Chapter 34

Mira’s POV

Alejandro froze, confusion settling over his face. A moment later he gave an awkward smile.

“This is a joke, right Mira?” He let out a strange, uneasy laugh.

I stared at him, my brain fuming and my eyes so full of tears that everything in front of me looked blurry.

“Get out of my way, Dro,” I warned, trying to move toward the stairs, but he stepped sideways and blocked my path again.

“Hold on, Mira. What did I do? What’s happening?” he asked, completely lost.

I wiped the tears rolling down my cheeks and shot him a hard glare. The look must have told him how serious I was, because he finally stepped aside and created space for me.

I rushed past him without another word, leaving him standing there in total confusion.

This whole thing had already wasted too much of the little time I had. I couldn’t believe I had even considered choosing him over money that could actually save my life but Alejandro couldn’t even acknowledge me properly in front of his friends.

What a joke.

As soon as I reached my room, I threw my suitcase onto the bed and unzipped it. Clothes went flying inside as I shoved them in without folding a single thing.

Right now I didn’t care.

Once I was done stuffing everything inside, I grabbed my phone and called Zara.

“Hey girl!” she answered after the first ring.

The moment I heard her voice, my composure shattered. I burst into tears.

“I’m coming home, Zara,” I said, my voice cracking badly.

“What? Why? What happened, baby? Did that bastard do anything to you?” Her voice instantly rose, panic slipping into every word.

I sniffed loudly and wiped my nose with the back of my hand.

“Yeah, he did. I’ll explain when I get there.”

“I’ll kill that bastard with my bare hands,” Zara shouted through the phone.

Despite everything, a weak smile tugged at my lips. That was Zara for you.

While we were talking, Alejandro slowly walked into the room. His expression was full of worry, almost pleading.

“I’ll call you back, Zara,” I said quickly before ending the call.

Alejandro stepped closer while I struggled to zip up my overstuffed suitcase. Before I could stop him, he wrapped his arms around my waist from behind and rested his chin lightly on my shoulder.

“Please don’t leave, Mira,” he murmured softly. “Just tell me what’s going on. Did my dad say something to you?”

I paused.

Then I twisted out of his grip and stepped away, turning around to point a warning finger straight at him.

“Don’t you dare touch me again.”

He dragged a hand through his hair and let out a frustrated breath.

“Even if you don’t want me anymore, you can’t leave right now. It’s late, and it’s about to rain.”

I rolled my eyes slowly.

“That’s something for me to worry about, not you.”

“You know I can’t let you go out there at this time. It’s eleven at night, for Christ’s sake, Mira.”

Ignoring him, I lifted my suitcase, set it upright, and rolled it toward the door.

“Watch me,” I replied coldly before heading downstairs.

Alejandro hurried after me, calling my name over and over, begging me to stop. But I knew exactly what this performance was about.

It wasn’t love.

It was about keeping me exactly where he wanted me. In his bed.

I should have realized my place a long time ago.

“Mira, at least tell me what I did!” he called again.

I stopped near the door.

Slowly, I turned around.

“What am I to you, Alejandro?” I asked quietly.

He rubbed the back of his neck. “My girlfriend, of course.”

I laughed.

It wasn’t a happy laugh. It was low, bitter, and slightly hysterical.

“It’s easy for you to say that now because you want me in your bed again. That’s all you want from me. That’s all I’ll ever be to you.”

His eyebrows pulled together tightly. “I don’t understand. What are you talking about, Mira? I love you. You know that.”

I scoffed loudly. “I wish you had told your friends that. Instead of calling me a babysitter.”

Alejandro froze.

His mouth opened slightly, but no words came out.

“What’s wrong Dro?” I laughed again. “Cat got your tongue?”

He suddenly grabbed my hands.

“Who told you that, Mira? Who said it? I swear I didn’t mean what I said. The boys… they were putting a lot of pressure on me.”

I blinked at him. Then I burst out laughing.

“They were putting pressure on you?” I repeated mockingly. “That’s the excuse you’re going with? Wow. How impressive.”

My voice turned sharp.

“Fucking grow up, Alejandro.”

He looked at me desperately. “Look, I can explain everything. Please just don’t leave. I’m not sure I can live without you by my side anymore.”

I pulled my hands free. “Well, you should have thought about that before you introduced me as a babysitter.”

Clutching my suitcase handle tightly, I dragged it out of the house and through the gates. Alejandro followed behind me for a few steps, but something about the way he moved reminded me of a predator chasing its prey.

A lion doesn’t chase because it cares. It chases because it wants to devour.

Soon I was walking alone down the cold street, dragging my suitcase behind me while tears streamed down my face.

Alejandro stopped at the gate. I didn’t look back.

The street felt empty and quiet. The cab I had ordered was taking forever to find my location, and I refused to stay anywhere near that heartbreaker.

After walking for nearly a mile, my feet began to sting and my shoes finally gave up on me.

Perfect.

I looked up at the sky. The clouds were growing darker and heavier by the second.

With a sigh, I bent down, picked up my shoes, and continued dragging my suitcase barefoot along the cold pavement.

“Find the nearest hotel. Spend the night and leave tomorrow,” I muttered to myself while walking.

That sounded like a decent plan.

Too bad the universe clearly hated me.

A few minutes later, the rain I had been dreading started pouring down hard, soaking me instantly.

“Great. Just great,” I shouted into the empty street.

“Apparently it’s not bad enough that my life is already a disaster,” I yelled bitterly. “Now you decide to drench me too.”

My voice echoed into the dark sky.

“I should’ve waited until morning,” I muttered with a frustrated sigh. “Now what am I supposed to do?”

Shivering violently, I wrapped my arms around my body and kept walking.

This wasn’t good.

My body could not handle this much cold. It was only a matter of time before I collapsed.

While I stood there questioning every terrible decision I had made tonight, a car slowly pulled up in front of me.