Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
S he was going to be sick.
Delta had known the backlash was coming, but she hadn’t expected Leo to move so quickly. The texted photos were an unmistakable threat.
With her feet rooted to the floor of the bedroom she shared with Ignacio, she stared down at the screen of her phone, holding the device with trembling fingers. Leo had sent two photos of her sixteen-year-old self with bare shoulders to indicate her nakedness without showing her nude body.
As she watched, another text came through. This one contained only words. This time, the nausea won. She raced into the bathroom and dropped the phone on the counter, barely reaching the toilet in time to throw up. The contents of her stomach splashed into the water.
When she was finished, she wiped her mouth, tears brimming in her eyes, hugging the bowl like a woman dealing with the aftermath of a night spent drinking. She wasn’t sure how much time passed, but that’s how Ignacio found her when he returned home from his morning run.
He dropped to his haunches. “Delta, what’s wrong?” Panic filled his voice.
She didn’t know how to answer.
Ignacio smoothed her hair from her face with a gentle hand. “What’s wrong, mi amor ? Talk to me.”
“I told you he would—he would retaliate.”
He knew right away who she was referring to, and his lips firmed. “What happened?”
“There’s a tape.” Delta sniffed.
“A tape? I don’t understand.”
She roughly brushed the tears from her cheeks. “He taped me. I had no idea he was recording what happened.”
Ignacio stared at her in silence. “How did you find out?”
She pointed at her phone on the counter. “He sent messages.”
Ignacio retrieved the phone and then returned to her. She took the device and showed him the photos and the text. “The photos must be stills from the video. He doesn’t come right out and admit that he filmed me, but he makes it clear in the text that a video exists.”
“I can’t believe he sent these to you.” Ignacio’s voice was tight with barely restrained anger, his brows furrowed as he stared at the screen. His grip on the phone was so tense she half-expected it to crack. “But no matter what he threatens, he won’t release a video of you.”
“Why do you think he won’t?” Delta demanded.
“Because if he did, he would incriminate himself. You were a minor, and what he did to you was evil and illegal. He would never want the general public to find out.”
She let out a brittle laugh, hollow and filled with pain. “You don’t know that, Ignacio.”
“I do.”
He reached for her, but she recoiled, scooting backward until she hit the wall. She drew in her legs and folded her arms tightly across them in an effort to make herself smaller. She wanted to disappear.
“You’re wrong. He doesn’t care,” she whispered.
Ignacio exhaled, dragging a hand down his face. “Delta, listen to me. If he releases the video, he would be in a lot of trouble. Trust me.” He spoke in a low, coaxing voice, as if trying to talk someone off a ledge.
“Trust you? I trusted you when I told you what happened to me, and you—” Her voice broke with emotion. “You attacked him in public, Ignacio.”
His face twisted, contrition flickering in his eyes. “I wasn’t thinking.” His voice was hoarse and full of regret.
“I don’t know what to do. He’s threatening to tell everyone that I slept my way to the top. I don’t know what to do. I don’t…” She started shaking again.
This time, when he reached for her, she didn’t move away. She allowed him to pull her into his chest. Sobbing on his shoulder, she clung to him, crying her eyes out.
“I’ll fix it. I promise, he won’t hurt you anymore. I’ll do whatever I have to do.” He smoothed her hair as she continued to cry.
Delta lost track of time, and when she finally stopped crying, his shirt was soaked. She moved away from Ignacio, rinsed out her mouth, and washed her face. Ignacio watched her in silence, sensing she no longer wanted to be touched.
Without saying a word, she returned to the bedroom and climbed into bed. Maybe she would stay there all day. Ignacio climbed in behind her.
Anxiety remained in the pit of her stomach like a stone, but having his comforting presence in the bed made her feel better, though she didn’t want him to touch her at the moment. She huddled under the covers, wrapping her arms around herself until she fell asleep.
Delta woke to darkness. The blackout curtains were drawn tight, blocking out the sun.
For a moment, she lay still, her body heavy with exhaustion. She reached blindly for her phone on the nightstand, her fingers closing around it with sluggish effort. The screen’s glow stung her eyes, and she squinted.
Eight thirty-eight in the morning. Wednesday. She had a flight in a few hours.
She pressed a hand to her forehead. The past few days were a blur of long hours—waiting, dreading, bracing for Leo’s next move. Sleep had been difficult as worst-case scenarios played on a loop in her head. What would he do next to punish her for Ignacio’s actions?
She rolled out of bed with effort and shuffled to the bathroom, splashing cold water on her face, which did little to energize her. She stared at her reflection. Her makeup artist would have to work a miracle. All she saw was a hollow-eyed woman with dull skin, the strain from Leo’s threats etched into her features.
After she finished her morning routine, she opened the curtains and allowed light to flood the bedroom. Behind her, she heard the door crack open.
Ignacio entered. “Hey, you’re awake,” he said in a soft voice.
He carried a tray in his hands and placed it on the table beside the bed. The tray contained a small plate of cut-up fruit and a glass of water. A simple, light breakfast because she hadn’t been able to eat much since she received the messages.
“How are you feeling?” His voice was grave and weighted with concern.
“Horrible,” Delta admitted. After a pause, she continued. “I’ve been thinking about what I said in the bathroom the other day, and I don’t blame you for what Leo did.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“You’re being too nice.”
Ignacio rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m not going to apologize for hitting him. Frankly, I wish I could have done more, but I understand your feelings. Now you have to deal with the fallout. But you shouldn’t have to worry about Leo. You should be focusing on your trip—the interviews and your promo events.”
Delta sighed and sank onto the edge of the bed. He was right, but she no longer looked forward to the nine-day trip to New York. With the album finished and the release date set, pre-release promotion had begun. Videos of her in the studio had been distributed to the media to generate excitement, and her schedule was packed with interviews and photo shoots in the coming weeks. She dreaded facing the media and having to force smiles and answer questions. She felt as if what lay ahead would suffocate her.
This should be the exciting part. The music was finished, the release date locked in, and the momentum building. Normally, she would be eager to share the stories behind the songs, joke and laugh during interviews, and bask in the energy of it all. Promote herself and the music. Instead, all she wanted to do was crawl into bed and hide under the covers indefinitely.
Leo could strike again at any moment. Even if he didn’t release the video as he threatened, there were other ways he could hurt her. He could sabotage her release, have marketing cut the promotion budget, or pull strings to ensure the press coverage turned against her. There were countless ways he could make her life miserable.
And all she could do was wait.
“Maybe I should talk to him,” Delta murmured, searching Ignacio’s face for any sign that he thought it was a good idea. Maybe she could reason with Leo and find a way to make this all go away.
“No.” His response was immediate and decisive. He clasped her hands between his, his grip warm and steady. “I don’t want you wasting another second thinking about him. Go to New York and focus on what matters—your album, your interviews. Walk into every room like you own it, promote the hell out of your music, and then meet with A&R and blow them away with the recordings of your new songs. Impress the hell out of them so they have to say yes to including them on the album.”
She smiled weakly. His words were meant to reassure her, but worry continued to gnaw at her.
Ignacio’s gaze held hers, steady and unwavering. “I’m going to fix this mess I made,” he said, his voice resolute.
“How?” Delta asked.
“Let me worry about that.”
“You make it sound simple, but we both know it’s not.”
Ignacio squeezed her hands gently. “You have to trust me, okay?”
Trust was difficult when the ground beneath her felt like it could collapse at any moment, but Ignacio hadn’t steered her wrong yet.
“Okay.”
She let go of his hands and reached for the tray he’d brought in earlier. The fruit was fresh, cut into neat pieces, and though she didn’t have much of an appetite, she forced herself to eat some. Ignacio watched her with quiet intensity as she did.
Later, Delta took a shower. Then she packed her bags and double-checked her itinerary, though she knew it by heart. Ignacio stayed in the room with her, sitting in one of the chairs, his legs extended straight out before him as he silently observed her.
When the phone beeped with a message from the driver, she took a deep breath. Time to go.
She zipped up her luggage. While Ignacio took both bags—her carry-on and the wheeled suitcase—she slipped her arms into her winter coat.
“Feels strange,” she remarked as they descended the stairs to the first level.
“What does?”
“Leaving and not knowing what’s waiting for me when I land,” Delta admitted.
Maybe her fears were irrational, but they weren’t going anywhere.
Ignacio placed the bags on the floor in the foyer. His fingers brushed her cheek as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “What did I say earlier?”
“Focus on my interviews and promo events.”
“Exactly. I’ll handle everything here.” He cupped her face, his thumb tracing the line of her cheek. He lowered his head. “Do you think you can follow my instructions?”
She smiled for the first time in days. “Yes, sir.”
“Good.”
He pressed his lips to hers. The kiss was slow and lingering, a goodbye filled with promises. When they finally parted, she wrapped her arms around his waist.
Rubbing her back, Ignacio kissed her temple. “Go, before I change my mind and keep you here.”
Delta let out a shaky laugh. “That might not be so bad,” she said, but she released him and moved toward the front door.
Ignacio followed her to the black sedan idling in the driveway. As she slid into the back seat, he placed her luggage in the trunk.
Then he came up to the window. He leaned in, and she puckered her lips, happily accepting another quick kiss from him.
“Bye, baby,” she whispered.
“Bye, mi amor . Good luck.”
The car pulled away, and she glanced back, watching Ignacio as he stood in the driveway, his hands buried in the pockets of his jeans.
He promised he would take care of everything.
She decided to trust him.