was finally asleep,I wandered down the stairs, feeling more exhausted than I cared admit. It had been a challenging few weeks.

“Yo, A.” Tyler called from the kitchen as I wandered past.

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