Chapter 50
CHAPTER FIFTY
annalise
Salsa music fills the air as I stroll through the vibrant streets of Havana with Abuelo by my side. Gleaming vintage cars are parked along the cobblestone streets next to the colorful pastel buildings.
Abuelo pauses, a distant look softening his eyes.
Slowly, the corners of his mouth lift into a nostalgic smile.
“I met Abuela on this very street. I was walking home from the grocery store and was so distracted by her beauty that I didn’t notice a biker coming from behind me.
He ended up knocking me over, and all of my groceries were destroyed. ”
My eyes widen, hands flying to my mouth. “Oh my gosh, Abuelo, did you get hurt?”
“Yeah. I had a bunch of cuts and bruises. Abuela lived around the corner, so she nursed my wounds and cooked dinner for me. It wasn’t long before I fell in love with her.”
“Now that is one epic meet-cute,” I say with a smile.
“Let’s go down that road,” he says, pointing to the left, where there’s a bright light illuminating the street. “There’s a shop with the best pastelitos!”
He rounds the corner and I follow him. But as I take a step forward, an invisible barrier halts me in my tracks, pressing against my chest. I strain against it, pushing with all my might, but I can’t break through.
“Abuelo!” I call out.
He doesn’t so much as glance back, his figure growing smaller as he strides down the road, the space between us stretching wider.
“Abuelo! Please, come back!” I plead, desperation creeping into my tone, but the words seem to evaporate into thin air.
The blare of my alarm pulls me out of my dream. I’m no longer in Havana with Abuelo, but in my cold bedroom, all alone.
Rolling over to the side, I grab my phone, knocking over my ashtray in the process. It clatters to the ground, scattering ashes and used joints all over the hardwood floor.
“Damn it,” I sigh as I throw the covers off and force myself out of bed.
I crouch down on the ground and pick up the joints off the floor. Then I straighten and walk to my door, turning the knob. I peek out and find Mazi standing by the kitchen counter, sipping on some coffee.
I’ve been trying to avoid human interaction as much as possible.
After dinner, I lock myself in my room and don’t come out until the next morning.
I don’t have it in me to engage in any conversations, and I’m tired of seeing the stares of pity.
Everyone feels like they need to walk on eggshells around me.
“Good morning,” Mazi says when I walk out into the kitchen.
“Good morning,” I reply, my tone flat and dry.
I open the cabinet that hides our trash can and discard the joints.
“These came for you last night.” She nods toward the vase of red roses sitting on our kitchen counter.
Maddox’s messy handwriting is scrawled on a small card sticking out of the bouquet. I pull it out to read it.
My gut twists when I think about the last time we saw each other. He wore the same pained look on his face then as he did when I broke his heart all those years ago.
I miss the way his soft brown eyes light up when he sees me, and the way his dimples sink into his cheeks when he smiles. I miss the way his hands fit in mine and the feel of his soft lips caressing my skin. I miss him.
I want to reach out to him and tell him I didn’t mean what I said, but then the image of him screwing Charlotte flashes through my mind, and I’m reminded why I shouldn’t.
I set the card down, grab a mug from the cabinet, and pour myself a cup of coffee.
“Are you excited for your pop-up shop today?” Mazi asks. “I have to leave to go to a photo shoot soon, but I’ll stop by afterward to support you.”
Picking up my phone, I glance at the date. My mind has been in a fog. I didn’t even realize the event was today.
I take a sip out of my mug. “I’m not going anymore.”
“What?” Mazi sets her coffee down, widening her eyes. “But Annalise, this is a huge opportunity, and you’ve been so excited about it.”
I shrug my shoulders. “I don’t care to go anymore.”
“Annalise, please. This could be your way out. I know you don’t want to keep working for Veronica.”
I shake my head. “I don’t see the point in going, Mazi. Even if it turns out to be a success, I know it’ll be short-lived. Nothing good in my life ever lasts. Misery always seems to follow me.”
Mazi walks over to me, resting her hand on my shoulder. “I know your world fell apart when you lost your abuelo, but he wouldn’t want you to keep living like this. He would want you to be happy.”
“I’m going to email them and cancel,” I mumble as I walk toward the couch.
“Annalise, don’t—”
“Just drop it, Mazi. Okay?”
She lets out a defeated sigh and grabs her purse. “I’ll see you later tonight.”
As soon as the door closes behind her, I take out my phone to draft an email to the marketplace manager.
The living room fan’s breeze sends a chill down my spine, prompting me to rise and switch it off.
In my distraction, I accidentally topple over a box on the coffee table filled with Abuelo’s belongings—his cherished photo albums, a favorite watch, a scarf I knitted for him, and other mementos.
As I carefully gather everything and return it to the box, my gaze falls upon the Bible he had gifted me. It lays open nearby, with Isaiah 54:17 highlighted.
No weapon formed against you shall prosper.
The memory of Abuelo reading me this verse before he passed flashes through my mind. “Every time the enemy poisons your mind with negative thoughts and uncertainty, or you are feeling weak, I want you to refer back to this verse.”
Fresh tears spring to my eyes as I reflect on how I’ve been acting since he passed.
I’ve shut everyone out and lost the will to do anything besides eating and sleeping.
In my grief, I’ve become spiritually weak and have allowed those negative voices to consume me.
I’ve been headed down a dark path and am starting to become someone I don’t recognize.
The Bible opening to this very verse must have been a message from above.
I retrieve my phone from the couch and delete the email I’d drafted.
Heading to my room, I start boxing up clothes to prepare for the pop-up shop.
I made a promise to Abuelo that I would keep pursuing my dreams and make him proud.
The pop-up shop is going well so far. I’ve sold most of my items, and I’ve enjoyed conversing with the customers and helping them choose clothes that complement their skin tone and figure.
“Do you have this in a medium?” a young woman with light brown hair asks as she holds up a lavender sundress. “I graduate next month and this dress would be perfect.”
“No, but I should have some more in stock next week on my online shop.” I smile and hand her my business card.
“Thank you so much!” She beams, taking the card from me.
“I hope you have a great rest of your day.”
“Thanks. You too!” She gives me a smile and goes off to explore other shops.
For the first time in weeks, I’m finally feeling happy—but it quickly dissipates, morphing into anger when I see Charlotte walk in.
“It’s nice to see you’re still designing clothes. You were always the best dressed in high school.” She picks up a blouse, running her hands along the soft fabric.
“I’m getting ready to close,” I say, my voice cold. “So you can leave now.” I start gathering the clothes that are left, refusing to make eye contact with her.
“Wait, please—I came here to talk to you.”
My fist clenches around the shirt I’m holding. “What’s there to talk about, Charlotte? My boyfriend fucked you on the night before our anniversary, and now the whole world knows about it.”
“That’s what I came here to talk to you about.” She shuffles her feet, chewing on her bottom lip. “Maddox, he…” Clearing her throat, she fixes her gaze to the ground. “He never cheated on you. We didn’t sleep together. It-it was all a lie.”
“Did Maddox reach out and tell you to come say this?” I ask, glaring at her.
She shakes her head. “No, I came here on my own. I saw on Instagram that you were having a pop-up shop, and wanted to come here and talk to you. I haven’t spoken to Maddox in years, I swear.”
“If you didn’t sleep together, then why the hell did you come out of his room wearing his clothes?” I say through gritted teeth.
She inhales deeply, her hands twisting the hem of her shirt.
“When I was at the party, I heard his roommate Andrés and his girlfriend talking about how you were flying in the next morning to surprise him. I waited until everyone left, and stayed behind at his apartment. I wanted to get him to sleep with me, but he was too passed-out drunk. So I devised a plan to trick you into thinking he cheated on you with me.”
Rage consumes every fiber of my being. My heart is beating so loudly, I can hear it pounding in my ears.
“I-I should’ve told you the truth sooner, but I couldn’t find the courage,” she continues, unable to meet my eyes. “It’s been eating at me these last few years. I feel so guilty about what I did. I was a horrible person.”
“You are un-fucking-believable!” I snap. “What was the point in all of this?”
“I thought, with you out of the picture, Maddox would finally want to be with me. It was stupid to think he would ever love anyone but you,” she says, shaking her head.
“You don’t know how sorry I am. I wish I could take it back.
” She takes a step forward, lifting her eyes to mine. “Will you f-forgive me?”
It takes everything in me not to slap her across her conniving face.
“Forgive you?” I scoff. “You manipulated me into thinking Maddox cheated on me. Do you have any idea how much damage you caused because of your lies? You destroyed our relationship. You destroyed me.”
“I was young and stupid. I swear I’m not that person anymore. Please find it in your heart to forgive me,” she pleads, her eyes welling up with tears.
I let out a bitter laugh. “I’m not giving you that satisfaction. You don’t deserve my forgiveness. Now, please get the hell out of my face.”
Her bottom lip quivers and she turns on her heel, walking out of the shop.
Guilt sinks in my gut. Maddox has done everything in his power to show me how much he loves me, but I threw it all away and believed her lies.
I need to tell him how sorry I am. He needs to know how much I love him.
Gathering the rest of the clothes, I head to the parking lot. After I throw the box inside my trunk, I pull out my phone and search for tickets for tonight’s game. Once the tickets are purchased, I start the ignition and drive to the stadium.
The usher scans my ticket and lets me through. The game doesn’t start for another hour and a half, but they allow fans to observe the players practicing before it starts.
I walk down the steps toward the floor of the arena and the usher calls after me. “Excuse me, miss, you need to stay in your section.”
Ignoring her, I continue on.
She catches up to me and grabs my arm. “I’m going to need you to go back to your seat or I’m calling security to escort you out.”
“No, please! I need to talk to Maddox.” I scan the area for him but he’s nowhere to be found.
She lets out a sigh, giving my arm a tug. “Come on. Let’s go.”
“Let me go!” I yell, trying to yank free from her grasp.
“Annalise?” Elijah turns his attention toward me. He passes the ball to Darius and jogs up to me.
“It’s okay,” he tells the usher. “She’s my friend. And Maddox’s girlfriend.”
The usher lets go of my arm. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know who you were.”
She clears her throat and heads back upstairs.
“Where’s Maddox? I need to see him.”
Worry etches across Elijah’s face. “I don’t know. He hasn’t shown up. Andrés and I tried calling him, but he won’t answer.”
Fear clamps down on my chest. What if something happened on his way here? What if he’s hurt?
This is the first game of the championships. No matter what’s going on between us, Maddox would never miss it.
Elijah drags a hand through his hair. “You know what’s weird? Lucas hasn’t shown up either.” He lets out a nervous laugh. “I just hope they’re not trying to kill each other.”
My heart pounds harder, the sound echoing in my ears. The horrifying image of Maddox lying lifeless on the cold ground flashes in my mind.
I shake my head quickly, forcing the thought away. Lucas might be awful, but a killer? He couldn’t be.
“I’m going to his house,” I say, already backing away. “I need to make sure he’s okay.”
Elijah nods quickly. “Please call me the second you know.”
As I’m rushing out of the stadium, my phone buzzes in my pocket. The screen lights up with a call from Maddox’s dad.
“Hello?”
“Annalise, I was able to track down the person behind the blackmail. Whatever program they used to block their number was highly encrypted, and it took me a while to hack into their system.”
“So who’s behind all of this?” My grip tightens around my phone, the anticipation growing.
“It’s Lucas Hilton—the guy Maddox went to high school with. His location is pinging at Maddox’s house. I’m on my way there now.”
The blood drains from my face, bile burning in my throat.
If he's behind this, then my suspicions were true. Chandler’s accident wasn’t an accident after all. With Chandler out of the picture, Lucas got exactly what he wanted—a spot in the starting five.
A chill races down my spine. If he could do that to Chandler, then who knows what else he’s capable of?
I end the call and take off for Maddox’s house, praying I’m not too late to stop whatever Lucas has set in motion.