Chapter 46: Chapter 46

I gave no more reaction, except for the tears running down my face while Pablo talked to me without my hearing a word.

"What happened?" I heard the voice of Josh, who appeared to be walking into the room, but I didn't turn and continued to crouch on the floor.

"Didn't you know it was your business?!" Pablo retorted loudly and then I felt his arms under my body, gently pulling me to his chest and getting up with me. "I'll take her home. Lock the shop later!"

I closed my eyes and only noticed the movements of Pablo walking through the club with me in his arms.

The music pounded into my skull and the lights flickered through even my closed lids, but I still tried to block it all out.

"I have to put you down for a moment," Pablo said and only reluctantly I opened my eyes when he placed me next to the black front door and then opened it. "There, come."

He pulled me into the cold by my hand, then took off his jacket to put it around me and, numbly, I walked beside him to the apartment where I lived with him at the time until he decided he needed some space.

"You shouldn't drink alcohol," he said, and when he didn't get a reaction from me, he took my chin and looked at me intently. "Love, I warn you. As you can see, I'm always there for you, show a little more respect. I don't always want to be the bad guy you think I am."

I wanted to tell him that he killed Alice, that he destroyed me and that no matter how much good he did in life, he would always be the bad guy, but I didn't say anything. He walked on in silence and when we got to the old white building he unlocked the door and preceded me to his apartment.

Everything looked exactly the same as it did when I lived here with him.

There were still pictures of us on the wall where we were smiling. There were still my blankets on the black leather couch. The books I had read during pregnancy were still on the small table and then I suddenly saw a cuddly toy on the floor in front of me, which immediately made me bend down to get it.

"That's Mimo," Pablo said and I took a closer look at the blue teddy bear. He had huge button eyes and was just super soft.

"Oh, Mr. Gomez. I didn't know you'd be back so early," an elderly woman came out of his bedroom door, looking at me in confusion. Then, all of a sudden, her eyes widened and she opened her mouth slightly as she looked at me. Josh had to be right. I sure looked like shit.

"Is she?" she then asked, turning to Pablo, who just nodded silently and gave me a quick glance.

"You can go home. I'll stay here until tomorrow evening," he then said and walked up to the elderly lady to put the money from his pocket into her hand. She thanked her and then disappeared as quickly as she had come.

I looked at the teddy again and only casually noticed how Pablo suddenly stood very close in front of me. He carefully took the bear from my hand and lifted my chin, then began to remove his jacket and coat until I was standing with my skimpy dress in front of me.

"You just have to understand and respect me, then everything can go back to how it used to be," he whispered, tucking my hair behind my ear, but I turned my head to the side. I didn't want to be touched by him. "Love, my beauty, you just have to do what I ask, then everything will be fine."

His words were like poison. It was so typical of him to want to manipulate others into believing he was right. But I knew too much about him, had seen too much of him, and knew full well what kind of psychopath he was.

"Dad?" I suddenly heard a child's voice call from the bedroom and stared at the door in a daze. My heart shattered into a thousand pieces, my hands were shaking so badly I had to hold them tight to my body, and my breathing quickened so much that I had to gasp for air.

I immediately wanted to pass Pablo, but he grabbed my waist and pressed his hand over my mouth.

"Shhhhh. You'll get your chance, but only after you've shown me that I'm still your man. We can't be family otherwise," he whispered, grinning. "Now sit there on the couch and shut up!"

Very slowly he removed his hand from my mouth and then walked past me into the bedroom. I stood there almost bursting into tears and while I knew how dangerous Pablo could be, I knew even better how he couldn't be. He loved children. Would never harm them, and even less would he harm a mother with her own child nearby.

Full of energy I ran after him and then opened the door with bated breath. Pablo was standing by a cot and gave me a warning look, but my eyes immediately fell on the boy, who was looking at me curiously.

He had my blue eyes, my pointy nose, my dark curls and the prettiest lips I had ever seen.

"Benjamin, this is a very special friend of mine. The one from the pictures I've told you about so many times. Do you remember?" Pablo spoke softly to him and looked at me with a smile.

"Yes, the queen."

That voice... I couldn't breathe anymore. My whole world seemed to stop spinning and I had to pull myself together not to just collapse out of sheer emotions.

"Exactly. That's her. Would you like her to sit with us?"

Benjamin looked at me thoughtfully and whenever his eyes darted over mine, I felt my heart pounding so hard that I felt a little dizzy.

"Okay, Daddy," he then giggled shyly and hugged Pablo to hide his face on his shoulder.

I was completely confused. I didn't know what to feel anymore. I just wanted to grab my kid and get out of here forever.

Esteban Pov

I stood completely calm in my brother's dirty office and at first tried not to imagine what had happened in here today.

I saw Love's eyes as she threw those destructive words at me, but she apparently had no idea how well I was reading them. Even if no one else recognized their lies, I recognized them all the better.

I glanced at the syringe lying on Pablo's desk and realized something had happened between the two. Something that made her want to be broken even more. She would let herself be manipulated, she was love after all. The woman who always thought of the well-being of others first. Pablo just had to push the right buttons.

I would have liked to have put a bullet in him immediately, but first I had to try to find out what he had in his hand so blatantly.

"Why so tense?" Pablo asked me and only then did I realize how every muscle in my body was ready to punch him...

I pulled myself together though... for her...

"I'm just a bit confused," I managed without expression and he immediately came over to put his hand on my shoulder.

"Forget that naive girl. She only loves me, who could blame her," he laughed, crossing a line. A limit that made me clench my hand into a tight fist, but before I could swing back, we suddenly heard loud screams.

Pablo ran ahead of me straight to the changing room and when I saw Love lying there staring blankly at the ceiling, my otherwise cold heart stopped for the second time in my life...

He broke her...

Pablo came out of the locker room with a fat man who smelled so bad I had to take a step back.

He closed the door behind him and threw the guy to the ground, who fell like a sack of potatoes.

"You take care of him, I'll take care of Love," Pablo said decisively and immediately disappeared back into the cloakroom.

I didn't think twice and yanked the guy to his feet by his hair, who groaned loudly to drag him out of the club with me. Only then, outside in the cold darkness, when we had walked a few blocks, did I let go of him and shove him hard against the wall.

"What's that?!" he scolded me and the tone of his voice alone only gave an idea of ​​how much he had already drunk.

"What did you want from the woman?" I asked him calmly, lighting a cigarette. I hated smoking, but since I met Love and she captivated me, I had to at least satisfy that addiction.

"Well what," he suddenly laughed and swayed slightly in my direction. "I really wanted to fuck the horny bitch, if you understand."

Just the thought of him touching her sent me into ecstasy.

"Do you have children?" I then wanted to know and let my hand reach for my gun.

"Huh?" he slurred and I immediately threw the cigarette away to grab his neck and press against the wall. With my other hand I took my gun and pressed it right to his forehead.

"I asked you if you had fucking motherfucker kids!" I growled, tearing him up with my eyes.

"Yeah," he suddenly stuttered in fear and put his hands up in surrender. "Two girls."

He was shaking and I stopped right in front of him for a moment, then slowly took a few steps back.

"If I see you here again, or even anywhere near that woman, I'll put a bullet in your head," I warned, then aimed for his knee. "Now please bite the sleeve of your ugly sweater. I can't stand shouting."

He looked at me in amazement and I shot him square in the kneecap, causing him to scream out loud and fall over to the side.

Writhing miserably, he howled like a dying dog and I really thought about rescuing him, but he had children and it was not their father's fault that he was a pig.

I watched him, lit another cigarette, and then crouched in front of him to stare at him intently.

"You may not know it, but this woman means everything to me and you should be lucky to only have shot the knee. I'll call an ambulance and then hopefully I'll never see you again."

He just nodded and cried miserably while I got out my phone and made my way back to my BMW, which I immediately got into.

I turned on the heater, put my gun on the passenger seat, and then started the engine. I left out the music. I haven't heard from anyone in years unless Love was with me...

I then drove off at a fast pace, but not to my sad little apartment where Alice's spirit and my feelings of guilt haunted me, but the way I had taken so many times before.

After driving through the pitch-black forest for a while, I then turned into the narrow path, where I could already see the fire from afar, at which I and Alice had said yes to each other. No one knew but us, which made the whole thing feel even more like a distant dream.

When I got close enough, I sat still for a moment and turned the car off. I looked out into the darkness and collected myself because nothing was more important than helping her out of there no matter what happened next.

As hard as it was for me to ask Reahlyn for help after everything that had been going on between us, he was the only one who probably loved her even more than I did.

A deep last breath and I rose from my leather seat only to be pushed against my car by someone as soon as I closed my car door.

"What are you doing here?!" Reahlyn growled at me and I pushed him away slightly to straighten my coat.

How I hated that impulsive nature of wolves!!!