Chapter 14 – Alana #2
Forty-five minutes later, Hugo and I are waiting outside Alejandro’s hotel suite.
Four armed guards stand in the hallway, smartly dressed, but their suits do nothing to hide the bulk of the guns beneath their jackets and the no-nonsense way they stare at their surroundings.
It should make me feel safe, but it actually has the opposite effect.
Are things really so bad that the King of LA needs all this protection?
“Is the boss in?” Hugo asks, nodding at them in recognition.
“Yeah. He’s in his office with his father.”
“I’ll just let Mrs. Montoya inside then,” Hugo says and they step aside to allow him to open the door.
“Of course. Good afternoon, Mrs. Montoya,” the head guard, Lorenzo, says respectfully, and I nod in greeting.
Hugo sees me inside safely, and I thank him for taking such good care of me. He gives me a wave as he leaves, the door closing firmly behind him.
I haven’t seen Alejandro’s father Mateo for a few weeks, and despite the circumstances, it would be rude not to say a quick hello.
Besides, if I pop in and say hi, it will let Alejandro know I’m here.
After that, I’ll leave them to it. I walk toward Alejandro’s office.
The door is open and I can hear their voices drifting through into the room.
I don’t mean to eavesdrop, but there’s no way I can avoid it.
Mateo is strident, his words carrying clearly.
“So, you’re telling me she can’t even have children?
” I hear him say. “I’m sorry, mi hijo. It seems I chose you a defective model.
” I freeze where I stand, my heart clenching in my chest. I am under no illusions about how my marriage to Alejandro came about.
But hearing it described so clinically and coldly?
That hurts, especially when I now think of myself as being part of the Montoya family.
“Papa!” Alejandro says, shocked.
“What? I know you love her, son, but I’m just being honest. I would never have chosen her for you if we’d known that. She tricked you, hijo. What good is she to you, to this family, if she can’t even give you an heir?”
My mouth falls open in surprise and anger.
I know this is a private conversation and that I should walk away, but I can’t.
I stand there, waiting for my husband to tell his father that he is wrong.
That there’s no way I tricked him, that I didn’t know.
That I’m not defective and that my value to him and to this family is so much more than my ability to reproduce.
I wait for him to stand up for me. For us! I’m so sure that he will. I hold my breath, not even wanting to miss a word. I wait, and I wait some more.
But the next words don’t come from him, they come from his father again.
“Your mama is going to be devastated, you know that? She likes Alana, we all do, but this is a big problem. It’s not too late.
You could get the marriage annulled, find yourself someone who can give her some grand-babies.
Who can provide us with the next generation of Montoyas. ”
I hate everything I’m hearing, and even more than that I hate what I’m not hearing—Alejandro telling his father to go to hell.
My devastation is now complete. I might never have children, Alejandro is not defending me, and the family I had started to feel so comfortable with is poised to reject me because I can’t carry a baby. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so betrayed or so alone.
Tears are pricking my eyes as I turn on my heel and run from the room. I pause at the door and wipe the tears from my cheeks. Alejandro’s guards will never let me leave if they see me crying. Like Mateo, I suppose, they are only loyal to Alejandro Montoya.
I’m not a queen. I’m nothing in this world.
I take a deep breath, plaster on a fake smile, and open the door.
“Everything okay, Mrs. Montoya?” one of the guards asks me.
“Yes. Everything is great. Mr. Montoya asked me to wait for him in the bar downstairs until he’s finished his meeting. I’m just going to order a glass of wine until they’re done.”
He nods. It sounds so reasonable. “I’ll escort you downstairs, Ma’am,” he replies.
“There’s no need. He’s just asked Hugo and Hank to wait for me at the elevator. I think you should stay here and look out for Alejandro and Mateo. I’m in safe hands, don’t worry.”
He looks at me, his eyes searching my face. All those years working on my father’s political campaigns have stood me in good stead. My acting skills are still intact. The guard nods, calls the elevator, and lets me step inside. Alone.
As soon as I reach the lobby, I walk through the reception, trying to hold it together until I get outside.
A security guard stops me, but I smile confidently and tell him that my personal security is waiting for me outside.
I know I might be getting these men in trouble, but right now I don’t care.
I just need to escape, to get away from the Montoyas and their poison.
I take a deep breath as I step outside into the bright LA sunshine. Looking around the street, I have no idea what I plan to do next. All I know is that I have to get as far away from here as possible.
I see a cab waiting and jump into it. It’s the first time I’ve ever been in a cab in this city, and it makes me realize how small my life has become. How little independence I have. I willingly gave that up to be Mrs. Alejandro Montoya, and it all seemed worth it for a love that was so fierce.
Now? Now I wonder if I made a terrible mistake. “Where to, Miss?” the driver asks me.
I stare at him in the mirror. It’s a good question, and he looks a little impatient as he waits for me to answer.
Where do I want to go? The simple answer is, as far away from my husband and his father as possible.
I need to get away from the Montoyas, from people who see me as defective and think I’m of no use to them anymore.
From my fake family, this fake city, and all of its insanely perfect, insanely fake people.
I need to be with someone who loves me despite all my flaws, someone who would never think I’m defective. “LAX please,” I say as I sit back against the seat. The sense of instant relief I feel tells me that it’s most definitely the right thing to do.