Chapter 153 Ruin me, Rosalina.
CHAPTER 153
Ruin me, Rosalina.
SCARLETT – POINT OF VIEW
I wake up groggy. My eyelids are heavy, and I feel swaddled in cobwebs.
I groan, shift, and wait for the pain to bloom, but it doesn’t. I reach for my side, grateful to find it in better shape than before.
“You’re awake.”
I tilt my head with an effort and find Eve by the door.
“How do you feel?” She asks, whispering.
I don’t respond. Instead, I push myself up to sit upright. The aches all over my body have reduced significantly. My ribs do not feel like they are on fire anymore. I feel better.
“How long have I been asleep?” I ask, my voice hoarse.
“Almost two days.” She admits, and my heart races.
Two days. Two days of doing nothing. Two days of Emiliano getting ahead of me and plotting. Two days that I have lost to nothingness.
“You lost a lot of blood, Scarlett. You were half dead. Your wounds were almost infected. Your rib was broken. Two days is nothing short of a fucking miracle. We have held on to everything we could. You don’t have to worry about anything. Roman, Luca and Adeline have been working hard, maintaining a semblance of normalcy on the outside while the rest of us handled everything within. We took care of you, Scarlett.” She speaks firmly.
I inhale slowly, unable to allow myself to believe this.
Do I have the luxury of this? Can I truly let myself trust that I am no longer alone? It seems impossible and far-fetched. I don’t know if I can truly trust this.
“Scarlett,” she whispers fondly, and I exhale shakily.
I hear a grunt, another presence in the room, so I turn around, and I see Roman.
He is asleep on the couch. Was there even a couch here? He has a blanket over him.
How long has he been here?
“He has been awake for two days. He didn’t even sleep at night, and whenever he managed to fall asleep, he would jolt awake, desperately, making sure you were safe. He wouldn’t eat. He would make calls on the balcony and return to the room. He wouldn’t even bathe. He stayed here like a stalker.” She chuckles, recounting everything.
I look at him, ignoring the way my heart is pounding.
“So, how is he asleep if he was burning the midnight candle?” I ask, flexing my toes.
“I drugged him.” She announces with a smile.
“What?” I frown, stunned.
“Yeah, I crunched sleeping pills into his drink, and he knocked out immediately. He needed the rest. As much as he is an asshole, he is still Roman, your Roman, and it would be counterproductive for him to fall sick just as you managed to get better.” She explains, and I nod slowly, willing my mind to believe in this new reality.
I have lived my life fitting into small boxes, hiding away pieces of myself and being someone else. I have lived the past two years shrunk, the tiniest version of myself, one I never want to become. I don’t hate Scarlett Brooks, but I think I am done being her. I am Rosalina Diaz, the last living Diaz. I always hoped I would have an illegitimate brother, a long-lost uncle, just anyone who would fight for me, so I wouldn’t be so alone. That isn’t happening. No one came to save me, and no one stopped me either. The family I have been looking for are right here in this room.
I look at Eve, with my heart in my throat, and whisper, “I love you very much, and I am so sorry I lied to you.” Tears blur my vision, and my lungs constrict.
She shakes her head, cups my cheeks tenderly and murmurs, “You never lied to me. I knew who you were and loved you anyway.”
I sniff, my shoulders shaking as I try to stop crying and wipe my tears away.
Roman wakes slowly immediately. He looks around, gaze hooded with sleep, but shoulders squared with determination. His gaze fixes on me, and my pulse slows. Goosebumps break over my skin, and warmth blooms in me.
“You should probably take this upstairs,” Eve suggests and slips away.
Roman gets up and walks to me.
“How do you feel?” He rasps, voice thick with exhaustion and hope.
I nod, smiling softly, “I feel better.”
“You have been asleep for two days.” He states.
I nod again, “I am sorry I made you worry.”
“You are perfect in every version of you, every embodiment, every inch of you. Make me worry. Break my heart. Stomp on my broken heart. Run a knife over my body. Ruin me, Rosalina, just don’t leave me.” He holds on to my knees and slowly sinks to his knees before me.
He presses his lips to my legs, kissing away every scar.
“I … I don’t want to do this without you. When all this is over, and Emiliano is dead, I want another chance. I want to take you on a date, be your boyfriend in truth, and ask you to marry me properly. You were shackled into a marriage contract at fifteen, by men supposed to protect you. Eleven years later, I did the same thing.” He shakes his head in disappointment.
I cup his cheeks and urge him up, “You didn’t know. We … we didn’t know any of these.”
“It does not matter. I shouldn’t have done that. I should have been better. I was consumed by greed. I wore it like a second skin, and it almost took everything from me. I don’t want that anymore. I don’t want that life. I want you. My whole life has been leading to you. You are worth everything, Rose, and never forget that. So hate me if you must, do not forgive me, just don’t leave me.” He begs, eyes glossy with emotion.
I exhale deeply, “I’m not going anywhere. We are tethered, forever bound, and we don’t have to wait for a second chance; we can start now. Let’s begin the rest of our lives together.”
He kisses my knuckles, and no matter how much I smile, I can’t run past the shadow on my shoulders. It is time to stop running. Whatever it takes.