<b>Chapter </b><b>148 </b>
Nivera turned her attention from the TV to the door when she heard the sound of a car pulling in.
That had to be Zabelle, she thought to herself as she got up.
When she opened the door, she was met by Zabelle’s tight smile.
85%
38
The woman looked like she had the weight of the world pressing down on her shoulders, her purse clutched like it was the
Nast thread holding her together.
“Hi,” Zabelle greeted, her smile not quite reaching her eyes.
“Hi,e in,” Nivera said warmly, stepping aside.
As soon as Zabelle walked in, she noticed her shoulders ease slightly. Good. That was the point of this ce.
“Make yourselffortable,” Nivera offered, gesturing to the couch. “Want something to drink? Tea? Wine? Water?”
“Wine sounds good,” Zabelle said with a soft sigh as she sank into the sofa.
“Good. I myself was just about to get drunk,” Nivera quipped, forcing a small grin.
Zabelle chuckled at that, and it seemed to loosen the tension in her chest
Nivera headed into the kitchen and returned momentster with two sses of red wine and the bottle itself. She handed
one to Zabelle before settling beside her, ss in hand.
“So,” Nivera began, studying her with both curiosity and concern. “You sounded like you were close to crying on the phone. What’s going on?!”
For a heartbeat, Zabelle looked uncertain. Her fingers traced the rim of the ss, swirling the wine like it might hold the courage she needed.
“It’s Antonio<i>,</i><i>” </i>she finally whispered.
Ah, Zabelle’s husband<i>. </i><i>Of </i>course, it seemed the men had collectively agreed to frustrate them.
Nivera raised a brow<i>, </i>not interrupting. She wasn’t surprised, not really.
“He’s been hiding things from me,” Zabelle confessed, her grip tightening on the ss before she downed the wine in a <b>single </b>go.
Men like Antonio didn’t know how to exist without secrets, just like Alejandro.
“Okay, slow down,” Nivera cautioned. ‘I don’t know if you have a high alcohol tolerance.”
“I don’t,” Zabelle sighed.
“Then that’s enough,” Nivera said firmly, reaching to set the bottle out of her reach. “Now–what kind of things was he hiding?”
09:14 Fri, 29 AugW.
“Big things,” Zabelle said bitterly. “He was married before. And he never told me. I found out today, in the most humiliating way possible, right in front of his parents just as he told them not <i>to </i>say a word to me.”
Nivera blinked, stunned, “Married?”
Antonio didn’t look like someone who enjoyed the concept of marriage.
“Yes,” Zabelle nodded, her tone sharp, bitter.
“How’s that possible? The media didn’t carry such news.”
“It was a secret. And if Antonio doesn’t want something getting out, there’s a high chance it won’t.”
“Yeah, you’re right. It’s like the same with Alejandro,” Nivera muttered under her breath.
Her heart skipped a beat upon thinking about Alejandro, but she forced herself to return to the conversation.
“Go on,” she added, encouraging her.
85%
38
Zabelle’s lips trembled as she continued. “It was pretty big. He even thought she was expecting his child and didn’t think I deserved to know. He says he was going to tell me, but Lord knows when that was going to happen.”
“That’s… a lot,” Nivera said carefully, controlling her tone.
“It is,” Zabelle agreed, her voice breaking.
“I just–how am I supposed to be happy with that kind of situation? He knows everything about me, but I feel like I don’t know him at all. And the worst part is…”
She hesitated.
“The worst part is?” Nivera prompted gently.
Zabelle drew in a shaky breath. “The worst part is I feel jealous, and it makes me feel like a bad person, as his ex–wife is dead. I know it’s irrational, but I can’t help it. I hate the thought that I wasn’t the first woman in his life, the first he cared
about. And now I don’t even know if what we have is real.”
Nivera reached out and rested her hand on Zabelle’s arm. “It’s not irrational. It’s human. You’ve been blindsided by something huge, and it’s natural to feel hurt–and angry and jealous. But don’t beat yourself up for it.”
“I’m trying hard not to.”
“Hey, at least your husband’s ex–wife is dead. Alejandro’s exes are still very much alive!” Nivera hissed, her tone sharp, her eyes suddenly dark. She gulped her wing in frustration.
Zabelle frowned, noticing the way she gripped the ss so tightly it could break. “Okay, I’m going to take this from you before you hurt yourself with it.” She gently removed the ss from Nivera’s hand.
“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked.
Nivera shook her head. But the refusal didn’t hold. Anger burst through instead, hot and fast.
09:14 Fri, 29 Aug
“My goodness, he is so annoying and controlling,” she hissed.
“One moment, he acts like he is the world’s best man, and in the next moment, he acts like a jerk.”
“Looks like it runs in the family,” Zabelle chimed in.
85%
+38)
“It does. He was gone all day, and I was worried sick about him, but what did he do when he finally got home? He fucking
scolds me!”
“He did not?!” Zabelle’s mouth dropped open.
“He did. Said I wasn’t his wife and that I should stop behaving like one.”
Recapping the whole scenario just made Nivera’s blood boil, as she hated herself for standing there so shocked instead of putting him down in his ce that night.
“Girl, you can’t let it slide.”
Nivera looked at Zabelle and sighed. “I know I shouldn’t, but I don’t like fighting with him.”
Even with everything that had happened, she couldn’t deny how much she missed bantering with him; she missed him smiling at her and making her heart skip a beat.
Most importantly, she missed him. She was in love with him, and while she was still struggling to ept the fact that there was a high chance she would never get his love, she was content with their rtionship dynamic.
Tears immediately rushed to the back of her eyes, and she blinked to stop them from rolling down her cheeks.
“You’re going to have to talk to him about it, Nivera.”
“He doesn’t want to talk!” How was she supposed to have a conversation with Alejandro when they couldn’t give minutes without going at each other?
Zabelle shrugged casually as she <i>spoke</i>, “You’re the one living with him, and I’m sure you know which buttons to choose.”
“One thing is, however, certain: you have to be firm with a Garcia. They are used to having it easy, and so you have to
speak theirnguage.”
Hmm, Zabelle had a point. She had to fight fire with fire in order to get Alejandro toe back to his senses.
For a long while, they sat in their shared bitterness, bashing the heirs of the Garcia family, Antonio for his secrecy, and Alejandro for his control,
Eventually, when they had drained all their anger, Nivera suggested a movie to drown out the heaviness.
They then curled into the sofa, the glow of the television painting soft shadows across their faces.
For a while, theyughed at scenes that were funny, letting the noise fill the cracks their hearts had suffered.
And before they knew it, hours slipped by.
09:15 Fri, 29 Aug
“Thanks for letting me vent,” Zabelle said softly once the credits rolled.
“Anytime. And thank you too,” Nivera said with a faint smile.
? 85%
“And for what it’s worth–you deserve someone who’s honest with you, who treats you like an equal. If Antonio wants to fix this, he’ll have to prove himself. And if he doesn’t…” She shrugged. “Then he doesn’t deserve you.”
Zabelle let out a bitterugh. “You’re right. You’re absolutely right.”
Before more could be said, a knock sounded at the door.
“Are you expectingpany?” Zabelle asked.
“No, I’m not. Hold on.”
Leaving Zabelle on the sofa, she made her way to the door.
The bright look she had from spending time with Zabelle immediately disappeared when she saw who was at the door.
“What are you doing here, Alejandro?” She went straight to the point.
“I could ask you the same thing, Nivera,” Alejandro retorted.
“Why are you here instead of at the mansion?”
“Leave, Alejandro; I do not want to hear.
“I’m not leaving without you.”
“I told you, I don’t want you here!”
Nivera didn’t realize just how loud she had been until she saw Zabelle moving quickly toward the door.
“Hi, Zabelle,” Alejandro said politely, without ncing at her, as his attention was on Nivera.
“Hi, Alejandro,” Zabelle replied awkwardly.
“Go away, Alejandro,” Nivera snapped.
“Antonio is outside,” Alejandro said smoothly. “He’s here to pick you up.”
Nivera saw Zabelle hesitating to leave her alone. As much as she liked Zabelle’spany, she also has an issue to discuss with Antonio.
“Go, Zabelle. You and Antonio have a lot to talk about,” Nivera urged, masking her unease.
“Are <i>you </i>sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
Zabelle nodded, grabbed her purse, and moved toward the door. “I’ll text you when I get home.”
09:15 Fri, 29 Aug
“Okay.”
“Alejandro,” Zabelle said curtly as she passed by him, and he gave her a nod in return.
t , 85%
As the door closed, silence descended. Nivera swayed slightly from the alcohol, her head buzzing and her chest tight.
When she looked up, Alejandro was turning–his dark eyes locking on her.
His expression was displeased and thunderous, and it froze her breath in her chest.