14 - The Death of a Father

Valeria

I sob continuously as the doctors take away my father's dead body. It happened very fast, the beeping sounds became fast and the next thing I know, my father is dead.

His body couldn't take it. How could it?

Lorenzo never left my side. He kept hugging me as I sobbed and I didn't care that he was my employer. Well, the son of my employer.

"Valeria!" Sophia calls as she runs my way. She takes me from Lorenzo and hugs me. Sarah and Valentina came with her too.

"Oh, honey, I am so sorry for your loss." Mrs. Gonzalez hugs me when Sophia let go.

Sarah also gives me a hug and wishes me her condolences.

I keep crying, this time, in Valentina's embrace. She tells the rest to give me privacy, so they walk out of the hospital and wait for us to come.

"I promise you, Valeria, we will find your mother." Mrs. Gonzalez promises as she caresses my hair. "My son is working on finding her, don't you worry."

"What's the point? He's dead...I am alone now, Mrs. Gonzalez..." I sob, tightening my hold on her as if she's someone I am comfortable with. At this point, I don't care what I do because I have lost the only person who loves me.

"Don't say that, you have us, Valeria."

I don't say anything because I don't want to be rude. As much as I know Mrs. Gonzalez loves me, I will always be her maid, nothing more. Even to Sophia, I am her maid, not her friend. Just thinking about it makes me sob harder because I know deep down that I am all alone. Even my mother didn't turn out to be a decent person. The only person now that I know is Charlotte, my childhood friend.

"Come, let's go," Mrs. Gonzalez says.

"What about my father?" I ask, my eyes full of tears.

"Don't worry. I will make sure he gets buried in the cemetery close to the villa, so you could visit."

"Thank you, Mrs. Gonzalez."

* * *

At night, I find it extremely hard to sleep. The only thing I could think about is my father, who is going to be buried tomorrow morning in the cemetery. I just can't believe that he is gone because I talked to him a day before he was stabbed. I wish I stayed with him or taken him with me.

I keep sobbing at the image of my father's dead body.

It's my fault. I have left him alone with my mother knowing exactly how she could be. But I didn't really know that she could kill someone. My mother is a killer, my father's killer, and I have to live with it for the rest of my life.

A knock on the door stops my sobbing session. I collect myself, wiping the tears before walking to the door and pulling it open.

"Mr. Lorenzo?" Confusion appears on my face as I look at his hooded eyes. "Is something wrong?"

"I should ask you that question. What's wrong? Can I come in?" He fires questions. Immediately after I nod, he walks into my room and closes the door.

"N-Nothing's wrong."

"I heard you crying, Valeria."

"Of course, I am crying. My father was murdered by my mother," I scoff as I shake my head, completely forgetting that he could fire me right here right now.

"I didn't mean it like that, gosh, Valeria, come here." He opens his arms for me to take. I hesitantly walk to him and hug him. Almost immediately, tears begin running down my face.

We end up sitting on the bed in the same position.

"You don't have to be here if you don't want to. I know Mrs. Gonzalez told you to come," I say, pulling myself out of his embrace.

He furrows his brows as he looks into my eyes. "No one told me to come here, Valeria."

So he came here willingly? I doubt that. Why would he?

"Don't pretend to care..."

He chuckles as I said that.

"If my family cares about you, then I should too."

There it is, disappointment. I knew it's too good to be true. He only cares about me because his family does.

My mood shifts and I unintentionally glare at him.

"Look, I shouldn't have said that, I am sorry."

"You seem to think that saying sorry solves everything. I still haven't forgiven you about that night in the kitchen," I say, standing up and walking far away from him.

"It doesn't. I know, but that's what I know. Tell me, what I should do for you to forgive me? I didn't mean to hurt you, Valeria." His desperate voice gets to me a little bit.

"Why do you want my forgiveness? I am just a maid, am I not?" I bit back the words he said when he first met me.

He sighs heavily and closes his eyes. "I was jealous."

"Jealous? From what?" I ask, this time sitting beside him again.

"I haven't seen my family properly in years and when I came back, I saw how much they love you. I-I don't think they bear the same feelings for me," he explains, making me more confused.

"Your family adores you, Lorenzo. What are you talking about?"

"I am the reason my uncle and his family were murdered, Valeria."

I widen my eyes in shock as I look into his beautiful sad eyes. They hold so much pain that I don't think it will go anytime soon.

"H-How?"

"My best friend at that time, Philip, was ordered to look after them because of a threat we had been receiving for a few weeks. I was in Ibiza doing some business, so I told him to look after them, along with other men. It turned out that he was the one who wanted to kill them."

Oh my god.

"I am sorry if I am asking too much, but why? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"It turned out that my uncle had a one-night stand with a woman before he married his wife. This woman became pregnant and didn't tell him. When Philip grew up, he sought revenge because he didn't know the whole truth. His mother lied."

"I am so sorry, Lorenzo," I say with teary eyes and hug him.

"I apologize. I shouldn't have talked about that while you're hurting," he says, making me shake my head.

"It's okay. You can tell me anything...I know that we are nothing to one another, but we could be, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"We could be friends, no?" I ask with a weak smile. "Unless you don't want—"

"I do," he replies with a grin.

I raise my hand for him to shake and he does. "Friends."

* * *

The next day, we buried my father. I stayed near his grace for hours before Mrs. Gonzalez's driver told me that we should go back. Lorenzo couldn't come with me because he had work, while the girls, Sarah and Sophia, had appointments to attend.

When I reach the villa, Mrs. Gonzalez tells me to take a couple of days off, but I refused. The last thing I want is to overthink everything because that is what I will do if I stay doing nothing.

I start cleaning the house starting from the bedrooms to the living room. Mr. and Mrs. Gonzalez are the only ones in the house right now. Even Cassie went with Johnny to wherever he went.

After a few hours, I finished everything just in time as everyone arrived.

But as soon as they came in, Cassie and Johnny start fighting.

"I hate you! I hate that I can't do this alone and I have to do it with you!" Cassie yells.

"You think I am happy having you here and having to take care of you? Because I don't!"

"Then I'll leave! I don't want my baby to have a father like you!"

"You can't leave with my child! The baby is mine too! Besides, I don't want him or her to have a mother like you!"

"You are an asshole! I hate you, Johnny!"

"And I hate you too, Cassie!"

I watch with wide eyes as the rest of the family laughs at them. It seems that it is normal for them to fight like this. I wonder why they don't get along...was it a one-night stand that got Cassie pregnant, or what?

From what I can see, it's a one-night stand that got them to become parents.

Suddenly, Cassie finds it hard to breathe and before I could blink, she falls to the floor, but Johnny is fast enough to hold her before she hit the floor.

"Cassie!" he panics as he pulls her into his arms in a bridal style.

"Enzo, get the doctor!" Mr. Gonzalez yells.

Johnny takes Cassie to the living room and places her on the couch. I immediately bring some water, pour some on my hand, and put some on her neck.

The doctor arrives after twenty minutes and quickly checks on Cassie. She is still breathing but probably fainted from the stress.

"What's wrong with her?" Johnny terrifyingly asks the doctor.

"Don't worry. She is okay. Her stress levels were high, which caused her to faint. You need to be careful about upsetting her. She is still in her early months of pregnancy. It's very critical."

"Thank god..." Johnny lets out a heavy sigh before kneeling next to Cassie and holding her hand.

If someone who didn't witness their fight, they would think that they are a great couple, who love each other a lot.

"I am so sorry, Cassie. I promise you I will listen to you," Johnny says, still holding her hand.

"Good. I guess I have to faint in order for you to become decent."

* * *