Chapter 141 The day I denied my name

Chapter 141 The day I denied my name
Carlino's POV

We stood frozen, locked in each other's gaze as silence settled heavily between us. The world around me seemed distant, every sound dulled into a meaningless hum. This was exactly what I had spent years avoiding. So how had I ended up standing before her?

I felt her fingers tighten around my shirt. The shock in her eyes was unmistakable. Slowly, she pushed herself upright, refusing to let go.

What should I do?

My only option was to remain calm.

"Wait…" she started. "What am I actually seeing?" she questioned in a whisper, uncertainty trembling beneath every word.

She took a cautious step back, her eyes searching my face as though she was desperate to find proof. Her stare was sharp and unwavering, moving from my face to the rest of my body, studying every detail.

"Carlino?" she whispered, my name leaving her lips like a fragile question. Hearing her say my name did something to me. A strange warmth spread through my chest before I could stop it.

“What are you doing here? Here… in California? In San Diego?” She added. She started shaking her head. “No… no, that's not possible.”

“Carlino…” her voice cracked, within seconds, her eyes began to glisten. Tears gathered along her lashes, and with a single blink, they spilled down her cheeks.

"I—" She released a shaky breath, lifting her hands as though uncertain where they belonged. "Is this really you?" she asked again.

I couldn't answer. I simply looked at her. What was I supposed to say? When I never wanted her to—

Fuck.

I fought to maintain control. Fought the urge to pull her into my arms. Fought the overwhelming need to hold her close. Before I could react, she threw her arms around me. Her bag slipped from her shoulder and hit the ground. Her tears soaked through my shirt as she buried her face against my chest.

"Carlino, you're okay," she began, her voice barely above a whisper. "I didn't get any news on you for years," she choked on her own words. "I thought, I thought you were… I thought something happened to you."

I didn't move. I stood there, rooted to the spot. My mind struggled to process the reality before me. She was here. She was holding me. Yes, I had wanted this at some point, but not anymore. It certainly wasn't what I had planned.

Gradually, I felt her pull away. The warmth disappeared. Her posture stiffened, and so did her expression. She stepped back slowly before bending down to retrieve her phone and bag from the floor. Even from where I stood, I could see the slight tremble in her hands.

I wanted to stop her. To pull her back. To tell her everything. To tell her how seeing her made me feel things I thought I was incapable of feeling. How her mere existence brought a sense of peace and happiness I had never known. How I would never destroy the life she had worked so hard to build.

I fought desperately to maintain the composure I had spent years perfecting. She rose to her feet, gripping her bag so tightly that her knuckles had turned white. Her gaze drifted from my eyes to my lips.

I could practically see the storm raging behind her eyes. A thousand thoughts. A thousand questions. Not a single answer. She swallowed hard and looked away, forcing the tears back.

"I don't want you here," she began, her words firm. "You need to leave. You need to leave this place." She tried to maintain a strong exterior, but her trembling voice betrayed her. "I already told you years ago, I don't want you involved in my children's lives." Her tone dropped lower, carefully controlled.

But those words shattered something inside me. My children. Not our children. Hers.

Still, I remained silent.

It felt as though something had lodged itself in my throat. And in that moment, I knew it was better not to react. Better not to lose control.

"I… I'm sorry for this," she gestured toward her face, toward the tears, the hug, everything that had just happened.

I couldn't blame her. Could I? She was protecting her children. Protecting them from a life filled with danger. Every place I stepped eventually became tainted by darkness. Danger followed me like a shadow. And I couldn't risk my children's lives.

"Carlino," she called, pulling me from my thoughts. There was a plea hidden within her voice. "You can't just stand there and stay mute. Say something," she added. The desperation beneath her words was impossible to miss.

I couldn't let her know who I was. The same Carlino. The man she had been traded to. The man she had fallen in love with. The father of her children. I couldn't destroy the peace she had built.

I shifted slightly, tilting my head before releasing a slow breath. Then I did the only thing I could. I pretended. A faint smirk tugged at my lips. Small, barely noticeable, but enough.

I lifted a hand, running it through my hair and making the already messy strands even worse before smoothing them back into place.

"Excuse me," I started, locking every emotion behind walls built from years of pain. "My name isn't Carlino," I said, it was the only way. The only way to push her away. The only way to leave without drowning in guilt.

"What?" she whispered, her eyes remained fixed on me. She took another step back.

“That's not my name,” I added.

"No," she whispered again, shaking her head. "No, that’s— there's no way," she said loudly, her voice cracking. "Why are you lying to me?" The pain in her voice cut deeper than any blade.

"Excuse me, miss," I started again. I had to make her believe this lie. "I have no reason to lie to you."

She didn't respond, she simply stared. Then a laugh escaped her lips. It sounded almost hysterical. "You're joking," she said, shaking her head. "You're trying to mess with me, aren't you?"

I exhaled slowly. "I'm Ace. My name is Ace. And not whatever you just called me."

"You're lying," she said immediately. "I don't believe you."

"You—" I stopped as Aiden's voice echoed from behind me.

"Ace!"

Both of us turned. Aiden jogged toward us, breathing heavily. He looked irritated, yet relieved. "You can't just leave me there like that," he whined as he reached us. "I've been calling…"

He stopped mid-sentence the moment he noticed Lina. His eyes moved between us. "Everything okay?" he asked, pretending he didn't understand the emotional chaos unfolding between Lina and me.

"Yes, everything is okay. She just mistook me for someone else." I forced myself to play along. It was all I could do.

As Aiden spoke, I barely heard him. My entire focus remained on Lina. She hadn't moved. She simply stood there, staring at me.

"Ace, we should leave." Aiden was giving me an escape route.

"Yes, we should." I answered while watching Lina from the corner of my eye. I knew she was looking at me. But her mind seemed miles away.

"Excuse me, ma'am." Aiden reached out and touched her arm.

How dare he?

"Don't fucking touch me," she snapped. The anger exploded from her without warning. She jerked her arm away as though his touch carried some deadly disease.

Aiden froze instantly and raised both hands. "Woah, okay… I didn't mean any harm, I was just asking…"

"You can ask without putting your hands on me. Isn't that common sense?" she cut him short. Her tone left no room for argument. She held his gaze without flinching.

Aiden released an amused huff. "Right, noted." A smirk tugged at his lips. "Didn't expect claws. Perhaps Ace found himself a spicy one."

She took another step back.

"My name is…"

"Okay, hold up right there," she cut him off, raising her hand. "Be very careful with your words. I'm not some helpless woman you and your friend can stand here and label like I'm some entertainment you both booked for." Another sharp lash.

Silence settled between us. After a moment, Aiden slowly lowered his hands.

"Fair enough," he muttered.

Lina scoffed. "Sick."

Before I could say anything, she turned and walked away. Each step she took felt like another piece of me breaking apart. But this was the price. The price of keeping them safe.

I turned toward Aiden. "Why did you touch her?" The words emerged low, cold, and utterly devoid of humanity.