Chapter 95

Cindy's POV

I sat on my bed, still wearing that beautiful dress that had caused so much trouble. My hands were shaking slightly as I tried to calm down from the fight with John. The room felt too quiet, too empty, like all the anger I'd been holding inside had nowhere to go.

A soft knock on my door made me look up. "Come in," I called out, my voice still rough from all the shouting.

Maria walked in carrying a tray of snacks - some sandwiches, fruit, and a glass of milk. Her kind eyes immediately noticed that I was still in my dress, and she set the tray down on my bedside table.

"Mijo, we will get new dresses sent to you," she said gently, starting to help me out of the dress. Her fingers were careful with the delicate fabric, even though I wanted to rip it off and throw it away.

I stared at Maria as she helped me change into comfortable clothes. Something inside me felt like it was breaking apart, and I couldn't hold back the words anymore.

"I am free, Maria," I said, my voice coming out smaller than I expected. "But why do I feel empty and unhappy? Like I finally got the freedom I wanted, but it doesn't look real. I feel like I might just wake up one day and find myself back in that horrible place."

Maria's hands paused on the buttons of my nightgown, and she looked at me with such understanding in her eyes that I almost started crying.

"John finally fulfilled his promise, and I'm not supposed to be angry at him," I continued, the words pouring out of me like water from a broken dam. "Because truth be told, Maria, he doesn't owe me a dime. I am the one who has been a burden, and if he had decided not to help me before, I wouldn't have had any choice. I might even be dead by now."

I felt tears starting to burn behind my eyes. "But he did help me. He spent a fortune to keep me safe, something my parents never did for me. But Maria, why am I this angry at him? I'm supposed to be happy, but I'm angry. Doesn't that make me ungrateful?"

Maria finished helping me with my clothes and sat down on the bed beside me. She took my hands in her warm ones and squeezed gently.

"Just talk to him, mijo," she said softly. "Communication is the key to everything."

She stood up and started arranging the snacks on the tray. "You still need to rest and make sure you're eating properly. And don't forget to take your medication."

I nodded, picking up a piece of fruit without really wanting to eat it. "I wonder how my family will react when I return home," I said, more to myself than to Maria.

Just then, the sound of splashing water and high-pitched giggling came through my window. I froze, listening to the sounds that seemed way too happy for how miserable I was feeling.

"Maria," I said, frowning. "Am I hearing what I think I'm hearing?"

Maria tilted her head, listening to the sounds coming from outside. "It sounds like someone is in the swimming pool."

My heart started beating faster, and not in a good way. I got up from the bed and walked over to the window, pulling back the curtain just enough to peek outside.

What I saw made my blood boil.

John was in the swimming pool with Bianca. They were both laughing and splashing each other like they didn't have a care in the world. Bianca was wearing a beautiful swimsuit that showed off her perfect figure, and John was smiling at her in a way that made my stomach twist with something ugly and painful.

"He brings his girlfriend home and causes nuisance to those resting," I said, my voice getting sharper with each word. "Can't they be discreet?"

Maria stared at me with a knowing look in her eyes. "Now you're getting angry for no reason. Are you jealous?"

I whipped around to face her, feeling heat creep up my neck. "Jealous? Why would I be jealous, Maria? You like joking around."

But even as I said it, I could hear how fake my voice sounded. My hands were clenched into fists at my sides, and my heart was pounding like I'd just run a marathon.

"I am just agitated by the noise," I said, trying to sound reasonable. "It's very loud."

Maria looked at me like she could see right through my lies. "They aren't making that much noise, mijo."

"It's disturbing the quietness of this mansion," I insisted, my voice getting more defensive. "I liked it before that woman came. It's been noisy ever since."

I could see Maria trying not to smile, and it made me even more frustrated. "What? Why are you smiling?" I demanded.

"Nothing," Maria said, but her smile got even bigger. She started walking toward the door. "I'll let you rest now."

She left the room, still smiling, and I wanted to scream. Instead, I stomped back to the window and looked out again.

John and Bianca were still playing in the pool. She was floating on her back while he swam around her, and they both looked so relaxed and happy. The sight made something terrible and jealous twist in my chest.

"He lies, disappears, betrays, and comes home with a woman," I muttered to myself, my breath fogging up the window glass. "For what? To show off that he bagged a beautiful lady?"

I turned away from the window and caught sight of myself in the full-length mirror across the room. For a moment, I just stared at my reflection.

I had gotten so much thinner since everything started. My face was more defined, my waist smaller, my whole body had changed. I used to be chubby, soft around the edges in a way that made me feel invisible and undesirable.

"I used to be chubby, you know," I said to my reflection, running my hands down my sides. "Looking at it now, I have the figure I've always wanted. And I'm more beautiful than that Bianca. She doesn't stand a chance against me. She's just wasting her time."

But as soon as the words left my mouth, I felt disgusted with myself. I raised my hand and slapped my own cheek, not hard enough to really hurt, but enough to snap me back to reality.

"Cindy, what are you thinking?" I said out loud, staring at my wide-eyed reflection. "You don't love him. Why are you getting pissed over this?"

But even as I said it, I knew I was lying to myself. The jealousy burning in my chest was real, and it was eating me alive from the inside out.

I walked back to the window, unable to stop myself from looking one more time. John was helping Bianca out of the pool now, his hands steady on her waist as she stepped onto the pool deck. She was laughing at something he said, and he was smiling back at her with that easy, comfortable smile that I'd seen so rarely.

The sight made me feel like someone had punched me in the stomach. My hands were shaking as I grabbed the curtains and yanked them closed so hard that the curtain rod rattled.

I stood there in the sudden darkness of my room, breathing hard like I'd just been running. My heart was pounding, my face was hot with anger and jealousy, and I felt like I might explode from all the emotions I was trying to keep inside.

The snacks Maria had brought me sat untouched on the bedside table. My medication bottle was there too, but I couldn't focus on anything except the sound of laughter still floating up from the pool area.

I pressed my back against the closed curtains and slid down to sit on the floor, wrapping my arms around my knees. The carpet was soft under me, but everything else felt sharp and painful.

"I don't love him," I whispered to the empty room. "I don't love him, I don't love him, I don't love him."

But repeating it didn't make it true. And the jealousy burning in my chest was proof enough that I was lying to myself about everything.

Outside, I could still hear the faint sounds of John and Bianca enjoying themselves, while I sat alone in my room, drowning in feelings I didn't want to have for a man I was supposed to hate.