Page 49 of Never Again
“Not before I’ve said what I came to say. Not before I tell you how much I love you and how sorry I am for what I did.”
“Forget about me.”
“I can’t. There’s no way I could forget about you unless someone wipes my memory clean.”
“Empty words that don’t mean anything. Love meansnothingto you. You don’t understand the concept of love and sacrifice. Or maybe you do, but you don’t care. Either way, I’m not interested in anything you have to say. I suggest you fly back to Atlanta because you wasted your time coming here.”
Stay strong. Be hard. Don’t give in.
“I can’t go back to Atlanta,” Carlos said in a low tone.
“Am I supposed to ask why not?” A heavy dose of sarcasm rested in her voice.
“I don’t have anything to go back to.”
“What does that even mean?”
“My whole life is here now. I sold my car and broke the lease on the loft. I finished up my painting obligations, and then I sold or gave away the majority of my belongings. Sofia and I moved here, to Toronto. I’m staying at my mother’s until I find an apartment and can get back on my feet.”
“Wh…I…” Had she misunderstood? “Why would you do that?”
“Because I plan to win you back. You’re the most important thing in my life. Nothing matters without you in it.”
“So you walked away from your whole life?” she asked, aghast.
“Yes.”
“That’s ridiculous and crazy. It doesn’t make sense.” He’d had to build up a reputation in the art community, which had taken years to establish. He’d almost have to start all over.
“You were willing to walk away from your whole life for me.”
The gravity of his words hung in the air between them.
Carmen swallowed the lump in her throat. “Your decision to move here doesn’t change anything.”
“I know I still have work to do, but I wanted you to know. I’m serious, and I’m not giving up. I’m doing what I should have done back then. Trusted in us. Been willing to sacrifice.”
“But then your mother wouldn’t have her shop.” Despite her dismay at what he’d done, she could acknowledge that he’d used the money to benefit his family’s financial position and helped create a business that not only benefited his siblings, but was a potential inheritance for them.
“We could have found another way. I’m here, and I’m not leaving. I love you, Carmen, and I’m going to prove it, and I’m going to make you love me again.”
At the end, his voice became husky with emotion, and she had to look away as tears welled in her eyes unexpectedly. The elevator doors opened and a couple came out.
“Hi, Carmen,” the man and woman said in unison, casting curious eyes at Carlos.
She smiled faintly at them because she couldn’t speak. When they’d walked through the door, she ventured a look at Carlos.
“I meant every word,” he said in a solemn tone.
“We’ll see how serious you are.” Carmen’s hands tightened in the soft material of the shawl.
“We will. Good night,mi universo,” Carlos said softly.
He turned around, and a dizzying burst of panic seized Carmen. “Wait!” she said in a trembling voice.
Carlos turned to face her.
They stared at each other across the short distance, and then her feet moved quickly of their own volition. She flung herself into his open arms, and he squeezed her tight, lifting her from the ground and burying his face in her neck.
