19. Alejandro #2
She pauses, her lips quivering, and a strange silence falls over us. The rage quickly gives way to something darker—an understanding of just how deeply her father’s opinion has hurt her. She spits out a few more choice words in Spanish, her fists clenched at her side.
“No. You know what? I can believe it,” she mutters.
“I can believe that he thinks I’d do something like that.
He’s always seen me as the wild child. The one who doesn’t follow the rules.
” She turns away from me, running a frustrated hand through her hair.
“I always knew he thought the worst of me. But this just takes the cake.”
I stand still, watching her, unsure what to do. Her words slice into me, each one adding weight to the burden I already carry. The anger in her voice isn’t for me—it’s for herself. For the years of proving herself to someone who will never accept her.
“I don’t know what to say, Andrea,” I say, my voice quieter now. “I don’t know what’s worse—him thinking I cheated or that I can’t seem to fix this. I love her. I love Beatriz, and I feel like I’m losing her again because of all this mess.”
She looks at me, her face softening just a little.
“I don’t blame you,” she says, but her voice holds something I didn’t expect—sympathy, maybe.
“My father is stubborn, and once he has an idea in his head, he won’t let it go.
Is this why you left her?” Her eyes flash with recognition like a light bulb just lit in her head.
“Did you leave her because my father made you?”
I take a slow breath, running my fingers through my hair.
The silence in the room presses in on me, and I know what I’m about to say will only further the chasm in her relationship with her father.
I didn’t want to go there, but the time has come.
If I don’t tell her now, if I don’t explain what happened, then I’ll never be able to look at myself the same way again.
I turn to face her. “Yes,” I admit quietly.
“I left Beatriz because of your father. He threatened my father’s new business at the time and our house.
He made it clear that if I didn’t leave her, if I didn’t end things, then my father would lose everything.
And I couldn’t let that happen. I couldn’t let my father lose the business that meant everything to him. ”
Andrea's expression falters. She opens her mouth as if to speak, but no sound comes out at first. The anger in her face is still there, but now there’s something else— a hesitation.
She looks at me, not with suspicion but with a kind of realization that’s hard to bear. Her voice is quieter when she speaks.
“So, my father…” she trails off, the disbelief clear in her tone. “He did that to you? He… manipulated you into leaving her?”
I nod, my throat tightening. “Yes. And I’ve never forgiven myself for it. I had no choice. I had to protect my family, Andrea. But I left her, and it destroyed me. I’ve been carrying this guilt ever since.”
Her eyes lose some of their sharpness, the anger ebbing away to reveal something more complicated. I can see her working through it, her mind piecing everything together, and that quiet understanding in her gaze hits me harder than any of her earlier words.
“God, Alejandro…” she mutters, her voice low. “I can’t believe this. I always thought it was because of you, that you just… left her without a good reason. But you…” She stumbles over the words, clearly not sure how to process it. “You did this for your family?”
I meet her eyes, letting the truth sink in. “I had no choice.”
She stares at me for a moment longer before shaking her head, an expression of disbelief and regret flashing across her face.
“And all this time I thought you were just an asshole, Alejandro. But now I see…” She sighs, her hand pressing to her forehead like she’s trying to keep everything from crashing down all at once.
“You don’t deserve this,” she says, more quietly this time.
“You’ve always been a good guy, and I didn’t see that.
I just wanted to protect her, you know? I was so mad at you.
And when you came back, I was worried you'd break her heart again. But I see now, Alejandro…” Her voice falters once more, as she looks at me in a new light. “I see now you’ve been hurting too.”
I swallow the lump in my throat, pushing away the sting of her words. “I love her, Andrea, more than anything. She consumes me whole. Mi corazon. Mi alma. Todo.”
My heart. My soul. All of it.
Andrea shakes her head, not in anger anymore, but in something closer to sadness. “Jesus. You’re a real sap for her, huh?” Her voice is thick with emotion. “Well then… you’re a fucking idiot if you let her go again.”
Her words hit me hard, a punch to the chest. She’s right. I’m still here, carrying this burden, drowning in regrets I can’t undo. But I can’t focus on the past anymore. All I can do is fight for her now.
“I don’t plan to. In fact, I’m going to ask her to marry me,” I say, my voice steady even though my heart’s racing.
I don’t give her a chance to respond before I pull the ring from my pocket, holding it out to her.
It’s simple—small, delicate—but it says everything I’ve been holding back.
Everything I want for Beatriz and me. “I’m asking her, Andrea.
I don’t care what your father thinks anymore.
I don’t care what anyone thinks. I’m not letting her go.
I just wish she wouldn’t have to feel like she’s choosing between me and her family. ”
Andrea's eyes widen as she takes in the sight of the ring. She looks at me, incredulous. “No manches,” she says, her voice rising in disbelief. “You’re really going to do it?”
I nod. “Yes. I’m going to marry her. And I don’t care if your father doesn’t approve. This isn’t about him. This is about me and her. And I’ll be damned if I let anyone tear us apart again.”
Andrea's expression shifts from surprise to excitement, and she lets out a sharp, excited laugh. She slaps my arm playfully, her smile wide and genuine. “Aw, Alejandro,” she says, her voice teasing but warm. “You’ve grown up, huh? I can’t believe you're actually going to ask her to marry you.”
I smile, the pressure lifting slightly off my chest. “Yeah. I’m doing it. I can’t wait any longer.”
“Good for you,” Andrea says with a smile so wide you’d think I told her I made her a millionaire. “I’m happy for you guys, I really am. You deserve each other. You deserve to be happy together.”
“I just need him to understand. I need her father to see that I love her, Andrea. I need to show him that I’m not what he thinks I am. That I’m not the same kid I was when he saw me.”
She smiles softly, but there’s a deep sadness in her eyes. “I’ll help you. I’ll help you explain everything to him. If he doesn’t listen, then at least you know you tried.”
I nod, feeling the gratitude swell in me. “Thank you, Andrea.”
“Claro,” she says, like it's so obvious. Of course, she says, like I should accept it so easily. Her arms wrap around me in a gentle, supportive display of affection, because that's the kind of person she is.
Just as I’m about to say more, I hear the front door open.
“Andrea,” Beatriz's voice carries from the doorway. “I need to talk to you.”
I freeze, turning to see her. She’s standing there in the doorway, frozen, staring at us. Her eyes flick between me and Andrea, confusion flashing across her face. The keys in her hand rattle softly, her fingers trembling.
She steps forward, and her eyes pin me in place. I see the shock in her face before it turns to something else. Hurt. Betrayal.
I don’t know what to say. I don’t know how to make this right. But I can see what she’s thinking clear as day, as if it were written in the air.
It’s in the way her expression changes, the flicker of disbelief turning to hurt.
I feel my stomach twist into knots. Tears form in her eyes, and I can’t breathe.
My heart breaks all over again. She’s thinking—misunderstanding.
Her insecurities are skewing her thoughts, and knowing her, she’s talked to her father.
She probably came here to clear things up with her sister and instead found us hugging.
Before I can take a step toward her, before I can say anything to make it right, she turns on her heel and runs out of the house.
“Bee!” I call out, but it’s too late. She’s already gone, leaving me standing there, feeling like I’ve failed her all over again.