Chapter 38: Sick

Chapter 38: Sick
AVA

“Hey, sweetheart. How are you feeling?” Mom asked, coming into my room. I couldn't continue with my day after meeting with Mera, and returned home because it was either that or breaking my promise to her and confronting Camila and that evil son of a bitch.

Camilo had just called to see if he could send the driver to pick me up, as I was supposed to spend the night at his place, but I couldn't face him. He would see straight through me.

I disagreed with what Mera was doing, but my hands were tied. And as for Camila, I had no words to express my disappointment in her. Camilo was right about her. She was a complete idiot when it came to Lorenzo.

"Ava?" my mother asked again, jolting me out of my reverie as she sat next to me and drew me into a hug.

“I’m fine.”

“Are you sure? You know I’m a good listener,” she said as we pulled back from the hug.

“I know, Mom. I just… I don’t want to talk about it. Can you... hold me?”

“Of course, honey. " I lay my head on her chest. But just then my phone rang, prompting me to sit up. I wondered who it could be at this late hour, since I'd already told Camilo I was tired, so he wouldn't try to FaceTime me.

My mother handed me the phone, and it was Jean, the guy I had spoken to about a job opportunity for Mera. He had been looking for someone, and Mera was an excellent fit given her experience working for Camila. But my heart sank the moment he spoke. 

He told me he couldn't hire Mera. He gave an excuse, but I knew he was lying. I was an attorney after all, and when I called him out, he admitted that Camila had shut it down. She was the reason why no fashion house would consider Mera.

He tried to explain that he didn't want to make an enemy of Camila, but I cut him off. I was disgusted by both. Throwing my phone on the bed, I collapsed back into my mother's arms. What kind of monsters had I surrounded myself with? Hadn’t Mera been through enough already? 

Mom wanted to know what happened, but I couldn’t speak. I just wanted to go to bed, even though I was not sure I'd sleep.

••••

THE FOLLOWING MORNING

I was on the phone when a knock came on my office door, and I looked up to see my fiancé walking in with a bouquet. The person on the other end of the line was not a client, so I told him I would call him back.

"Hey, you," I said, turning to face Camilo, and we shared a long kiss, which left me feeling unexpectedly emotional. He noticed, despite my efforts to hide my emotions, and asked what was wrong.

"It's nothing," I said, gently removing his hands from my face, unable to bear his gaze, but he refused to let go.

“It’s me you’re talking to. What’s wrong, love?”

“It’s a client, babe. He’s being difficult,” I tried to lie, stepping away from him, but a traitorous tear slipped down my cheek.

“Hey, come here.” He pulled me into his chest, and I broke down in his arms.

“I don’t want to break my promise to her, Camilo, but it’s not right, and I-I-”

"Hey, look at me," he said, pulling back slightly so he could look at me. "What are you talking about? What’s going on, baby?”

“It’s Lorenzo… he… he’s a monster." I buried my face against his chest again, fisting his shirt as my tears came harder. 

"What did he do?" he asked softly, drawing back again to look at me. But I didn't respond; I just kept crying.

"Ava, what did he do?" He asked again, firmly this time, and I blurted it out despite not wanting to.

“He... hurt Mera."

"What? What did he do?"

“He forced himself on her, Camilo. He’s a monster.”

He went rigid in my arms as soon as the words left my lips. And I withdrew to his eyes, cold and unrecognizable. It was then that it hit me that I had broken my promise to Mera, and I swallowed hard, my throat becoming dry as I tried to explain that Mera didn't want anyone to know and that I had made the promise. 

But I didn’t get to finish as Camilo pivoted so fast he almost gave me whiplash. 

“Baby, wait! Camilo!”

I ran after him, my heart hammering so hard it hurt.

“Camilo! Please-wait!” I called out, grabbing my purse and bolting through the doorway.

My heels clicked frantically against the polished floor as I chased him down the corridor, the air thick with panic. But he didn’t stop, and by the time I reached the top of the staircase leading out of my office, he was already halfway down.

“Camilo, please!” I yelled, but my breath caught as I almost missed a step. My foot slipped, but fortunately, my hand shot out to the railing just in time to stop myself from tumbling down. 

A gasp escaped me, and heads turned from the offices nearby, while secretaries, interns, and clients standing in the lobby below looked up, startled. But I didn’t care. I was too desperate. 

Camilo didn’t take the elevator and charged straight for the stairs, taking them two at a time like a man on fire. I stumbled forward again, half running, half falling, desperate to catch up.

When I reached the lobby, he was already pushing through the glass doors, and I darted to the elevator instead, pressing the button repeatedly while whispering, "Come on, come on, come on!"

The metallic doors slid open, and I slipped inside, stabbing at the buttons with trembling fingers. My reflection in the mirrored panel looked wild, mascara smudged, eyes wide with fear, and it wasn’t fear of breaking my promise anymore. It was the fear of what Camilo would do.

He looked beyond reason. 

I rushed out as soon as the doors opened, nearly tripping over my own feet, my pulse still roaring in my ears. I saw him just as he slipped into his car.

“Camilo!” I screamed, sprinting forward, my voice cracking. “Camilo, please, stop!”

He didn’t even glance my way, and the engine roared to life, tires screeching against the pavement as he sped off, the car fishtailing slightly before disappearing into traffic.

I stood frozen for a moment, chest heaving, the world spinning around me before instinct took over. I pivoted sharply and ran toward the parking lot, my legs trembling as I fumbled for my car keys.

“Come on,” I muttered, pressing my thumb against the fingerprint scanner on the door, but my hand was shaking so badly that it took several tries before it read me. Finally came the soft click, and I slid inside, jamming the car into gear.

“Please don’t do something stupid,” I whispered, flooring the accelerator and taking off after him.