Chapter 296

Marvin I took the elevator to the top floor and found my way to Tiago’s recovery room. “Leave,” I told the maid guarding the door. Her lips trembled in fear. “Sir, your mother gave us instructions to-”

“Do I look like my mother?”

The woman shook her head vigorously and walked away without saying another word. I didn’t want to be like this, but I was doing it for Tiago I was doing it, so I didn’t have to lose him.

I pushed the trolley and entered the room while holding my breath. The smell was like torture.

“Santiago.”

Tiago sat in his usual corner on the bed and raised his head to look at me. His eyes were dull and lifeless. “Marvin.”

He sounded pathetic, and I felt sorry for him. I didn’t want it to be like this. “It smells like someone died in here. Please take a shower.”

“Anya died.”

For a second, I closed my eyes to control my anger and pushed the trolley towards the bed. I grabbed a plate and a fork and sat down on the very edge of the bed. “Tiago, you need to eat.” I stuck a knife into the eggs. “I need you to get stronger.”

“No, you don’t.”

“What?”

Tiago’s eyes were full of hatred. “I heard you’re trying to send me to a mental facility.” He spoke. I felt my body shake out of anger and had to remind myself to keep breathing How did I become the bad guy?

“That’s not true.” I smiled. “I would never let anything happen to you. You know that.”

“That’s funny.” Tiago chuckled. “Because I’ve heard these rumors after your return.”

“And why do you think I would do something like that?” I squeezed the fork in my hands. Tiago stared at me as if I was the issue. “Because you feel threatened by me.” He concluded.

His conclusion almost made me laugh, and if I weren’t that angry-I would’ve. Trust me. I don’t feel threatened by you.”

“So you think I’m weak?”

How did he even manage to turn this around?

“That’s not what I said-sorry, but what are we getting at?”

“I read the news about Danny Hernandez.” Tiago switched the subject. This was a good sign. He was interesied. “You did?”

“Yes, and it isn’t going to fix anything.” Tiago said. “Anya is dead while the Hernandez gets to move on like nothing ever happened, and Danny isn’t even dead he’s injured.”

“Tiago-”

“No, you need to accept the truth, and that is that the punishment would’ve not been as lightly if it were you instead of Anya!” Tiago snapped. I felt furious, and it was mainly because he was right.

The Castillo’s would’ve sent an entire army, but they would never go that far for Anya.

I was the one who came up with the idea to injure Danny, and I did it for the sake of this entire family, hoping Freddie Hernandez could show us mercy. Sake of the family? I was starting to sound like Mario Castillo, Tiago wasn’t ready for a war, and neither were my mom and Karina. This was for the best, and somewhere along the way, Tiago would understand.

Tiago scratched his arms. “These people don’t care about me. You don’t care about me!”

“Tiago—”

-Did you want me to clap my hands and congratulate you for taking revenge-while none of this would’ve happened if you had just stayed in prison!”

This was it. I couldn’t take it anymore. I hadn’t even noticed the state of the bent fork until it had cracked in my hands. “I went to prison for you.” I gulped, shocked. I made many mistakes, but if he was willing to bring them up—he should also bring up the part where I went to prison for him.

“Yes, whatever, you’re just as innocent as Danny Hernandez.” Tiago shrugged me off. Our cases were completely different. I was genuinely innocent, but Danny was not. Danny was a monster involved in human trafficking, and he belonged in prison.We weren’t saints, but the Hernandez and the Castillo’s were not the same.

I did not feel any sympathy for that man.

How could my own brother even compare me to that man?

Tiago continued without a hint of regret. “Anya is dead because of you, and the DEA agent is dead because of me.”

I clenched my fists and closed my eyes. My heart told me to drop it because he wasn’t in his right state of mind, but my head told me to put him straight.

I threw the fork back onto the trolley and dipped a spoon into some soup. “Eat.” I smiled, placing the spoon near Tiago’s dry lips. He rejected the spoon and shook his head. “We should just turn ourselves in. don’t you think?” He spoke. “Me for getting rid of the DEA agent, and you for killing Anya-*

“Eat.”

I didn’t want to admit it, but I was lost. Tiago needed help, but the way things were looking, it indeed seemed as if he was going to rat himself out-and I couldn’t let that happen.I did not spend my precious years in prison for him to fuck it up Tiago slapped away my hand, refusing the spoon. All he needed to do was eat. Yes, that was it.

After a good breakfast, he would take back his words and apologize.

“Tiago, please.” I begged him with a warm smile on my face. My lips were trembling, and so was my body -but I could not show it to him. It would only make him believe that I wasn’t on his side.

“Just take one bite, please.”

Tiago followed the same routine and smacked my hand. “We’re both monsters.” He shrugged, adding to ny anger. “You’re obviously the bigger monster between the two of us because you are a true Castillo, and rou actually enjoy killing people…but we are both mon-”

Shut the fuck up and eat!” I yelled out, losing my patience. My body moved on its own as I pinned him down to the bed and forcefully opened his mouth before pushing the spoon down his throat.

Only after hearing the sounds of Tiago’s gags, I stepped back in utter shock. I pushed a spoon down his throat. What was wrong with me?

Tiago, I didn’t mean to!” I excused myself from a distance as Tiago caught his breath. I was prepared for aim to yell at me, but he threw back his head in laughter and slammed his fists against the wall.

I knew it, I knew it!” He shouted. “You’re just like them. I knew it all along!”

He was out of his damn mind.

With pain in my heart, I ignored Tiago’s behavior and reached forward to grab the trolley. I had been so harsh on the maids, but even I couldn’t get him to eat. He would rather starve to death.

“Elena is coming to visit this week!” I dominated him. Tiago stopped hitting the wall and turned around with widened eyes. “E-Elena?”

I had not expected it to work, but the mention of her name appeared to be calming him down.

Maybe 1 was overreacting about this whole situation, and maybe seeing someone other than a Castillo might’ve been the medicine he needed. “She’s coming to visit?”

“Yes, she is,” I confirmed. “So please don’t embarrass me and take a damn shower.