Chapter 51
A month and a half later
God, I need to be quick. I spent more time than I intended at the internship with Julien today, and now I only have about fifty minutes to get ready to spend the weekend with Guillermo and Valentina.
I always come home on Fridays so I can pack the things I’ll need for the weekend, but today, especially, I’m here because I need to get the robotic puppy I bought for Nina. It tells stories and talks to the baby when she touches it. I can’t wait to see her face when she opens the gift.
I walk in distracted, trying to remember if I messaged the company that is organizing our wedding. There are so many details to handle in the final stretch that I sometimes feel a bit overwhelmed.
Lord, I would give anything to have my mother with me. She would be so happy to know I’m in love and about to marry the love of my life!
But I’m sure wherever she is, she’s watching over me.
As I walk to the bedroom, I wonder why I’m still in Martina’s apartment. Guillermo insists every day that I should move in with him right away, and to be honest, I haven’t really put up much resistance.
Since we got back together, I set a rule to only stay there on weekends, but it’s been increasingly hard to say goodbye to both of them. I spend every weekday with him whenever our schedules align, but I go almost the whole week without seeing Nina.
I feel more and more like she’s mine, and I know it’s mutual. Before, when we were together as a family, she would go to anyone who called her, but now she only switches from my lap to her father’s.
She also seems to have a lot of fun with my clumsiness.
The first time I tripped in front of her, she laughed so much her cheeks looked like they would burst. Since then, whenever I drop something, get my finger caught in the door, or have any of the other disasters so common in my life, she stops what she’s doing and starts laughing.
Last week, I thought I was going crazy when she dropped a box of toys and said, “wow!”—which is something I usually exclaim when I have an accident.
Mrs. Isabel noticed and said the baby was starting to get used to my presence in her life and was even assimilating some of my behaviors. I took that as a kind of warning: don’t hurt my granddaughter.
What the matriarch Caldwell-Oviedo has no idea about is that I already consider her a part of me.
The strange thing is that, even though she’s my niece by blood, I can’t see her that way. She’s the daughter of the man I love. Even loving her, inside me, my bond with her comes from Guillermo and not from Layla.
I put my hand on the doorknob of the bedroom door, but suddenly, I find the apartment strangely quiet. I mean, it would be normal since I live alone, but that’s not what I’m talking about. It’s as if someone’s hit the pause button and the night’s frozen.
Then, a shiver runs down my spine when I feel a presence behind me.
Before I can turn around or hear any sound, my stomach churns because I know whoever is here is not a friend.
I try to remember what my mother taught me when I was little—that no matter how scared I was, I should keep my mind clear enough to escape an attacker.
We’ve always lived in dangerous neighborhoods, so Mom prepared me to get out of risky situations, like someone trying to force me into a car.
Come on, Olívia, think.
I take a few breaths, trying to recall the tips Mom gave me.
Don’t annoy the aggressor, but also don’t show fear. Run and scream as loud as you can if possible.
Just as I’m almost convincing myself that I can handle the situation, I hear footsteps and know the person is closer now.
Before turning around, I unlock my phone, which thankfully I always carry in my hand, and press the quick call button for Guillermo. Then I toss it onto the couch. Whatever is about to happen, he’ll hear it and I’m sure he’ll come as quickly as possible.
“I took my time, but I finally found you alone.”
Kathleen.
The advantage of being small is that I’m also quick, and in an instant, I’m almost at the window, facing her.
My disadvantage? I’m still as clumsy as ever, and the speed of my movements causes me to knock over two picture frames and trip over the ottoman, and to try to stay upright, I almost rip the curtain while grabbing it.
“Kathleen, what are you doing here?” I know it’s not for any good reason, but I’m trying to get Guillermo’s attention in case he’s listening. He’ll know for sure I’m in danger.
I look at the crazy woman. She’s fully embraced the role of an intruder.
Dressed in black with her hair tied back in a ponytail, she looks ordinary, like people we bump into daily on the streets, and no longer the powerful queen who paraded around the hotel as if the world should pay her homage.
I mean, she’d be almost normal if it weren’t for the crazy look in her eyes.
“It’s time for us to have a talk.” She smiles. “I’ll get you out of the way of my man once and for all.”
“Does Guillermo know you’re here to see me, then?” I pretend to buy into her madness.
“No. He’s confused by all the lies you’ve told about me, but once you’re out of the picture, everything will go back to how it was before.”
I don’t need to be a genius to understand what “out of the picture” means. “You’re right; I shouldn’t have interfered in your relationship,” I say, hoping to be a good enough actress to buy some time.
The woman tilts her head as if evaluating what I said, but before she can reply, a sound behind her catches my attention.
A quick glance that way reveals a girl almost as short as me, whom I’ve seen in photographs, and I know I’m finally about to meet Martina.
She couldn’t have chosen a worse time to come home.
Despite that, my heart calms down a bit. Even though the deranged woman is much larger than either of us, we now have the numerical advantage.
“What are you doing here, you witch? My brother will skin you alive if he finds out you came near Olívia.”
No, Martina. Wrong thing to say. Terrible time for the fiery Caldwell-Oviedo blood to surface.
Surprisingly, Kathleen turns to her, appearing calm, as if she isn’t invading our home.
“Martina, you’re finally back! I’m sorry about the end of your engagement.
I know it’s over, even if for the press, you pretend it’s not.
I heard a voice message you left for your brother telling him everything. ”
Yep, she’s crazy, alright.
My sister-in-law doesn’t pay attention to the lunatic’s attempt at casual conversation. “Get out of our house immediately, or your situation will get even worse.”
God, she definitely needs to learn to control that hellish temper of hers! This would be the moment to try to deceive Kathleen.
“Don’t be rude to our guest, Martina. Kathleen came for a visit.”
The woman seems confused after what I say and looks between me and Martina, finally deciding to honor me with her choice. But now, as she walks closer, I know she’s determined to hurt me. There’s something in her hand, and I’m not sure if it’s a knife or a small metal bar.
When I think there’s nothing else I can do, the youngest Caldwell-Oviedo shouts, “We’re not done talking yet, blondie!”
Kathleen turns to her again but is soon hit in the face with a spray from who knows where, thanks to my sister-in-law.
Everything happens in a split second. When Kathleen stumbles, I’m momentarily frozen in place, but Martina doesn’t waste time and grabs my hand.
“We need to get out of here. Move, Olívia. It’s the first time I’ve used this crap, and I don’t know how long it lasts.”
As I rush past Kathleen, I see her doubled over, rubbing her eyes.
“You blinded me!” she shouts, but we keep moving towards the apartment exit.
“What was that?”
“Pepper spray. Now stop asking questions and hurry!”
We run down the stairs as fast as our legs can carry us, and as soon as we reach the ground floor, Martina shouts to the doorman, “Call the police. Someone broke into our apartment!”
“Are you sure you’re not injured, miss?”
“Absolutely sure. Just a little dizzy and nauseous, but I think that’s because I haven’t eaten today.”
“Let’s go to the hospital,” Guillermo decides.
As I suspected, he heard our entire conversation and acted quickly. Five minutes after we asked the doorman to call the police, a patrol car had arrived, and now I know he was the one who activated it.
“I don’t need to go to a hospital. She didn’t even touch me.”
“You said you feel dizzy. I want to make sure you’re okay.”
“What did you do with Kathleen?” I ask to distract him.
“She’s been arrested.”
That’s all I need to hear. I’m sure Joaquín will do whatever it takes to keep her away from us.
There’s an ambulance, paramedics, and police officers surrounding us, and security guards are trying to create a human barrier to shield us from the curious.
“Nice to meet you, sister-in-law,” the youngest Caldwell-Oviedo says, giving me a peck on the cheek. “If I knew coming home would be this fun, I would’ve done it months ago!”
“That wasn’t funny, Martina. You both were in real danger,” her brother scolds.
“I acted on instinct. I took self-defense classes in Europe and paid close attention to what was taught. I’m sure if I hadn’t hit her with the spray, she would’ve hurt Olívia.”
He closes his eyes and hugs both of us. After giving his sister a kiss on the forehead, he announces, “Joaquín is coming. You won’t be alone in this apartment tonight, but before anything else, let’s go to the hospital to confirm you’re really okay.”
“I’ll only go if Martina goes too.”
She nudges me with her elbow. “Stop fighting, Olívia. We’re both going, or Guillermo won’t stop whining in our ears for the rest of the night.”