I'm not going anywhere

I'm not going anywhere
Carlos Blaze
I kept my eyes on the iPad screen, watching the little dot that showed where she was. She had left the hospital and ended up in some neighborhood I didn't recognize. I had men following them, and they managed to plant a tracker on Diane's car. I needed to know Daisy's location at every second. With Sandro still out there, I couldn't risk her safety.
I wondered if she felt well enough to leave the hospital already. The doctors said she needed rest, but Daisy never listened when it came to taking care of herself.
"Boss."
Bella's voice came from behind me. I closed my eyes for a moment. A frustrated groan escaped my throat. I turned to face her.
"What do you think?" I asked. "I've hurt Daisy so much. All I want is to fix this, to make her forgive me completely. I need her. I can't function without her."
"You're deeply in love with her, boss."
"I already know that. I didn't call you here to tell me things I already understand."
"My apologies."
"Listen." I stood up, leaving the iPad on the table. I faced Bella directly. "You're a woman. Daisy is too. So tell me what to do. I want to give her everything, but my mind is... I feel so fucking useless right now. I can't think straight. My head is empty. You need to think for me. What can I do?"
Bella considered my question carefully. "Daisy loves you a lot, boss. But from what I've observed about her in our limited interactions, I don't think you need grand gestures. You just need to be present. Stay by her side, comfort her, reassure her constantly. But there's an obstacle. Her mother."
"Exactly. Diane won't make this easy."
"And yet you have to respect her position. Normally when we face obstacles, we remove them. But in this case, we have one we can't eliminate."
"I'm not considering removing Diane. I'm in this situation because I killed her father. I'd have to be out of my mind to even think about hurting Diane."
"Her mother is wounded, and she won't let you near Daisy. Healing will take time, and even when she does heal, she might remain hostile toward you, boss. Giving her gifts won't work. That would only offend her further. She'd interpret it as you trying to buy her approval. In this scenario, I believe the only path forward is for you to go to Daisy and remain by her side, regardless of her mother's objections. As long as Daisy stands with you, her mother will eventually have to accept your relationship."
I sank back into my chair. Bella made sense. The longer I stayed away, the more Diane could pull Daisy away from me, widening the gap between us until it became impossible to bridge.
I picked up the iPad again, staring at the blinking dot on the screen.
"I'm leaving."
"For Daisy?" Bella asked, though we both knew the answer.
"For my woman."

Daisy
I sat at the small table in my room, staring at nothing. We had arrived at my mother's friend's house earlier. The place was clean and quiet, just the right size for a small family. On a better day, I would have explored every corner already, maybe even checked out the vegetable garden my mother mentioned was in the back. But today, I couldn't muster the energy for anything except staring at the new phone sitting on the table.
I had a new number now. Carlos couldn't reach me even if he wanted to. But some foolish part of me still hoped he would find a way.
"Daisy."
My mother pushed the door open and peered inside.
"Yes?" I answered.
"I'm not hungry."
She sighed and stepped fully into the room, closing the door behind her.
"Daisy, I'm trying to do what's best for us. Please don't make this harder than it already is."
"I'm just not in a good mood, Mum."
"Then let's take a walk. The neighborhood is beautiful. Lots of trees lining the streets. Fresh air might help lift your spirits."
"Mum, you know that's not what..."
"We're not going to discuss Mr. Blaze this morning. And regarding what I said last night, my decision is final. We're leaving the country. If we relocate somewhere new, he might still try to follow, so we'll go somewhere else instead. Somewhere he won't find us. I'll handle all the arrangements. You just need to..." She reached for my shoulder, but I pulled away and stood up.
"No, Mum." I shook my head. "I'm not going anywhere. I don't want to leave. What about my education? I'm so close to finishing. I can't just abandon everything."
"I'll take care of that, Daisy."
I shook my head again. I couldn't leave. I couldn't leave Carlos behind.
"Daisy, let's just take that walk first." She forced a smile, but I stepped further away from her.
"I don't want to walk. And I don't want to leave this place."
"Why?" She ran her fingers through her hair in frustration.
"You know why, Mum. I love..."
"Don't you dare say those cursed words!" She cut me off.
A knock sounded at the front door.
"I'm sorry for raising my voice." She apologized. The knock came again. "I'll see who it is."
She left the room, and I felt an overwhelming urge to follow her. Something in my gut told me it was Carlos. Another voice in my head said that was impossible, but I wanted to believe. I needed him right now. Maybe I had grown too accustomed to having him around whenever I was hurting. But I didn't care about that anymore. I just needed him here.
I followed my mother to the door. When she pulled it open, I saw him standing there.
Carlos.