Chapter 20
The fluorescent lights of the police station burn harsh against my eyes as I sit in the uncomfortable plastic chair, still shaking from the adrenaline. The coffee they gave me has gone cold, but I keep wrapping my fingers around the cup anyway, needing something to hold onto.
We’ve been here for hours. An officer has taken my statement, but they’re not letting me see Caleb. My heart is pounding in my chest, the sound echoing in my ears. Nobody will tell me anything.
I’ve been asked to go home three times now, but I refuse. I don’t know who to call. I don’t have Ethan’s number. I don’t have the number of anyone in Caleb’s family. I’ve tried messaging Iris to get Natalie’s number, but she’s not responded yet.
What do I do?
Helpless tears burn my eyes. I check the wall clock. It’s nearing midnight. I hesitate when my family flashes into my mind. I don’t want to call my brothers. They won’t help Caleb. They’ll help Luis.
A small voice in my head tells me I’m being ridiculous. Why would they help Luis? But my past experiences have taught me time and again that they will never stand by me where my mother and her desires are concerned.
One of the officers approaches me and his voice is gentle, “Miss Lopez, you really should go home. I can have someone give you a ride if you’re not up for driving.”
“I’m not leaving without Caleb.” I give the man a blank look. “Where is he? Why won’t you let me see him?”
“He assaulted the other man, Miss Lopez. It was aggravated assault. We had to process him. He’s not going anywhere tonight.” This is the only information I’ve received since I got here. He walks away, and my heart sinks.
Clenching my phone, I finally look up Marco’s contact. My oldest brother answers on the second ring, his voice sleepy.
“Marco, it’s me.”
“Eve? What’s wrong? You sound—”
“I’m at the police station.” The words tumble out quickly as I try not to cry. “Luis attacked me tonight. Caleb stopped him, but they arrested both of them. I need you to come down here. I need—I need a lawyer for Caleb. They won’t let him leave. I—”
“Eve.” My brother cuts me off, and I realize I’m breathing short gasping breaths, panic in everyone of them. Then he asks slowly, “Are you hurt?”
“No. Shaken up, but I’m okay.”
“Which station?”
I look around and spot a sign. “The 14th Precinct.”
“We’re on our way.”
The line goes dead, and I sit there in the waiting area, my fingers clenching and unclenching around my phone.
I had been sure I saw Luis from the restaurant's window. But when the car passed, blocking my view, he was gone. I thought maybe I had imagined it. Maybe I was just being paranoid. After all, weeks of Caleb staying at my place must have made Luis realize we were really done. I hadn’t expected him to burst into the toilet as I had been leaving and drag me outside.
I was so stupid, so arrogant to think I could handle him. Caleb had been right all along. Luis was crazy.
Whenever I close my eyes, I keep playing it back: that raw rage on Caleb’s face, the roar that left his mouth when he started beating Luis. The sickening sounds of flesh striking flesh are forever seared in my brain.
The minutes tick by slowly, and then I hear a familiar voice.
“Miss Lopez?”
I look up to see Ethan Wilder approaching me. He’s wearing an expensive suit despite the late hour, and he doesn’t look happy. Behind him is another man I recognize as their brother, Jake, the company lawyer. His posture is relaxed, but his eyes are hard.
“Mr. Wilder. Mr.—”
“Call him Ethan, Eve,” Jake says lightly. “You’ll have a tough time calling us both Mr. Wilder.”
“I wanted to call you, but I don’t have any of your numbers. I tried to text Iris, b-but—” I’m babbling. I never babble.
“Are you hurt?” Ethan asks, his amber eyes focusing on my split lip. “Do you need medical attention?” I shake my head. He nods once, his expression giving nothing away. “Good.” He turns to leave, presumably to go deal with getting Caleb released, but something makes me call out.
“Wait.”
Both brothers turn back to me. Jake has been more reserved, but I can see him studying me with sharp intelligence. Ethan’s expression remains neutral, waiting.
“Caleb isn’t going to get in trouble, is he?” The question comes out smaller than I intended. “For helping me?”
For the first time since he approached me, something in Ethan’s eyes softens slightly. It’s barely perceptible, but it’s there. “No. He’ll be fine. I’ll make sure of it.” The simple certainty in his voice is reassuring. This is clearly a man who doesn’t make promises he can’t keep.
“Thank you,” I say quietly.
“Don’t worry about Caleb,” Jake says confidently. “We’ve been getting him out of trouble since he was five.” There’s affection in his tone that makes me feel better somehow. These aren’t just powerful men. They’re brothers who care about each other.
Ethan gives Jake a look but doesn’t contradict the statement. Instead, he nods at me once more. “Excuse us.”
I watch them walk toward the desk sergeant, Jake already pulling out his phone, probably making calls to pull strings. Within minutes, they’re deep in conversation with the officers, Jake’s charm and Ethan’s barely contained authority working in tandem.
Another thirty minutes pass before I hear familiar voices in the lobby. My brothers pour through the entrance like a small army—Marco in the lead, his face set in grim lines, followed by Antonio, Daniel, Miguel, and Rafael. They’re not alone, however.
“Eve!” The only time I heard my mother sound this broken was when she heard about my father’s death.
I get to my feet slowly, stunned by her appearance.
She’s the first one to spot me, and I see fear in her eyes, worry that I have never seen before.
And then she rushes towards me. I stand there frozen in place as she throws her arms around me.
“Mija!” I’m unable to move, unable to comprehend what’s happening. Why is she here? Why is she… like this?
“Are you okay, Eve?” Marco is just a step behind her, and his eyes run over me, checking to see if I’m hurt.
“I’m fine,” I mumble, dazed. “Why is—?”
“You’re not fine!” my mother says fiercely, pulling away enough to look at my face. “Your cheek is red. Your lip—Where is he?!”
Her eyes look around frantically, and I look towards Rafael pleadingly. My younger brother hurries forward. “Mamá, give her some space. You’re scaring her.”
The others approach me, surrounding me, looking me over.
“Are you okay?” Miguel asks, checking me over like I might have hidden injuries. “What happened?”
“I’m fine,” I assure them, though my voice is still shaky. “Really.”
“Where is that piece of shit?” Daniel’s voice is tight with anger.
“He’s still in the hospital,” I look at my brothers. “Caleb did a number on him. He would have killed him if the police hadn’t arrived.”
“Good.” Marco sounds satisfied, as if we’re not discussing possible murder.
“Who’s Caleb?” Antonio asks.
“How long have you been here?” my mother cuts him off, brushing the hair off my face, her own face white. “Why didn’t you call me? You—”
“Mamá.” Marco puts a hand on her shoulder. “Let her speak. I think we need to know what happened first.”
I tell them everything that happened, watching my brothers’ faces grow darker with each detail. By the time I finish, Antonio looks ready to kill someone.
“He’s been stalking you for months?” Miguel’s voice is dangerous. “Why didn’t you tell us?”
“None of you have ever protected me from him before, so I couldn’t exactly come to you for help, now could I?” The words are torn from me.
The silence that follows is deafening. I watch as guilt and realization wash over my brothers’ faces one by one. But it’s my mother’s reaction that takes me aback.
“Mija, I would never…” Tears fill her eyes, and Marco touches her shoulder. She shakes off his hand, however, her eyes trained on me. “I didn’t know he was hurting you. I would never have let him—”
“You did let him, Mamá,” I say harshly, my own eyes burning.
“You are the one who gave him the confidence to stalk me and hurt me.
Because you all but told him I was simply a thing that belonged to him, that he could do whatever he liked with me.
I knew you never liked me, but I never knew you hated me to this extent.
“And the rest of you,” I look at my brothers, my eyes flashing, “don’t look so shocked that I didn’t call you or come to you for help. None of you ever stood up for me. I had to rely on Caleb to protect me. And I only called you right now because I needed a lawyer for Caleb.”
Marco is pale. “Eve—”
“Don’t.” I take a step back. “His brothers are here now. You can go. I shouldn’t have called you.”
“You could have told me,” Rafael says quietly, hurt evident in his voice. “I’ve always had your back, Eve. You know that.”
I look at my youngest brother, my eyes softening. “I didn’t want to disturb your studies. I know exams are coming.”
“Hermanita,” Marco says heavily, the guilt clear in his voice. “I should have done better. I should have protected you from him.”
“We all should have,” Miguel adds, his earlier anger now turned inward.
Rafael squeezes my hand tighter. “Your safety is more important than any exam, Eve. Always.”
Before I can respond, the sound of metal doors opening echoes through the station. Everyone turns to look. Two officers emerge from the back, supporting a figure between them. My stomach drops.
Luis.
He’s clearly just arrived from the hospital.
His face is a nightmare of swelling and bruises, darker and more pronounced than when they first took him away.
A fresh bandage covers his left eye completely, and his right eye—the one that was only partially swollen before—is now almost shut.
His arm is in a sling, and he’s limping badly, the officers practically dragging him between them.
Blood has seeped through the bandage on his temple.
For a split second, the waiting area falls silent. Then my mother moves.