Chapter 27
C H A P T E R2 7
Forever Yours
Ella
The Present
S mirking, I flipped my middle finger on the last picture of my mugshot, holding a sign with my details displayed. Despite looking haggard with my mascara staining my under eyes, I still held onto my pride with enough smugness to piss off the cops.
I was a Cordova. We didn’t bend a knee to anyone.
On the outside, I appeared calm, collected, and arrogant.
On the inside? I was seething.
Long story short, the cops came to St. Victoria after receiving an anonymous call about a ‘disturbance’ during Initiation Night, but left when they found nothing. They came back once they received a second call around the time Shaun returned for us. Cade and I got cuffed and dragged to the police station, while Shaun, luckily, was rushed to the hospital after we scrambled to shout about his injured state.
The MPD tried interrogating us. We remained silent except for when we asked to call our lawyers. Afterwards, we spoke to our respective parents. My papá sounded like he was having a heart-attack when he found out his ‘goodie two-shoes’ daughter got arrested.
Once that was done, they took off our cuffs and threw us into a holding cell with more than half a dozen individuals.
A biker with tattoos and a wiry beard gave me a crooked smile full of invitation. I scrunched my face and looked away in a dismissive manner.
Cade glared at him. “Keep your fucking eyes to yourself.”
The biker balked under his scrutiny. The Remington boys were familiar faces in the underworld with notorious reputations. No one wanted to cross them. Or invoke Vance Remington’s wrath.
I leaned my head against the bars of the cell, taking note of the irritated skin around my wrists. On the way to the station, I concluded that the only cuffs I enjoyed were the ones Cade tied me with when we fucked.
“How did we even get here?” I mumbled more to myself than anything.
“Do you really want the answer to that?”
“No.” I groaned. “But tell me how your uncle took the news?”
“Uncle Vance sounded annoyed at being woken up at four thirty a.m., but he wasn’t pissed per se. More worried.” Cade leaned against the bars too, facing me. “How did your parents take it?”
Not great at all.
“My papá was the one who answered. He lost his shit and mamá tried to calm him down in the background.” I sighed. “I’m probably never allowed to leave the house again unless I’m supervised.”
Like I once said, it didn’t matter that I was nineteen. In my parents’ eyes, I was forever a little kid who needed to be sheltered. Maybe that’s why I rebelled harder over the years.
I was going to have to work for decades to get back into their good graces. Probably until I was old and grey and had one foot in the grave.
“It’s going to be okay, Ellie.”
I smiled weakly. “Promise?”
Cade snagged my pinky finger with his and kissed it. “I promise.”
My heart swelled. He never forgot the way we promised.
We contemplated our situation in quietness for the next few minutes. The cops contacted Principal Hill to ask her if she wanted to press charges, which she swiftly declined. Initiation Night, as everyone in the inner circle knew, was a sacred tradition and once you pledged your allegiance, you were bound to it the same way mafiosos were bound to their omertàs. Plus, Principal Hill—while strict and a bit scary—was not a snitch. St. Victoria’s reputation was a direct reflection of hers and she couldn’t risk throwing us under the bus, as that would affect her and her daughters as well.
I wondered how Darla was faring with this news. Her mother must have told her that we got arrested. Was my ex-best friend worried? Did she even care?
Speaking of best friends, I was once again bombarded with the image of the masked guy and Callie standing beside one another, like a villain and his heroine, watching the world burn to ashes after they set it on fire.
Who was the masked guy?
Why was Callie with him?
What were they doing together?
Was she…in cahoots with him this whole time?
No .
No, I couldn’t—didn’t want to—believe it.
This was Callie. The girl I’d known since fourth grade. We’d been friends for years. What reason could she possibly have to hurt me? She’d always been so kind, sweet, and gracious.
But why was she there, Ella? Your eyes weren’t playing tricks.
You. Saw. Her .
Many questions bounced in my skull, completely unanswered.
Sensing my inner turmoil, Cade tucked a short strand of my hair behind my ear. “A penny for your thoughts?”
I swallowed. “I…I saw something when we were driven away from St. Victoria.”
“What did you see?”
I wanted to tell him the truth. But part of me was afraid that once I uttered it out loud, it would change everything. Because if Callie was truly implicated in this…I sucked in a deep breath. “I saw Callie standing by the woods with the masked guy.”
Shocked, Cade faltered a step. “What?”
“I saw them, Cade. It was her . She was wearing that Little Red Riding Hood costume, and he was wearing all black with that Guy Fawkes mask.”
“Why would she be with him?”
“I don’t know,” I grated. “But I’m beginning to suspect that everything that’s happened…”
I couldn’t finish my sentence.
Cade understood me regardless. “There may be some truth to Darla’s theory of an Initiator calling the cops.”
Translation: it could have been Callie.
But why would she do this? It didn’t make any sense.
“Ella, is Darla still friends with Callie?”
“Why are you asking?”
“Humour me.”
A shard of suspicion sank into my mind, giving rise to more dread and vexation.
“No, she isn’t,” I mumbled. “After Darla stopped talking to me, Callie claims that Darla also stopped talking to her. We never figured out why Darla cut us out and by the time university rolled around, I stopped caring about the possible reasons.”
“I don’t want to stir the pot, but I think it’s worth talking to Darla,” Cade hushed. “Shaun’s right. It’s not like her to cut out anybody—especially you—from her life without a valid explanation.”
Anxiousness simmered in my core. “Okay, I’ll talk to her soon.”
He smiled and thumbed my cheek tenderly. “Good.”
“Cade, I’ve been thinking about something, but I’m not sure how you’ll react.”
His brows furrowed at my tone, body straightening with alertness. “What is it?”
“I think you should also talk to the girl you were”—I gulped—“ with the night of the party. She might know something we don’t.”
“No,” he said vehemently, shaking his head. “That’s a dead end. I don’t even know her name.”
“Cade,” I said softly, catching his hands with mine. “Think about it. She was intoxicated and in your room, thinking you were someone else. Just like you. She’s a victim in this situation and maybe she holds another missing piece of the puzzle.”
He knew I was right too.
With a resigned sigh, he nodded. “Okay, I’ll try to get in touch with her.”
“We’ll figure this out together, okay?” I smiled and clutched the lapels of his leather jacket, drawing him closer to me. “We’re a team. Ride or die.”
“Ride.” He kissed my right eyelid. “Always ride, Ella.”
We stayed like that for a moment, fixed in place, the world around us blurring to nothingness when we were in each other’s orbits.
“Before I walk out of here.” Cade’s mouth trickled over my cheek, kissing the skin with the gentleness of a plume. “I need to know where I stand with you.”
Barely able to keep my eyes open due to exhaustion, I couldn’t have this conversation right now. Much less in front of strangers crowding the jail cell with us. “Cade…”
“Tonight was a lot for both of us. Mentally, emotionally, and physically.” His hands rose to cup my cheeks. “But, baby, I’m hanging by a thread. I need to know that we can make this—us—work again. Otherwise, I don’t know what I’ll do with myself. I need you. In every definition of the word. And I hope you need me back the same way, Ella.”
There was no use lying when the writing was on the wall.
I needed him too. In every definition of the word.
“Cade, I want you to know that—”
“Cade Remington and Ella Cordova?”
We both turned to glare at the cop who interrupted us.
“You’re free to leave,” they said, unlocking the cell.
With no choice but to follow after the cop, I grabbed Cade’s hand and squeezed. “I promise, this isn’t the end. We’ll talk soon, all right?”
“All right.” He looked crestfallen.
I kissed his left cheek.
The corners of his lips hitched up in an adorable smile.
Then we came face-to-face with our father figures, looking overtly disappointed.
Cade and I were suddenly interested in the grey-painted walls.
When the cop left and it was just us four, papá , despite buzzing with anger, asked, “Are you both okay?”
We nodded like good sports.
Vance tutted, shaking his head with a mocking smile. “You two just can’t stay out of trouble, huh?”
Francisco Cordova rarely played the doting father role. He didn’t wear his heart on his sleeve, nor was he the super affectionate type. But he loved his children dearly and was present throughout every one of my milestones: first cheer performance, school graduations, teaching me how to drive, and so much more. If it weren’t for those moments, I’d think my papá was nothing more than a cold businessman without a heart.
And for this moment, when he came to bail me out at 5:00 a.m. with worry and fear etched in the lines of his face. His dress shirt was haphazardly buttoned, his slacks weren’t pressed, and I was certain he wore shoes without socks. A telltale sign that he rushed over to the police station the second I hung up. Papá was never unkempt.
Birds chirped in the early autumn morning as we walked to his Benz. He hadn’t said another sentence after asking us if we were okay, and I was gearing myself for a lecture. I was self-aware enough to say I deserved it.
“On a scale from one to ten, how mad are you right now?”
Papá didn’t break a stride as he replied, “The scale is currently broken, Ella.”
Well, shit . “Tell me what I can do to make this right.”
He hadn’t looked at me once since we exited the station. “You’re a big girl. A strong, empowered, independent woman, as you always say.” I didn’t miss the emphasis on the I word. “I’ll let you figure it out.”
Okay, so that wasn’t the answer I was expecting. Which meant he was extremely furious. Normally, papá didn’t hesitate to give me a piece of his mind if he disagreed with something I did. This cool, composed fa?ade wasn’t a side of him I was accustomed to.
It scared me.
When we reached his car, I understood there was only one course of action. Apologizing with all the sincerity I could muster.
Regardless of my up-and-down relationship with my parents, one thing was for sure. Come high or hell water, they were always in my corner. Protecting me, providing for me, supporting me. Considering we were a family that avoided dealing with our emotions while perfecting our outer image, I wasn’t able to always convey my gratitude…But I did need papá to know how thankful I was. Right this instant.
I grabbed his arm before he could go to the driver’s door. “I’m really sorry, papá . For everything.”
I’m sorry for not being the perfect good girl daughter you want. I’m sorry for making decisions you deem bad. I’m sorry I’m not the best version of myself yet. I’m sorry for a lot of things.
The only thing I would never apologize for, however, was loving Cade.
He was the best decision I ever made.
“I’m not perfect,” I continued when papá kept watching me with intent, as though hearing the thoughts rattling through my mind. “I do try for you and mamá so you never feel ashamed of me, but sometimes I fall short. Like now. I didn’t mean to worry you both and I acknowledge that what happened tonight was not okay. I’m sorry for being a disappointment—”
“Ella,” he croaked and for the first time, I saw his exterior crack. His blank expression fell and the crinkles by the corners of his eyes grew prominent. “You’re not a disappointment. Far from it.”
I peered up at him nervously. “Really?”
“You’re human, mija . And part of being human is making mistakes and learning as you go. Even when those mistakes land you in jail and you have to call your papá in the middle of the night to come rescue you.”
I rushed into his arms. He hugged me back and kissed the top of my head. “Ella, you have no idea what thoughts went through my mind when I got that phone call. I thought you were hurt or worse—”
His shaky voice abruptly halted, overcome by emotions.
I buried my face in his chest, his homey smell comforting after a whirlwind night.
“I’m sorry if I ever made you feel like a disappointment.” He enunciated each syllable with care, making sure I understood his message. “I admit that I’m not the greatest at expressing myself. The truth is you’re my firstborn and my only daughter. I want to protect you from the harms of this wretched world and I want you to receive every blessing this life has to offer, which is why I can be adamant and domineering. But I’m not heartless, mija . I love you very much and the thought of you in any pain kills me. I need you to be more careful and more honest with us moving forward. ? Lo entiendes, Ella?”
“ Sí, papá .” I nodded. “And I love you, too.”
He kissed my head again, his own eyes shining with moisture. “Good. Now let’s go home.”
Saturday afternoon, after sleeping a handful of hours, showering, and eating a quick meal, I was summoned to the study. I dragged myself to meet mamá and papá , mentally preparing myself to get an earful about last night—er, earlier this morning.
When I stepped over the threshold, my parents stopped their conversation.
I smiled awkwardly and lowered myself to a couch before them. “Hi.”
“How are you feeling, mija ?” mamá asked tentatively, taking a sip of her café. There were dark circles under her eyes that hinted that she barely slept—a combination of hosting the fall soirée and my disappearance. Though she still looked put together in her linen attire and her midnight black hair, like mine, combed back into a neat ponytail.
“Tired,” I said truthfully and reached for the plate of Mexican cookies on the coffee table, grabbing two. “And hungry.”
“You must be out of it after the night you had.”
I’d snuck out of our home many times to go raise teenage hell with Cade during our relationship. Successfully too, without my parents or the guards’ knowledge. Who knew the guilt at finally being caught would be so profound?
Often, I saw life divided by a tightrope with two sides: good and bad. Most individuals went above and beyond to stay on the former, while I constantly found myself straying to the latter.
I had a propensity for dancing with the devil. It coursed through my blood and the more I fought it, the more it manifested itself. Nothing could be done to tame that side of me. It’s why I learned to accept my nature.
Good girls kept the status quo. Bad girls made the rules.
And I was someone who always created her own rules, the world be damned.
“I want to start off by saying I’m really sorry for last night, mamá ,” I said genuinely. “I never meant to cause you any panic. Or you, papá . It’s the last thing I wanted.”
Mamá and papá exchanged a look. I was waiting for the verbal thrashing. It never came. Upon closer inspection, they both just seemed resigned. And perhaps they knew that yelling would seldom get us nowhere. Whereas in the past, they would have blasted me for the slightest indiscretion, now they were silent.
Was this growth?
Instead, papá poured more café into his cup and cleared his throat. “Tell us everything from the beginning, Ella.”
It was a small price to pay to get back into their good graces. Therefore, I explained everything from going to St. Victoria, participating in Initiation Night—yes, I pledged my allegiance to the inner circle, but fuck it, it’s not like my parents would gossip to others about this—and how we got caught by the cops. For obvious reasons, I didn’t relay any details about me and Cade because they didn’t need to know what happened in the nurse’s office.
That was between me, him, God, and whatever spirits witnessed the act.
Safe to say, my parents were shocked to hear the entire situation. No screaming match ensued, except for—finally—a lecture on how reckless and irresponsible we were with a calmness that was worse than fury in my opinion. I listened patiently. I knew it was well-deserved. Furthermore, I lived under their roof and ate their food. While I made my own rules, occasionally I had to adhere to theirs too.
Plus, sneaking out of a high society party to go partake in a hazing activity was pretty scandalous according to my parents’ standards. Their concerns and fears were valid. They asked me to be more careful and never do anything so rebellious again. I didn’t add that Cade and I had done so much worse in the past. No point in sullying my reputation any further in their eyes.
Papá mentioned that my record was clear—most cops were dirty and in the pockets of Montardor’s elites—and that Principal Hill was sweeping this situation under the rug. No charges, no investigation. Moreover, the latter had plans of one day debuting into the political scene. She’d need all the support with her mayoral campaigns. The last thing Diane Hill wanted was to be on the Cordovas’ and the Remingtons’ shit list.
“I don’t even want to know what kind of trouble Emilio will cause us.” Papá sighed. “You kids are a handful.”
Mamá inched him a teasing look. “And to think, at one point, you wanted more.”
“I take it back,” he barked half dryly, half playful. “These two are more than enough.”
“Hey, where do you think we get it from?” I pipped in. Emilio was an angel of a child, but the Cordova bloodline was filled with rebels and my little brother would probably follow suit when he grew up. “ Abuela said you were a demon’s spawn as a child.”
“Don’t listen to your abuela .” Papá scoffed. “She’s spouting nonsense.”
I chuckled, eating my cookies as mamá ribbed him good-naturedly, recounting old stories that papá pretended not to remember. Seeing them banter—seeing them less distraught and more playful—eased my guilt for putting them through the ringer.
When papá had enough, he groaned and stood up, taking his café with him. “I’ve got work to do.” He leaned down to kiss mamá ’s cheek. “I’ll see you later, mi corazón .”
Mamá smiled and squeezed the inside of his wrist, where he had her name tattooed.
My parents were still sickeningly in love with each other. No matter how much Emilio and I gagged at their displays of affection, I knew deep in my heart I always longed for their kind of love. Papá treated mamá like gold.
Having seen that kind of love my whole life, I never wanted to settle for less.
It was why finding Cade felt so monumental.
He treated me like I was his whole universe.
Once papá left and the door of the study clicked shut, mamá ’s smile dropped. She stared at me like I took ten years out of her life. “No more secrets, mija . You can tell us anything, okay? We’re a family. We support and confide in each other. Never forget that.”
These past three years, it felt like there was entirely too much space between us. A lot of it was my fault. It became harder to share my secrets with them, as was the case for most kids who entered adolescence. And the nature of my secrets was quite dark and not the kind you casually divulged to your parents.
There was one secret, however, that I could tell her.
I went to sit beside her and grabbed her slender fingers with mine. “ Mamá , there’s something I want to tell you.”
Her undivided attention was on me. “What is it?”
When I met her gaze, tranquil and comforting, it gave me all the courage I needed to say my piece. “I was five weeks pregnant in July and I miscarried the night of Josh’s party.”
Mamá went saucer-eyed at the unexpected revelation. “What?”
“I was afraid of your reaction before so I kept this to myself. But I’m not afraid anymore and I feel healed enough to talk about what happened,” I said. “Will you hear me out, mamá ?”
She appeared on the verge of fainting, but still nodded.
I went on to tell her the whole dreadful tale from the summer. How I found out about my pregnancy, how I was excited at the prospect of becoming a new mom, how I baked cupcakes for Cade, and how Emilio was the one to find me when I lost the baby. I also added why I broke up with Cade…and how I found out twelve hours ago that he never actually cheated on me.
When I finished my monologue, mamá crushed me to her chest and wept, mourning for me, my unborn baby, and all my suffering. She planted kisses on my face, whispering words of comfort in a teary voice. Feeling her visceral reaction made me weep alongside her. A mother’s love was eternal and this was the comfort I had needed months ago. I should have known that regardless of my actions, mamá and papá would never stop loving or being there for me.
“You shouldn’t have gone through that alone, mija ,” mamá whispered. “I wish you’d told me the truth sooner.”
“I wish I had too.”
“What will you do now?” She wiped my damp cheeks.
Sighing, I rested my head on her shoulder. “After visiting Shaun at the hospital, I’m going to drive over to the Hills and retrieve my phone from Darla.”
“I meant what will you do now with Cade ?”
Oh.
Straightening, I brushed my hands down my old Batman logo T-shirt, the one I stole from Cade when we were sixteen. Then I glanced at my palm lines—my love one, in particular. There was only one person meant for me.
“We will find our way back to each other. He’s the only man I want to be with, mamá . The only one who understands me, protects me, loves me beyond measure. And I love him, too. I never stopped,” I said with conviction. “I know he wasn’t yours and papá’s first choice for me, but he is mine. In every way that matters.”
My words were firm, leaving no room for argument. Cade would be their future son-in-law. They just needed to accept it.
I once said that the universe was pulling my strings and having a laugh. But I didn’t realize it was for my own benefit. After everything that unfolded on Initiation Night, one thing was crystal clear to me.
Cade and I were written in the stars.
He was my destiny.
And I’d follow him until the ends of the earth.
“I want to apologize on behalf of myself and your papá ,” mamá began with a remorseful tone. “It’s no secret that we preferred Josh, but it doesn’t excuse the fact that we never gave Cade a fair chance when you both started dating. Yes, we were disappointed that you chose him, but over the years, it became clear to us why. He’s kind, polite, smart, and most of all, treats you like a princesa . Anyone with a pair of eyes can see how much that boy loves you, Ella. Although we didn’t outright give our blessings the first time, you have them now. I know he’ll continue to make you the happiest girl in the world.”
“Thank you,” I whispered. “You have no idea how much this means to me.”
I wanted them to accept him for so long that it felt a weight was finally lifted off my shoulders.
Mamá cupped my face and smiled. “Now go to your room. There’s a surprise waiting for you. It was delivered an hour ago.”
Autumn sunlight filtered through my sheer curtains, casting a warm glow in my room. I padded over to my bed. There sat an enormous white box with…a bouquet of orange lollipops wrapped in a blue ribbon.
The same bouquet Cade used to send me every month until we broke up.
My heart soared in my chest like a flock of birds. I set the bouquet on my bedside table and gingerly opened the mysterious box.
I gasped when I saw the stunning, blue silk gown inside.
An envelope tucked in the wrapping fluttered to the floor. My name was written on the front in a familiar masculine scrawl. I dove for it, nearly ripping the letter open in my haste.
And when I read the contents, I swooned, overcome by so much love for Cade.
Ella,
I hope you slept well and are not too tired from last night’s shenanigans (although if you ask me, getting sent to jail is not only a rite of passage but an accomplishment for heathens like us). I also hope your ankle doesn’t hurt too much. Put some ice on it. When I see you, I’ll kiss it better.
I know we never got to finish our conversation, but I’ve made it clear what I want.
You.
Now and forever.
For I love you with every inch of my beating heart. I always have. I always will.
There will only ever be you for me, princess. You’re my ride or die, the other half of my soul, and the girl I will someday make my wife.
We swore that this would last past our dying breaths, until we inevitably find each other in the next lifetime.
Let us uphold that promise.
Don’t make me live without you anymore, mo chuisle.
Tomorrow, when I see you at the gala, I’ll be expecting your answer.
I hope you want me, need me, love me, as much as I do you.
Forever yours,
Princepin