Chapter 58 The Difference Between Them
CARLOS’S POV
I watch her sleep peacefully as I trail my hand through her hair. I still can’t believe I fell in love with her—I mean, it’s Nala. She’s amazing, she’s beautiful, she’s everything, but again, she’s still Nala. The same woman I’ve spent my whole life looking for, the same woman I forced to get married to me.
I had tried my hardest not to fall in love with her. I even forced myself to look at her as the enemy — the reason for all my dismay, but somehow I ended up seeing that if there was anything good about my life, it was because of her. And there was no way I could make myself hate her.
I guess that’s why I fell in love, and it’s even scarier now because losing her would cost me everything that I have, but not being with her would cost me my life. It’s crazy how this works—one minute I wanted nothing more than to rip her head off and the next, I would kill anyone who tries to harm her.
Nala and I are currently in a small cabin in the woods. Nala has been feeling very weak and nauseous in the car that’s why I decided to take a break and spend the night here where she’ll feel better.
We are almost at our altimeter destination, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the Ore code.
I’ve been thinking about it. What’s next after the Ore code? Would Nala still want to be with me, or do I have to let go of her for good?
Nala twitched in her sleep, and I can tell she’s dreaming. I hope she’s not remembering any past memory again. I have had enough of her remembrance. It’s starting to really mess with her head, and I am scared that if she keeps remembering, she’ll end up remembering a past she’s not supposed to have any memory of.
My thoughts come to a halt when my phone starts ringing. I quickly answer without looking at the screen, not wanting the sound to wake Nala up.
"Hello," I said.
"Where are you?" Papa’s voice filled the air. Papa never calls unless it's important and right now I can tell that something must have happened and he’s probably upset about it.
I slowly withdrew myself from Nala as I replied, "In a safe location." I walked out of the room.
Papa fumed and instantly changed from English to Italian. It was his way of showing how mad he was.
"\[Perché non sei sulla strada per ottenere il codice Ore?\] Why are you not on your way to get the Ore code?" He demanded. That wasn’t a question I needed to answer, because he fired more at me.
"\[Ti ho chiesto di fare una cosa, ottenere il codice Ore non appena la mappa è entrata nelle tue mani, ma non puoi nemmeno farlo, vero?\] I asked you to do one thing, get the Ore code as soon as the map got into your hands, but you can’t even do that, can you?"
"\[Lo farò, papà. Ci dirigeremo a sud per ottenere il codice Minerale.\] I will, Papa. We will head south to get the Ore code." I replied calmly in Italian.
"\[Quando? È dopo che si sono presentati i Menendez? Stai cercando di attirare la loro attenzione su di te?\] When? Is it after the Menendezes show up? Are you trying to get their attention on you?" He gnarled
"\[No, papà. L'unico motivo per cui siamo rimasti indietro era che Nala era debole. Tutto questo viaggio era stato troppo per lei.\] No, Papa. The only reason we stayed back was that Nala was weak. This whole journey had been too much for her."
I thought he would care but instead he didn’t.
"\[Perché all'improvviso ti sei preoccupato di lei? E se fosse debole? Finché era ancora viva, potevamo fare il lavoro\] Why do you suddenly care about her? So what if she was weak? As long as she was still alive, we could get the work done."
"\[Papà, devi capire\] Papa, you have to understand—"
"\[Non dirmi di capire!\] Don’t tell me to understand!" He snarled, his voice rising.
"\[Questo non era il piano. Il piano era di mettere le mani sul codice minerale il prima possibile, senza preoccuparci di chi fosse debole. Non mi importava se fosse debole, non era un mio problema.\] This was not the plan. The plan was to get our hands on the Ore code as soon as possible, not care about whoever was weak. I didn’t care if she was weak, that wasn’t my problem."
"\[Ma non potremmo farlo senza di lei. L'unico modo per superarlo era con lei, quindi la sua sicurezza era molto importante.\] But we couldn’t do this without her. The only way to get through this was with her, so her safety was very important." I said
Papa went silent for a moment before he suddenly asked, "\[Sei innamorato di lei?\] Are you in love with her?"
My mind froze momentarily. There was no way I could tell him the truth, so I lied. "\[No, non sono\] No, I’m not."
"\[Allora smettila di comportarti come se lo sei. Lei è una Menendez, Carlos. Anche se non fa parte di loro, è ancora il loro sangue. Smettila di preoccuparti di lei e comportati nel modo in cui dovresti.\] Then stop acting like you are. She’s a Menendez, Carlos. Even if she’s no part of them, she’s still their blood. Stop caring about her and just act the way you are supposed to."
He didn’t wait for me to say anything and just ended the call.
I exhaled heavily, keeping the phone down. Papa was right. I was not supposed to put emotions into this. The plan was to get my hands on the Ore code as soon as possible, not to waste any more time caring about Nala.
There was no doubt that I love Nala, but I don’t think my relationship with her can work. She is the daughter of an enemy, and even though she isn’t like them, she is still their blood.