Chapter Four How Complicated?
Maya
I raised my hands at the twins and tried to diffuse the situation, “Alex, Hope…It is okay. She isn’t upset with you.” I’d almost forgotten about this terrible truth. Although I probably would never really forget it. The trauma of it had even scarred me.
Gabriela stared at me and asked, “Please explain?”
I paused for a minute to think of how to explain this without upsetting her again. “The aunts would clap their hands to…” I let out a sigh and added, “…warn them.”
Gabriela looked puzzled. “Warn them? About what?”
“If they did not stop whatever they were doing. Like speaking or laughing. Or whatever it might be. Then…” I just did not know how to say it and make it sound sane. “They were horrible women, Ms. Mancini. They were harsh with strict rules and they used switches.”
Gabriela’s hands shook as she raised them to cover her mouth.
I looked over at the twins and said, “Alex…Hope. Come on and step out. No one here is going to hurt you.”
They did as I asked.
Gabriela opened her arms to them and said, “Please come and hug me?”
They slowly stepped over and into her embrace. Wrapping her arms around them she closed her eyes.
I felt tears again. I knew this whole thing might be emotional and maybe even difficult, but I never thought I would also be so affected by it. I glanced over at Henry.
He bit his lip as if he was also attempting to stay poised.
I must be mistaken in thinking that though, as men didn’t act like this…
did they? Yes, my father would get tears in his eyes during some sad or emotional time.
But he was already older by the time he acted that way.
Otherwise, I’d never known a guy who would be affected by emotional sentiment.
By a reunion that was so fraught with bad memories as well.
The supposed aunts were ghastly women. They had so many rules for the twins that they were posted on the wall and on the fridge.
If they broke even one, they would get whipped.
I had deflected as much abuse as possible.
Henry cleared his throat and glanced away.
Wow, I think he did feel touched by all of this. I then heard an odd sound.
Henry and I both looked around.
Mrs. Santorini was crying now as she stood by the counter. Turning away, she took a tissue and blew her nose. “Oh, dio mio…”
Henry and I looked at each other and smiled. The moment was alleviated as even the cook had been touched by the reunion.
Suddenly, the twins moved to clear the table. Gathering dishes and glasses.
Gabriela looked over at me.
I gave her a nod as if to say…Please allow it.
The teens had been raised to clean up after themselves.
Truthfully, they had been raised to clean up entirely.
The old women used them as house maids and cooks since they were about four years old as far as I found out.
Those two brujas never did a dish, cooked a meal or did any laundry for the last ten years.
I remember feeling shocked when the twins told me about this.
Mrs. Santorini looked from the kids to me, then Gabriela. She said nothing but I could see surprise in her eyes.
“Mrs. Santorini will take you both to wash up and we will then take you to see your rooms,” Gabriela informed them.
Finally, the cook left with the twins.
Looking over at us, Gabriela sat down and said, “I wish for you to understand why I did not have the twins with me all this time.”
I slowly shook her head. “It is not needed. I am not a judge of this.”
Gabriela reached over and took my hand. “Maybe not but you were their mother and father for several years and you mean so much to them. You need to know the truth. I got a call after Alberto and the Castillos went to war and it was my last chance to find my kids. But this involved Santiago Castillo and that meant no mercy…ever.”
Five Months ago…
My phone rang. I checked the screen to see it was Ignacio. He had been my one true support for all these years. I immediately answered, “Yes?”
“Gabby, there’s something I need to tell you,” Ignacio said.
I paused. “What is it?” I asked, already recognizing his grave tone.
“Santiago is in critical condition,” Ignacio told me.
I reached out and grabbed the wall near the door, my heartbeat thudding in my head. “He’s in critical condition?” I asked. “How?”
Alberto now looked concerned as he’d heard what I said.
“After the attack and finding out that you were with Mancini, he had a stroke. The remaining Castillos are keeping him in one of their hideaway places,” Ignacio explained.
“Tell me where he is,” I told him. I had one chance to confront him and I wasn’t going to lose it.
“He’s in the upper unit above that cigar shop on Crane,” Ignacio said. “If you’re planning on going there, you need to hurry. He doesn’t have much time left.”
I hung up and turned to Alberto. “I have to go. My father is on the brink of death and I refuse to let him die without finding out where my twins are.” I placed my hand on his chest. “I need to do this alone.”
“At least let me ride with you,” Alberto insisted.
I nodded then hurried out of the bedroom and house, climbing into the back seat of the SUV.
I gave the driver the location and sat quietly throughout the ride, feeling Alberto’s eyes on me.
His concern radiated off him, but I was too focused on the questions going around and in my head.
Finally, I would have the answers I needed.
“Iso has to be in the room you’ll be in,” Alberto told me as he nodded toward his bodyguard in the front seat. “That’s my only request.”
“Fine,” I said, figuring it wouldn’t hurt to have some backup since other Castillos would be around. I doubted they had the strength for another fight, but I wasn’t going to be careless, I had my baby to think of.
The moment the vehicle parked on the side of the street, I got out of the back seat and stormed into the door that led up the stairwell to the top unit.
Iso remained on my heels, trailing me.
I made my way up the stairs with a racing heart and sweat threatening the crown of my head. My palms grew damp as I faced the door.
“I’ll be right behind you, ma’am,” Iso said as he lingered on the top step.
“Thank you, Iso.” I nodded before drawing in a deep breath.
This was it.
I opened the door slowly, peering inside to see a small apartment unit.
It couldn’t be any bigger than a studio, especially since I could see every room from the foyer.
There was a kitchen to the left, a bathroom to the right, and the main space was in front of me.
All I could see was a few Castillos lingering near a bed in the center of the room against the wall.
The Castillos turned to face me, narrowing their eyes while muttering to each other. They knew what side I was on now, but at the sight of Iso towering behind me, all they did was move to the side. Many of them looked bloody and broken, limping and swaying from dizziness.
I walked right up to my father’s bedside, staring down at his pale, weak body. He seemed to gasp for every breath, staring up at the ceiling with glassy eyes. He already looked dead, but his chest weakly moved up and down while his eyes blinked every so often.
“Santiago,” I spoke his actual name. I refused to acknowledge him as my father from now on.
Santiago studied me. His eyebrows shifted down into an angry slant, but he was too weak to maintain his glare. His expression settled back into a blank stare.
My throat tightened as I stared at him. For so much of my life, he frightened me to my core.
Now, I could slap him and it would probably kill him.
I flexed my fingers as temptation teased me.
“All my life, I never understood why you hated me. Is it because I’m a woman?
Because I didn’t amount to what you wanted? What is it?” I asked him.
Santiago kept staring at me. Air puffed out of his nose in an amused manner. It was all he could muster.
“You ruined my life.” I stared down at him. “You took away everyone I loved. You tried to take Alberto away from me,” I hissed at him. “Part of me wishes he had killed you, but I needed to talk to you one last time. I need answers!”
Santiago’s eyelids fluttered, his strength draining with each and every second.
“No! You’re not dying yet!” I shouted at him, wishing I could grab him and shake him without making him have another stroke.
Santiago breathed in shakily, bordering on wheezing.
“Fine. If you won’t answer that, you will answer this next question. Where are my twins? Are they alive?” I asked him.
A wheezy laugh left Santiago.
I grabbed the front of his shirt as I leaned down, getting into his face. “Where are my babies?” I yelled my tone laced with desperation.
Santiago spat in my face, managing a cruel smile before falling into a coughing fit. With each cough, his body became heavier and heavier in my grip.
I let him go and wiped his spit off my face, watching his chest rise and fall less and less each time. I could only stare in shock as his lips parted and his head lolled to the side.
“No!” I gasped, grabbing his shoulders.
But it was too late. His eyes glazed over, and his last breath drifted from his open mouth.
I could only stare at him with tears in my eyes. My chance of ever seeing my twins again, died with him. I wanted to slam my fists against his chest and beat him until his ribs broke, but I forced myself to whip around and hurry out of the room, my stomach twisting and churning.
When I reached the SUV, I collapsed in Alberto’s arms as he stood outside of it.
He caught me and held me upright, caressing the back of my neck to keep me close. “What happened, amore?” he asked.
“He died,” I breathed the words out before looking up at him with teary eyes. “He didn’t tell me anything.”
Alberto caressed my cheek with his fingers. “I’m sorry,” he said. “You deserved answers.”
Present day…