Chapter 287: 287
Oscar
I wake up on the couch in a living room I don’t recognize. It looks like a small apartment, modestly furnished. There’s a nearly empty liquor bottle on the coffee table—and my phone. I sit up with effort and check the time. It’s almost ten in the morning.
“Good morning.”
I flinch and almost jump to my feet. The room spins, and I grab my head.
“Are you okay? Sit back down.”
I recognize that voice. Once my vision focuses, I confirm it—it’s Raina. The memories come back in flashes. After what happened in Beni’s office, I felt myself losing control. The voices started screaming all at once, urging me to hurt Luna, to make her pay for her betrayal. Only one voice—his, that son of a bitch—told me to run, to get out before I did something I couldn’t undo.
I made it to the parking lot, out of my mind, looking for Pablo… and then Raina showed up. I asked her to take me anywhere, just far away from the club—and she agreed.
Back on the couch, I lift my head and rub my neck. It aches like hell.
“Did I…?” My voice is hoarse and weak. Raina hands me a glass of water, and I down it in a few gulps. “Thanks.” I clear my throat and try again. “Did I say or do anything stupid?”
She frowns slightly and offers a small smile.
“You don’t remember?” I shake my head.
It’s not the first time I’ve had memory blackouts from drinking too much. That’s one of the reasons I rarely touch alcohol. The other is that it makes me lose control even faster.
“We left the Madness parking lot, and after that…” I sigh and rub the back of my neck again. “There’s nothing. Just a blank space in my head.”
“Relax. You acted like any other drunk. We got here, you drank all the booze I had left, and passed out on the couch.”
I sigh in relief, swallowing hard as a new memory slips in—Luna’s eyes when she sees me in Raina’s car. I almost told her to stop, but the voices were still screaming, still hungry for blood, and I was scared I wouldn’t be able to fight them—even against my own will.
“I’m sorry, Raina. I was a total asshole on our date, and now this…” I exhale harshly and shake my head. “Forgive me, please.”
She smiles, and her shoulder-length blonde hair sways as she shakes her head.
“Oscar, I can tell when someone’s a bad person—and you’re not. After that failed date, it was pretty clear something was going on between you and the blue-haired girl.”
“No, back then Luna and I… Well, now there is something. Or I think there is. I’m not sure of anything anymore.”
“Well, why don’t you go ask her?” She meets my eyes and smiles again. “I don’t like being anyone’s second choice. Last night, I saw you needed help—that’s the only reason I brought you to my place. But I’m not going to be your ammo against that girl.”
She sighs and shrugs.
“Trust me, I want to, because I really can’t stand her. But who would I be if I did that?”
She steps closer and takes my hands.
“Go home, Oscar. Sort out your mess.”
I nod and stand—this time without swaying. I squeeze her hand and force a smile.
“Thanks… and again, I’m sorry I acted like such an idiot with you.”
“Believe me, I’m used to dealing with idiots. Now get out of here—and take a shower before you go looking for her. You smell like death.”
She points to the door, and I nod. After a quick goodbye, I step out of the apartment and let out a heavy breath. Within seconds, I text one of the guys to come pick me up.
On the way back, sitting in the backseat, I think about everything I want to say to Luna when I see her.
You could start by not calling her a whore. That might help.
“I never called her that,” I mutter under my breath.
Maybe not in those words. Yeah, what she did with Beni sucks—but damn it, it’s Luna. Are you giving up on her at the first bump in the road?
I think about it for a moment and take a deep breath. No. I’ll never give up. It doesn’t matter who was there before me—I’ll be the last.
Luna is mine. She always has been. And it’s time she realizes it.