Chapter 289

Elena “Please, sit.”

Nervously, I fumbled the keys in my hands and followed Marvin’s instructions as I sat down on a chair near the hospital bed. I took a deep breath and raised my head to look at him. Marvin had a gentle smile on his face, and by the looks of it, he seemed to be doing just fine.

He wasn’t afraid of eye contact and stared at me as if I was obligated to lead the conversation.

What would you say to someone who had taken a bullet for you?

What was there to say?

I was able to talk to Panther, so why wasn’t I able to talk to Marvin?

There were so many names to call him, but there was only one strange thing about this situation. I wasn’t scared The fear came from not knowing what he would say, but I wasn’t afraid of him. If anything, I felt at ease. “So.” I began. “I’m sorry about Anya-

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Marvin cut me off Noted, he did not like talking about his feelings. “Oh, okay,” I replied awkwardly.

“Aren’t you dying?” Marvin smiled softly. Confused, I frowned my brow. “Dying?”

Marvin pointed to my sweater, and at that moment, I knew what he meant. “Yes, in those black clothes?” A laugh escaped from his lips. “Aren’t you dying?

“Ah, no!” I shook my head, looking down at my black outfit. “I’ve had years of training, so no, I’m not dying-and I don’t smell either.” I smelled my armpit, regretting it the very second. Why did I have to be so embarrassing?

“I know, I have a nose.

Marvin sat up straight and leaned closer as I held in my breath. “So?” He spoke in a teasing tone.

“Aren’t you going to thank me? You’re the reason I’m in here.”

“Thank you,” I spoke dryly. All I had to do was to give him the keys, but something was holding me back. If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve thought I was glued to the chair. Being in Marvin’s presence felt right, which made me just as twisted as him. He saved my life, but that didn’t make him any less of a criminal.

“Thank you, and sorry.” I took a deep breath, acknowledging my mistakes. “Thank you for protecting me. and I’m sorry for….walking out on you.”

I gathered my courage and raised my head, so I could stare into Marvin’s eyes to wait for his reaction, but all he showed me was a warm smile. Was this a game? How could he be like this?

“Elena,” Marvin chuckled. “I’m just kidding. You don’t need to thank me for doing what’s right-and you don’t have to apologize for walking out on me.” He said. “It’s okay.”

“I should be the one apologizing to you for the stuff I said at the wedding.”

That’s right, I had forgotten all about it. This was the same man who had made a fool out of me.

“You called me below your status, immature, naive, a social experiment—”

“And I didn’t mean any of it. I’m sorry.” Marvin apologized. “But you have to understand that I stepped out of my comfort zone to meet up with you, I was looking forward to getting to know you, and you bailed on me.”

I looked around the room and freaked out as I noticed there were no words left to say. He had a point. My way of handling things was indeed immature. Yes, this was a stupid idea.

“I…1, I murmured before showing him the key. “I came to give you this, right before Anya….she told me to give you this.”

“Give it.” Marvin almost snatched the key from my hand. He observed the object with a suspicious look in his eyes. “Why would she give this to you?”

I scoffed at his offensive words. “Well, that Victor guy was out getting help, your brother was…

unstable, and you were dying. I was there with her so-”

“She gave it to you.” Marvin finished my sentence. “Do you know what it’s for?”

He looked at me with a desperate look in his eyes, and I felt terrible that I could not give him an answer. “I don’t know,” I confessed, embarrassed. “She said,Marvin, Victor, Tiago.I thought it was supposed to go to you, and if not Victor, and then Tiago?”

“Never,” Marvin stated, shaking his head. “Anya wouldn’t do that. She hated him.”

“Oh, well.” I shrugged. “Then I guess I have the right person?”

“Yes, thank you,” Marvin spoke. “She always carried this with her, so perhaps she could sense her final moments and wanted to leave something behind for Tiago.”

An awkward silence followed as I stared at Marvin, who immersed himself in the key Could it be important?

I sighed at the image of Marvin, realizing that this would be the end of our adventure. There was no reason for me to see him anymore, and I did what I had to do. I thanked him for saving my life, and I gave him the key.

Right?

“So, what are your plans for today?” Marvin acknowledged me once again. It pained me to see his effort to communicate with me, but this was, unfortunately, where I had to end it. It would be for the best for both of us.

The truth about my dad would end up hurting him even more.

“Excuse me,” I apologized, standing up from the chair. Marvin narrowed his eyes, waiting for me to speak.

“I came to see if you’re okay…and you’re okay.” I began. “I came to give you the key….I gave you the key-so now it’s time for me to go…goodbye.”

Don’t look back, Elena, don’t look back.

Just as I was about to turn around, Marvin grabbed my arm to stop me. “Elena, wait.” He almost pleaded.

“Don’t walk out on me again. We’re not finished.” Marvin ordered. I looked back at the sour expression on his face.

The demanding tone in his voice sounded like one of a privileged kid. Someone who always got what he wanted, no matter what. “I said I was okay with you bailing out on me-but I’m not letting you take another step until you tell me why you left, and I want a real reason.” He continued. “You at least owe me an answer, don’t you think?”

“I-I.” I stuttered. “I left because I was nervous..I’m sorry.”

“Nervous?” Marvin took a breath. “Whatever it is, I’m glad you approached me so we can do this the easy way.”

So there it was, the honest Marvin.

I looked away from his eyes as I accepted my fate. The easy way? So there was a hard way?Of course, there was a hard way. He wasn’t some random man who lived around the neighborhood.He was a Castillo.

What did I get myself into?

How could I even misjudge him?

Panther was in on this, and the two had made a pact to kill me, I knew it.

No, but really-what the hell was I even thinking? Did I really expect him to let me go this easily after I’d embarrassed him? I should’ve listened to my dad’s words.

People like him loved the feeling of power. They loved seeing others in fear, and that was what they lived for. He never cared about my feelings. It was all a lie.

“I’m not letting go of you, Elena.” Marvin squeezed my arm. I avoided all eye contact and was finally starting to feel the sweat underneath my black sweater. Would this be the end of me?

I knew it. I knew it all along.

I froze as Marvin used my arm to pull himself up from the bed and moved his finger to my chin. I didn’t have a choice and followed his movement until I was forced to look into his eyes. “I’m not letting go of you because I want you to give me a second chance, and I want to fix whatever mistake I’ve made. I don’t want you to leave like this.”

What?

So he wasn’t going to hurt me?

“W-wait, so you’re not angry?”

Marvin chuckled. “No, are you?”

“Uh… no?” I questioned my own intentions. I was supposed to run out, but I just couldn’t do that.

Marvin truly was like, honey.

We looked into each other’s eyes as we were both lost for words at the misunderstanding. After all that had happened between us, he still wanted to fix everything.

What if I would not take my distance from Marvin and gave him a second chance?

My dad and Alex did not have to find out because I was an adult.

When would someone like me ever get the chance to come across someone as handsome as him?

Someone was interested in me and didn’t cut me off whenever I had something irrelevant to share.

For a moment, I had forgotten all about agent Maddens or all of the other nasty stuff and put myself first.

What did I want?

“What’s on your mind?” Marvin tilted his head with a soft smile on his face. I looked at him with flushed checks. “Honestly…you.”

“Me?” Marvin spoke sarcastically. “What about me?”

It was time to stop lying to myself, and it was time to speak up. At first I was confused, but staying in this room despite doing everything I had to do-only meant one thing. I did have feelings for him.

He deserved a second chance, everyone did.

“I was thinking..perhaps we-”

“Can start being friends again, like we used to?” Marvin interrupted me.

“Y-yes…” I replied, ashamed of the misunderstanding. All this time, I thought we had a vibe. When he asked to see me, I thought he was into me. When he asked if I believed in love at first sight, I thought it was about me.

What was I even thinking Just look at us. He was Marvin Castillo, who had a status to uphold, and I was Elena Torres. A bartender who didn’t even know what she was doing with her life.

“What? You don’t want to be friends?” Marvin spoke, worried. I faked a smile. “No, no, I do!” I lied.

The truth was that I wasn’t interested in just a friendship.

I didn’t go through all these struggles to come out of it with just a friendship.

Out of nowhere, Marvin lost his balance, but before he could hit the floor, I put my arms around his shoulder for support. “What the hell was that?” I asked, startled. Marvin laughed. “I’m not fully recovered yet. I’m sorry.”

I used all of my strength to pull up Marvin’s weight, proving once again that I should really start going to the gym. “Then you shouldn’t be standing. You’re heavy!”

“Thanks, Elena.” Marvin snorted. “But I couldn’t let you leave either, now could I?” He pointed to the wheelchair in the corner of the room. “If you don’t mind.”

“Oh, sure.”

I felt pressured by his sudden demand and almost dragged him to the wheelchair. He was starting to sound a lot as he used to in his emails, and maybe that was a good thing. It was a sign that not a lot had changed.

Maybe I still had a chance….

“Here you go,” I sat down Marvin in his wheelchair and grabbed a blanket to tuck him in. Marvin grabbed my wrist to stop me and shot me an offended look. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Taking care of you. It’s cold in here.” I clarified. I looked down at his firm hand, which was wrapped around my wrist, and released myself from his grip. “I can just go if you don’t want my help.” I blurted. I wasn’t supposed to share my thoughts, but my mouth wasn’t always working along.

I had expected Marvin to get angry, but he leaned back with a smile. “Please, continue.” He said.

“And maybe after we’re finished, you can get my bib and give me a bottle.”

Seriously?

I rolled my eyes, ignoring his words, and continued what I was doing. I grew a slight smile on my lips, realizing that this was the same Marvin I had been talking to.

“Or I should just become your nurse.”

Marvin shrugged. “Yes, maybe you should.”