32. Marisol
Marisol
S he couldn’t watch Cisco being escorted away, knowing this whole thing was her fault.
It didn’t matter that Cisco didn’t blame her.
Marisol blamed herself. She should know better.
Her mother had never hidden her true colors, so she had been a fool to think this could have gone any other way.
Granted, she had not expected Cisco to get arrested, but she had a bad feeling about this party since this morning.
She should have listened to her own intuition. It was a mistake she didn’t plan on making again.
Contrary to popular belief, Marisol didn’t like being the center of attention. Every eye in the room was on her. Their stares of judgment and contempt made her stomach churn. She had to remind herself that they didn’t matter. Their opinions were irrelevant to her life.
“Marisol,” Lola whispered from next to her. She barely registered her sister’s arms around her. It didn’t bring any comfort. The only comfort she wanted right now was on his way to get booked. “We should go. Javi will take us to the police station?— ”
If there was more her sister said, Marisol ignored it.
Her attention zeroed in on the man who had caused all of this and the woman comforting him.
It sickened her to see her mother reassuring Archie, but it also served to cement the fact that this woman would never be the mom she so desperately craved.
That realization fucking hurt. But it had been a long time coming.
Right now, Marisol channeled all of her anger at Archie. She had half a mind to punch him herself, but she wanted to say her piece, once and for all. She approached the man. Something in her expression must have given him pause because he tensed.
“Marisol, do you now see the type of person you willingly brought to your father’s opening party?” His voice was nasal from the obvious broken nose he was sporting. She hoped it hurt when it was set back in place.
“Archie, shut the fuck up,” Marisol seethed. Shocked gasps from the guests around the room didn’t deter her, though she was pleased to see Lola smirking from the corner of her eye. She at least had one person in this room on her side.
“Marisol! What has gotten into you?” her mother sputtered. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, eyes darting around the room, probably surveying all the people she’d need to do damage control with.
But Marisol no longer cared. She’d deal with her mother soon. One evil at a time.
For the first time ever when Marisol glared at Archie, he looked uncomfortable. Scared, even. Good. He should be.
Marisol poked him hard in the chest, emphasizing who she was talking about. “You have been nothing but a menace since coming into our lives. Newsflash, Archie, I never loved you and never will. This pathetic attempt to keep me tied to you ends today.”
“I don’t?—”
“I’m not finished talking!” Marisol interrupted.
She had never seen Archie look so flabbergasted, his mouth slightly ajar.
“Whatever this weird relationship you and my mother have to try to keep me married to you, it ends today. You will sign the papers, or I will go after everything you are worth. Trust me, you won’t survive that. ”
This was something she should have done a long time ago. For too long, she had allowed this man to string her along, and for what? To put off the disappointment and fight she knew would come from her mother? She couldn’t live like this anymore.
“I’m done accepting shit I don’t want just because it makes it easier on everyone else,” Marisol continued.
“Our marriage should have never happened. I risked my relationship with my sister just to marry a man who is as interesting as unseasoned chicken and thinks three minutes in bed is a long time.”
Marisol didn’t mean to say the last part, but she didn’t regret it.
Especially when Lola nearly doubled over in laughter.
Her mother, on the other hand, looked ready to smite her where she stood.
It was finally time to address the woman who had been at the center of her problems for as long as she could remember.
“And you,” Marisol said, rounding on her mother.
“You’re done controlling me. I’m done trying to earn your love and being terrified of messing up.
You're my mother! You should just love me. I shouldn’t have to earn it or make myself into something I’m not.
But all you care about is our image and how others perceive us.
Well, look around, Mother.” Marisol gestured around the room at the curious eyes.
It was like watching a train wreck; you just couldn’t look away.
“Your worst fear is people seeing us as less than perfect. Reality check, Mother, we are far from perfect. Never have been. And if your friendships depend upon perfection, those aren’t true friendships.
I can’t keep feeding into your delusions.
I’m so damn tired trying to be the perfect daughter and feeling like the lowest person in the world. ”
Luciana looked around the room nervously, a tight smile on her face as if she were trying to reassure everyone—again only caring about what others thought of her. “Marisol, honey, I understand this is difficult, but let’s talk about this in private.”
“You don’t understand, Mom. There’s no more discussing it. I’m done. I love you, but I’m so damn tired of trying to earn your love. I deserve better. As of right now, I don’t have a place for you in my life.”
The words hurt. Hurt a lot. But there was also a certain freedom in them. Her mother’s watery eyes almost made her fold and take back everything she just said, but she didn’t think she’d have the strength to cut her mother off twice. No, she had to remain firm in her resolve.
“And Archie,” she said, glaring at him again. The bastard looked ready to bolt, and she hoped he did after this. “If I don’t have the divorce papers signed and to my lawyer by the end of this week, I will end you.”
With that dramatic—but very real—declaration, Marisol turned on her heels and stormed for the door.
Lola reached for her, but she was barely hanging on by a thread.
The only reason she wasn’t a sobbing mess was due to the adrenaline coursing through her veins.
She feared if she stopped and let herself process everything that just transpired, she’d be useless in helping Cisco out.
“Marisol, honey, wait!” her father’s loud voice rose above all else. His words slowed her down.
She was tempted to turn around and let him take care of everything, but a small part of her also blamed him for allowing this to go on for as long as it did. He had to have seen the way her mother treated their daughters. He would intervene at times, but it wasn’t enough.
“Congratulations, Daddy. Sorry for how it turned out,” she said instead.
“Please, Marisol. Wait.”
But she didn’t wait. She pushed past the lingering guests at the front door.
With Cisco’s keys in her purse, she tracked down his car.
A few times, she heard her name being called, but she could have also been imagining it.
Regardless, no one stopped her from getting into the car and completely breaking down.
It was like the dam broke.
She couldn’t control her tears any more than she could control the growing ache in her heart.
If there was ever a moment she wished she could do over, it would be to never have attended this party.
That way, the man she loved wouldn’t be on his way to jail.
What the hell did Marisol even do? She had never been in a situation like this before.
She was crying so hard, she could barely hold her phone to search for the closest jail.
She was far too distracted and her vision too blurry with tears to notice two figures approaching her car. When the driver’s side door opened, she screamed, throwing her phone at the person. She heard someone curse, but didn’t hear her phone hit the ground. They must have caught it .
“Out, Marisol. You can’t drive.”
That voice was familiar…
“Javi?” she sobbed. It took another moment for her vision to focus on the man in front of her, but, sure enough, her brother-in-law stood there with his hand out and a grave expression on his face as he looked her over.
“Marisol, please let Javi drive. I’ll sit in the back with you.” Her sister popped up behind her husband.
“I can’t…” she hiccupped. She was probably a snotty mess, but, honestly, Marisol didn’t have it in her to care. “Cisco…he needs me. I have to?—”
“I know. Javi will take us there. But you need to get out. Please, Marisol.” This time her sister leaned down. If she didn’t know better, Marisol would have sworn she saw tears in her sister’s eyes as well. She didn’t understand why, though.
Slowly, she nodded. Her body shook as Lola helped her out of the driver’s seat and into the back.
True to her word, Lola got in next to her, holding Marisol close.
She had a fleeting thought that she was the big sister and shouldn’t have her little sister comfort her or see her like this, but it was too late. The tears wouldn’t stop coming.
The driver’s door shut once Javi got in. “Know where to go?” she heard Lola ask.
“I got it, Preciosa. Buckle up. I’ll get us there soon,” he said.
Marisol didn’t know how Javi knew where to go, but she was glad he did.
It gave her time to turn off her brain and self-loathe some more in her sister’s arms. Lola, to her credit, didn’t seem to care that Marisol was getting her shirt wet with her tears and messy with makeup smudges.
As a mother, she was probably used to having weird stains on her clothes.
It felt like forever, but in actuality was probably only fifteen minutes before they reached the county jail. Javi parked right out front, but they were one of the only cars in the parking lot.
“Cisco is here?” Marisol asked.
“He should be.” Javi turned off the car.
Marisol wasted no time getting out of the car. “We’re coming with you!” Lola said as Marisol took off in a jog. There was no use in arguing with her sister. Besides, it felt better to not be alone.
Marisol took the stairs to the front entrance two at a time before bursting through the doors with Lola and Javi not far behind.
The small blond man behind a plexiglass wall looked up.
He seemed put off by being forced to do his job.
“Can I help you?” he asked, looking at the three of them with mild curiosity.
She was sure they were a sight to see. All dressed up, but then she had makeup running and tear streaks down her cheeks. Marisol approached him, desperate for answers. “Do you have Francisco Ramos here?”
The cop sighed and turned to his ancient-looking computer, typing something in. Marisol tapped her fingers against the metal ledge outside his desk. The cop was taking his sweet time, nearly making her combust with anxiety.
“Francisco Ramos, you say?” he asked.
Doing everything in her power not to strangle this man, Marisol said, “Yes.” She hoped it didn’t come out as a hiss.
“He’s being processed. It’s going to be a while, miss. My advice? Come back in the morning. If he can be released, it’ll be then,” he said, oblivious to Marisol’s mounting anger.
Leave and let Cisco stay a night here? What if he thought she left him here and didn’t want to help him? The betrayal of having stuck up for her, only for her not to come and bail him out .
“Please,” she begged. “I can’t leave here without him. It was all a misunderstanding.”
“Be that as it may, miss, you can’t leave with him,” the cop said, showing little empathy. “Like I said, come back in the morning, and if he can be released, he’ll be released. Can’t change the system.”
“But—”
“Marisol,” Lola’s gentle voice came from behind her. Her hand rested on Marisol’s shoulder. “We’ll come back first thing in the morning. I promise.”
Marisol whirled around, panic-stricken and on the verge of breaking down once again. “I can’t leave him, Lola!”
“I know, but?—”
“What if it was Javi?” Marisol desperately needed someone else to understand how she was feeling. How unfair it all was. “You wouldn’t want to leave him either.”
She saw the hesitation on her sister’s face. “I know,” Lola sighed. “It’s unfair. If it were Javi, I wouldn’t want to go home either. But you need to, Marisol. You need to rest so we can get here first thing in the morning. You’ll be the first person he sees when he’s released.”
Helplessness settled deep within her. Helpless to help Cisco. Helpless to change the situation. Helpless to make it right. Her body grew tired, and all the fight went out of her. “I don’t want to be alone,” she whispered. Snowball was at home, but she needed another person with her.
“You won’t be alone. I promise,” her sister said.
Marisol wanted to believe her, simply because thinking and doing anything else was exhausting. In the end, there really wasn’t any other choice but to go home, so she nodded.
“Let’s go.” Lola wrapped an arm around her to lead her out .
Like a ghost, Marisol followed silently. Even though her entire heart remained behind. Even in her darkest moment, she still had to keep herself together enough to contact one more person and give them the news about Cisco.
As soon as she got into the car, she called her.