Chapter 74

As Carlos was driving out of the car park of the apartment complex where he lived, Esme was just a few minutes away from his house. If he had stalled five minutes more, they would have met.

Because Carlos was busy getting into one meeting to another for most of Wednesday that he forgot to call his mother earlier in the morning as he planned on Tuesday night. And by the time he called her in the afternoon, his mother told him she needed to see him.

“Is it because the wedding has been cancelled?” he had asked her.

“No,” she said in a quiet voice. “There is more things I have to tell you.”

“You can’t say them on the phone?”

“No.”

“Okay, you know how much I hate being kept in suspense. Can you give me an idea? Throw me something I can work with.”

“If you’re curious you have to come over right now.”

“Mother,” he whined. “I can’t leave the office right now. I have meetings with people.”

“Then come in the morning.”

“Are you sure you can’t say whatever it is on this call?”

“Mijo, please, you have to come home. If I could tell you right now, believe me I would have.”

“Okay, fine. I’ll come around tomorrow before I head over to work. You can expect me to be with you at eight.”

“I will be in the garden by then,” his mother said before the call ended.

It so happened that Carlos and Esme drove into the hacienda’s garage at the same time. Esme parked her car behind Carlos’s, got down from her car, and stared him down. He had a smug smirk on his face.

“Do you know anything about Aurelia’s whereabouts?” she asked as she covered the distance between them with long strides. He could feel the heat emanating from her body.

“She is out of town, no?” he asked flippantly. “She should be back, now that the wedding is no more happening,” he said in a noncommittal manner.

“Aurelia has been home, Carlos! She did not go anywhere.”

He looked feigned shock. He was ought to act as though he did not have an idea of whatever was going on. “How do you mean she has been home? Did you speak with her?”

“Yes, I did!”

“I thought her phone was switched off.”

“You can drop all the innocence act. I am not buying it. I never bought it in the first place, but I had to play along for the sake of Aurelia,” she said, and took one more step to stand in his physical space. “I also know you told Villalobos about us!” she yelled into his face.

He took a step back and rolled his eyes, giving her a bored look. “I thought we’ve gone over this before. I did not tell-”

“Shut up, you lying snake! I know everything. Aurelia told me about how you got someone to stalk us. She told me there were pictures. I’m just returning from Aurelia’s house, and someone there told me she was with you last night. Where the fuck is Aurelia?”

He made to walk away from the garage, but Esme held him back with his arm.

She came closer to his face, and they were few inches apart. That would be the first time in his life to have his sister stand in close proximity to him. They were staring intently in each other’s eyes for several seconds. None of them willing to back off.

Carlos was flummoxed. His gaze drifted to look at the hand holding him with a vicelike grip. He wondered how she had become so strong. He made to yank his hand away, but it was impossible. “What are you doing?” he asked, surprise lacing his voice. “You’re going to rumple my suit.”

“I don’t care,” she said, squeezing his arm tighter, and this caused him to feel a little pain.

“Let go of me!” he barked into her face due to the pain.

She shut her eyes, and leaned away from his breath.

Her hand dropped from his upper arm. “You know what, Carlos? You are going to jail. And you will rot there, I swear to god. You are nothing but a bastard.”

“How dare you?!” he asked through clenched teeth.

“You’re not even a de la Cruz! You are not my brother. And you are going to fucking jail, you bastard!”

“You stupid bitch! Watch your mouth, Esmeralda.” His voice rose several decibels.

“Oh, you will not know what hit you when it hits you. And it is going to hit you so hard.” Esme stormed off at that.

Carlos watched her as she walked away. What did she mean by that nonsense, that he was not a de la Cruz? This was her own way of lashing out. He had not expected spewing trash would be her style of showing anger. “Stupid bitch,” he cussed under his breath.

And how did she talk with Aurelia? Was she calling his bluff? There was no way that could have happened. Villalobos had assured him that he had broken Aurelia’s phone. Except she used someone’s phone at home? Carlos stopped in his tracks as he considered that possibility. Why had he not thought about it earlier?

As every moment went by, the need to speak with Villalobos became more glaring.

At eight o ‘clock, he knew his mother would be in her garden as they had agreed. It was about three minutes away from the house. It was more like a greenhouse. There, she grew different plants he could not name. She told him she picked a love for flowers from his grandmother, Doña Carmen, and that with time, being around the plants had proved to be a healthy thing to do.

“Mother,” he called out as he got to the garden. He could see her kneeling on the ground, while sticking her gloved fingers into the flowerbed of some clusters of plants.

Her head snapped up, and she saw him. She gave him a weak smile and returned her focus to what she was doing with her hands. “Carlito, you’re home.”

“Good morning, Ma,” he said as he walked up to meet her. “Now, I’m here.”

She was still crouched on the spot, not looking at him.

“Are you mad at me?” he asked, shifting his balance from his right leg to the left.

She stopped what she was doing and immediately stood, “No, no. Why would I be?” She opened her arms wide, and he stepped into her embrace. She was careful not to let her palms touch him.

He held her tight, before releasing her. “I just wanted to be sure.”

“I have so much to tell you.”

“Obviously, and whatever it is could not be said on a phone call. Remember we talked about that yesterday.”

“I remember,” she said as she took of the dirty gloves.

“So what is this thing that you want to tell me?” He folded his arms across his chest.

“I don’t know where to begin.”

“I don’t think there is any weirder thing I can hear this morning. Already, Esme just said I am not her brother, and I am not a de la Cruz. Can you imagine that nonsense? She thinks I’m the reason why she cannot be with Aurelia.” Carlos scoffed and turned to look away. “She has always been a stupid girl.”

His mother was silent.

He turned to look at her and saw tears were pooling in her eyes.

“Why are you crying?” His voice was laden with concern.

She wiped her cheek with the heel of her palm to clean the errant tear that had dropped down her left eye. A smidge of earth stained her face in the process.

“What is going on, Mother?” Carlos’s hands dropped to his sides and he looked at her quizzically.

“She’s right. Alonzo is not your father,” she said in resignation.

Carlos slightly shook his head, and took two steps away from her. “No, you have to stop with the joke. I can’t get the humor. How do you mean my father is not my father? That is Esme’s way to hurt me. You cannot be saying the same thing.”

Just then, Doña Beatriz burst into tears. “I’m so sorry, Carlito! I never meant for you to find out this way. I was going to tell you at the right time. I am so sorry.”

“What are you talking about?!!” He ran his fingers through his blond hair.

“I’m sorry.” Doña Beatriz sniffled before continuing in one breath, “You are not a de la Cruz. Your father has been dead long before you were born, and Alonzo decided to treat you as his son, and we were not meant to tell you or your sister, but with recent events, Esme found out the truth. I’m not her birth mother. Her birth mother was a maid here, but she got pregnant for Alonzo. And this was after I had been with your biological father.”

The garden spun around Carlos.

The colors were looking brighter all of a sudden.

At a loss of words, he placed his palms on both sides of his head and screamed.