Chapter 15

AURORA. My abuela called two days later. I almost groaned because I knew the reason she was calling. She’d heard what happened. “Bonita, ¿Qué pasó?” she said the second I answered the phone. For an old woman, her voice was oddly firm but I could hear the worry in it. “What happened?” “Nada, abuela.” Nothing, I told her. “I’m fine.” “Fine? I heard you were in a terrible accident that almost took your life. Don’t lie to me, chica.” Raising a brow at the exaggeration, I scoffed. I’d spoken to Lola earlier today and I could have sworn she had been the one to snitch on me. I was going to kill her snitching ass when I got back to New York. “Abuela, just like I told Lolita, I’m fine. It was just a few scratches. The doctors say I’ll be discharged in two days and then I can go home. There’s really no need for you to worry, I promise.” “No te creo, Ysabel.” She didn’t believe me. “I’m coming over there tomorrow.” Shit. She was serious. I knew my abuela. When she had her mind made up, there was no changing it. The woman could be vicious. “You are exaggerating, abuela. One would think I lost a limb or something.” “Did you tell your husband? Is he there with you?” I froze at the question. How could I tell her that my husband was planning to divorce me? It would break her heart. I had no idea why she was pining for me to call him, but if she found out that it was really going to be over, then she would really come to New York and I could not have that. “No, abuela. I tried calling but I couldn’t reach him. Maybe he’s busy or something,” I whispered, tears welling up in my eyes. I hated lying to my grandmother. She was the only family I had left and I wanted her to be happy. If she came over here, then I would not be able to hide the divorce or the fact that Thane and I had not spoken to each other since the day we got married. “I’m sure he’ll call back.” “I just want you to be okay, Bonita,” my abuela said. “You’re all I’ve got.” I let the tears flow freely as we said our goodbyes before ending the call. My parents had died almost three years ago. It had been the worst day of my life, hearing about their deaths. Drunk driver in broad daylight. It still made me sick to think about them. They said time healed all wounds but, in my opinion, it didn’t. Instead, it made the pain tolerable enough for one to live with. It made one stronger. No one except my abuela and some of the people I used to know knew that before Thane, I had been engaged once. Thane had just been a means to an end. Love had always come easy for me and there had been someone in my life. The rumors at the company were nothing compared to what had happened back then. My engagement had ended because of those rumors. It was the reason I detested them so much. I couldn’t stand gossip. I knew firsthand the damage it could do to people and how brutal it could be. Hell, I’d had to leave Mexico because of it. A month after my engagement had broken off, my parents died. All my friends, everyone deserted me. There was no one to cry with, no one to talk to except my abuela. She had stood there with me as an anchor, protecting me from the claws of gossip and the shame that continually followed me. And when I had to cry, she enveloped me in her large bosom and stroked my hair. She was my everything. After all that happened, I couldn’t let her find out that another relationship had fallen through. Even though marriage to Thane had been one of convenience, it didn’t change the fact that he was a man and I was a woman and we were married. My abuela was old school. She wouldn’t understand that love did not have to lead all the time. “Why are you crying?” I did not hear Nathaniel walk into the hospital room. He’d gone to his hotel to freshen up and get something to eat before coming back. I couldn’t help but notice how handsome he looked with a freshly shaven face and fresh clothes. “Are you hurt? Should I call the doctor?” I quickly wiped my eyes. “Uh... yeah. I felt a sharp pain in my leg earlier but it’s gone now.” His eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Are you sure?” I nodded, giving him what I hoped looked like a smile. “I’m good.” My gaze fell to the package in his hands. “Is that food? I’m starving.” He handed the package to me, still eyeing me in disbelief. It didn’t matter if he didn’t believe me, I just needed him to leave it alone. As I dug into the food, I realized Nathaniel would be the last person I’d tell about my past or my husband. Not even the CIA could bring that information out of me. I almost laughed imagining it. His marriage, albeit imperfect, had its happy moments. There were times when he talked about his wife with a gleam in his eyes. I always felt a bit of envy at the affection. He took the time to buy her clothes and jewelry and roses and chocolates. He was not a perfect man but he was a good husband. I, on the other hand, had no idea what an ideal marriage was supposed to feel or look like. Even more pitiful was the fact that mine was about to end before it even started. I married a man whose face I didn’t know and whose voice I could not remember. If I passed him on the road, I would not know who he was. If he walked up to me and introduced himself, I couldn’t be sure he was telling the truth. The urge to cry again hit me. My life had not been easy. I learned the hard way that hoping things would get better did not make them any better. So for now, I would continue pushing forward, one leg in front of the other and one day at a time. And hopefully, this time, I wouldn’t get hit by another motorcyclist.