Chapter 96 It has to be over - Miguel POV
I'm hardly listening to what my commanding officer is saying. Ex-commanding officer.
I resigned, but they don't want me to.
Being in the Navy has given me a lot of things I will always be grateful for. A set of skills I would've never learned anywhere else. It was also a big fuck you to my father, who wanted to dictate what my future would be.
He wanted carbon copies of himself.
I wanted to be my mother's son.
My fingers drum on my thigh as the man in front of me goes on and on about how it would be a disgrace to my country if I leave.
"Sir, with all due respect, I loved being a SEAL, and being on a special team, but I could have died." I say calmly. "I am grateful for what the Navy meant to me, but I too would like to have a family one day that wouldn't worry if I came home in a casket."
He sighs deeply. He can't argue with me on that.
"I have done my due for the Navy and this country, sir." And I have. I have both a Medal of Honor and a Navy Cross, I was also informed that I will receive a Purple Heart.
Now it's time to focus on myself, Madison, my mother and to take out the rest of my fucked up family.
Speaking of Madison. She's avoiding my calls. I've been calling since last night, and she's not picking up.
I know she's safe, according to Alessandro. He also let me know her friend is in the hospital, probably because of the damn new date rape drug my brother got his hands on. He's continuing to fuck up my life, and I need to deal with him.
I should've drowned him when we were kids and he snapped my puppy's head, a birthday gift from my father. I was always asking for a puppy, I showed my father I could do chores, so he could know I would be able to take care of a puppy.
I finally got one on my ninth birthday, a cute little thing that followed me everywhere. But one day when I got back from school, Spot, my puppy was nowhere to be found.
The worst part?
The asshole helped me search too, and when I found Spot in the garage, dead, and cried my eyes out, Ben stood there with a smile.
If I had only acted then, I could've spared a lot of people agony.
I remember I thought about it, too. Holding his head underwater until he couldn't breathe, and just say that there was an accident.
I get nods and salutes when I leave the base, but once again I check my phone before I drive off.
No callbacks. No messages.
I call her again, still no answer.
I curse and drive the short distance home, Mom is busy in the garden so I go straight to my office, and call Alessandro.
"Miguel." He picks up, his voice sounding ominous. "I was expecting your call."
"How is Madison's friend doing?"
"He is conscious, but they will keep him for another day. The police went to the hospital asking questions, but he remembers nothing aside from having dinner with his boyfriend." Alessandro clears his throat. "There was a video sent to him by the boyfriend, though, ending things between them. It seems he's having sex with two guys that are not his boyfriend."
"Let me guess, he doesn't remember anything." Where the hell is Ben getting these drugs from?
"Let me be the first to warn you." I don't like the tone in Alessandro's voice. "There is a video about Madison too. We believe Ben drugged her the night of the engagement."
White noise fills my ear. Alessandro says something else, but I don't hear it. I think he says we will talk when I go back to New York, but the rage I feel overshadow everything around me.
I rush outside to my gym and start hitting the punching bag until my knuckles split open and start bleeding.
"Mi hijito!" I hear my mother's voice from afar, but the fury is unrelenting.
I hit and punch, until my chest that is not completely healed, struggle to take in air, and I fall down on the fake grass that I installed.
"Miguel!" Ma sobs next to me, holding my chest. "What you doing!"
I roll over and cough, until I manage to get some ragged breaths in.
The taste of failure is like vomit in my mouth.
I failed to protect Madison from someone I knew was a vulture.
I should've done something in high school already.
All of the blame is on me.
I couldn't protect my mother.
I couldn't protect myself.
And I couldn't protect the one person who I'm literally breathing for.