Chapter 45: Trauma

Chapter 45: Trauma
MERA

Lorenzo's voice bloomed once more, ordering me to undress before I could even process what he just said about Camila, and I flinched. “Lorenzo, no, please,” I begged, but he ignored my pleas.

"You’re such a mood killer. We'll have to change that," he spat, straddling my legs. "That bitch and her family are about to pay for what they did to my family. I want to watch Murray De La Cruz beg for his grandchildren's lives, then kill them slowly right in front of him." He paused, shaking his head with a cold chuckle, and my heart ceased in my chest.

“By this time tomorrow, I'll be setting my final plan in motion.” He shook his head once more, still smiling. “I can’t believe that bitch almost ruined my plans by getting pregnant. But I took care of that shit.”

“Why?” The question tore out of me before I could stop myself.

“Weren't you listening to what I just said? They killed my family. Her grandfather fucking killed my entire family!”

“Wh-what?”

“What? You’re shocked? You don’t know who they are, do you? What have they told you? Have you ever visited their grandfather's place?" He asked, still straddling me, but I didn't reply.

“Have you?” he asked again, more forcefully, and I shook my head no. “Why do you think that is? You’ve been living with them for months now. Why have they never invited you when they go there? I’ll tell you why: they’re not who you think. Murray is a murderer. Your boyfriend, Camilo, is a murderer. You think I am evil? I am nothing compared to him. He’s a trained killer. He and his grandfather have taken countless lives over the years. Their hands drip with innocent blood.” He spat, looking me in the eye, and more tears gushed out of my eyes at his words.

"Shh... it's over. I won't lie to you again." He leaned close and whispered, "And I'll start right now. When you scream my name just now, when I fuck you into this mattress... call me by my real name.... Alejandro." I shivered as he leaned back, smirking, and started unbuttoning my top.

I didn't struggle; instead, I kept crying quietly. But I couldn't stay silent when he positioned himself.

“Lo-renzo… ple-as-” I started to beg, and we wrestled as he tried to pin me down.

“Stop it, Mera! Hey, stop! Do you want me to hurt Noa-“ His hand rose to my face, and my eyes clamped shut, but the hit never came. Instead, blood and brain matter splattered across my face, and he collapsed on top of me.

A guttural scream tore through me as more blood poured from his head before Camilo appeared, grabbing Lorenzo and tossing him to the floor. I watched, shaking, as Camilo continued firing his gun until it clicked empty, then started stomping on Lorenzo's head over and over, even though he was clearly dead.

"Camilo!" I called, but he didn’t stop. "Camilo, stop!" My voice broke, and it was then that he finally stopped and hurried to me. He took off his shirt and put it on me, and I fell apart in his arms.

••••

HOURS LATER

I sat up to check the time. 2:04 am. I couldn’t sleep. I looked over to the couch, and there was no one. Camilo had stayed over and asked to sleep on the couch rather than in the other bedroom, given how traumatized I was.

Every time I closed my eyes, everything flashed before me, and it still felt so surreal. I couldn't believe Lorenzo was planning to murder Camila's family. More shocking, he never loved her. I couldn’t believe he killed their child and that his real name was never Lorenzo, but Alejandro.

I hadn't told Camilo what he said yet. Every time I thought about it, a knot of fear twisted in my stomach. I didn't know how to tell him without asking if everything was true, and I was afraid of the answer.

Leaning down, I gently kissed my baby's forehead before getting out of bed and wincing at the pain. My body ached, but I didn’t want to go to a doctor or hospital. Heading downstairs toward the kitchen for water, I screamed at seeing a figure sitting on the kitchen island.

“It’s alright. It’s me,” Camilo said, rushing toward me before pulling me into a hug. "You are okay."

"I--I thought you left," I said, still in the hug. “Why are you sitting in the dark?”

"I don’t know… I wanted some water. Why are you up? Try to get some rest."

"I can't sleep. Is it okay if I turn on the lights?" I asked the darkness, making me nervous, and Camilo said it was okay.

“I’ll put them on. Come... sit down,” he added, gesturing to one of the chairs on the island. “Do you want me to make you some tea? Anything?”

I shook my head no.

I couldn't keep anything down; nausea churned in my stomach. He returned and sat down beside me after flicking the lights on. “Are you sure you don’t want to see a doctor for these?” he asked, his voice thick with worry as he looked at the bruises on my face, and I nodded, but my tears spilled over, despite not wanting them to. “You’re going to be okay, Mera. You'll get through this, and I’m not going anywhere, okay?”

“Thank you, Camilo. If… if you hadn't shown up when you did… I-”

“Don’t think about that now,” he said, getting up and hugging me again. “It’s over now. It’s all over. He will never hurt you or anyone else again," he reassured me as I tightened my grip on him, crying all over again.

I had no idea where my baby and I would be if he had not shown up. Pulling back, he offered to make me food again, but I declined and told him I'd rather lie down.

••••

THE FOLLOWING MORNING

Waking up, I reached out in front of me, expecting to feel Noa, but there was nothing. I opened my eyes and sat up, wondering where he was. But just as I got out of bed, the room door swung open, and Camilo entered with a tray of food.

“Where’s Noa?” I asked, alarmed, interrupting him just as he opened his mouth to speak.

“He’s in the living area, sleeping. He woke up, and I took him because I didn't want him to wake you," he said, as I rushed past him and into the living room.

I rushed over to my baby, who was still sleeping, and kneeled beside him, grazing his little hand with my fingertips before looking up at Camilo as he entered. His expression bunched in concern as he set the tray on the coffee table.

“Mera, “he said as he sat next to me. “I know I had promised to protect you, and failed, but it won’t happen again. You’re safe now. You both are. And I’m sorry if I scared you by taking him away. You didn’t sleep last night, and I just wanted to give you a little rest. I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said, taking my hand, and for some reason, his words brought me to tears.

He drew me into his arms, whispering soothing words as his hand moved in slow circles across my back, and I clung to his shirt, grounding myself in his warmth. I didn’t blame him for anything. Nobody could have predicted what Lore-Alejandro was about to do. I trusted Camilo and knew he would never let anything bad happen to me or Noa.

I was just tired, sad, and still shaken. I didn’t know what to expect next. I felt destined for misfortune, and my heart would not stop bleeding for Camila and him. I was afraid she would not believe him--that she would hate him for killing Alejandro. I also felt guilty about keeping him here when he should have been with Ava, repairing their relationship.

He had seen the letters I had written and asked me not to leave until I had dealt with everything. He didn't want me to face everything alone. And, to be honest, I was unsure whether I could.

On the other hand, Alejandro's words had been ringing through my head the entire time. I felt terrible about not telling Camilo right away, but the more I thought about it, the more terrified I became.

“I’m sorry,” I said, pulling back from him, and he frowned.

“For what?”

"For how I reacted and for the crying. I'm just..." The words fell apart between us, and he retook my hand.

"Hey, look at me. You've been through a lot, Mera. You have every right to be scared and cry. No one would expect anything else from you right now... You don’t have to apologize,” he said before looking at the tray he brought.

"You need to eat,” he pushed the tray toward me, and I took it.

“Thank you. Have you eaten?" I asked, knowing that even though he was being strong for me, this couldn't have been easy on him. He will be the one to explain to Camila. Plus, even before this Alejandro situation, he had been going through a tough period. He said he'd eaten, which I doubted but did not question.

"Camilo?" I called him after a moment, suddenly deciding to tell him what Alejandro had said, and he hummed in response.

“There’s something I need to tell you. Something I should have told you last night, but couldn't."

"What is it?" he asked, placing his phone that he had been looking at down. I told him everything Alejandro said. However, his reaction--or lack thereof--had me pause mid-sentence.

"You... don't seem surprised."