by A. Constanza
“I know you hear me, Twinkle. I’m going to show you what you’ve been missing the past two months that you’ve ignored me…” His voice became softer, almost an attempt to sound tender, but then his voice grew with fury. “Do you fucking hear me?”
My heart felt like it was in my throat from hearing his despicable threats, and I bolted down the stairs. Every fiber in my body was running on a hundred miles an hour, and as I turned the sharp corner to run down the two steps that led to the front door, I fell straight onto my face. My head lifted slightly, and I watched blood pour out of me, but I managed to reach for the front doorknob. And right when I thought I would escape without being ever touched by Cesar again, my head flung back with great force.
The sudden motion felt like a cracking whip. There was a hot, prickling sensation surging through my neck, and dizziness immediately followed. I wasn’t just seeing one Cesar.
He flung me against the floor, my body crashing against the hardwood, nearly knocking the wind out of me. Cesar stepped one foot on each side of my body and leaned down, pinning my wrists to the ground as he pressed his pelvis down on me.
“I’m going to show you what you missed out, right here…right now. And after I’m done using your worthless body, I’m going to drag you out of here by the hair and take you somewhere far away. We’ll see if your boyfriend will pay good money for you, but little does he know he’ll be paying for broken goods.” Cesar crept his face down, a millimeter away, shifting his weight onto my chest and squeezing my face with his free hand. “I’m going to fucking break you, Estella,” he seethed.
If his plan for me wasn’t to kill me, I would’ve begged for death myself. Being in a relationship with Cesar was a nightmare, but being his captive until I was found would be a living hell.
Ignacio, I need you.
Then I heard my phone vibrating against the hardwood. It had to be him; he had to know that there was something wrong. We were connected.
“Go fuck yourself,” I screamed at the top of my lungs.
There wasn’t much fight left in me, but with my heart pounding against my chest, every thump loud, furious, and seeking vengeance, I did what I could only think of doing. With all my force, I jerked my head up to slam it against his head, causing us both to wail in pain. Cesar hesitated for a split second, and that was enough for me to push him off of me and escape.
I wasn’t sure if it was me growing unconscious or hearing things, but a siren wailed in the distance. The possibility of making it out alive was enough for me to run for the front door again, and I opened it to find five cop cars surrounding the area, officers spilling out of the vehicle with their guns in the air.
Mid-breath, my eyes locked with Ignacio who ran past the officers to catch me as I collapsed down the staircases. My body drifted off into darkness and silence, in the comfort of his loving arms.
“Estella, my star, you’re okay, you’re okay. Do not leave me, I need you. God, I’d fucking die for you. I’d take your place right now if I could. I’d make all the pain go away… Estella, I love you.” I heard Ignacio sob before I closed my eyes.
I love you, too.
THIRTY-FOUR
Estella
I gasped, shuddering as my soul realigned with the shell that I called a body. Bright white lights penetrated my eyes, not helping my blurred vision. As my eyes refocused, I could hear the sound of machines beeping, pumping, and voices coming from the hallway. I looked down at my wrist that had a strip of tape that held an IV in place.
I was at a hospital.
I leaned my head back against the bed because the little movement I had done pained me beyond belief, and in addition, my head throbbed. I needed some relief. Actual medication. My hand aimlessly patted around the rough-textured quilt, and before I could press the call button, someone entered the room.
Ignacio.
“Estella,” he gasped, jumping to my side. “God, I’m so glad you’re okay. I thought I was going to lose you.” The agony behind his voice devastated me. He closed his eyes firmly, and he opened them when I reached for him.
“You’ll never lose me, do you understand?”
“Okay,” he whispered.
“Where are Mama and Papa?” I asked, more alert. “Papa can’t know; his heart is too weak.” I started to panic.
“Estella, Mama and Maya know, not Papa. Not yet anyway.”
I placed my hand over my chest in relief. “Okay, good. How long have I been here?” I asked, my voice dry.
“About a day.” His face was pained.
“I’ve been unconscious for almost a day?”
Ignacio nodded slowly. “You sustained a lot of head wounds, Estella.”
Hearing him mention head wounds made my head throb in pain. I had never felt this amount of pain in my life. “I need medicine.”
“I’ll get someone to help.”
Ignacio opened the door and leaned half of his body out, calling for the nurses. A nurse walked in to check my vitals. She asked me general questions and then shortly after, handed me two pills.
“The doctor will be in shortly.”
“Thank you,” I whispered.
Ignacio reached for my hand and held it firmly against his lips. “I’m sorry this happened. I shouldn’t have pressured you into reporting him.”
“Ignacio, it was for the best. I couldn’t have let him get away with what he did to me.”
Ignacio sighed and placed a delicate kiss on my hand. “You’re safe. He’s in custody. Two counts of first-degree burglary, stalking, assault, and other charges have had him committed to prison for over twenty years.”
“Burglary?” I croaked.
Ignacio nodded. “Sebastian came forward a couple of hours ago and brought proof that Cesar and Romeo were the ones to rob the market and attack your father.”
I knew that Cesar and Romeo were scum, but I never expected them to stoop that low and attack Papa for revenge. My stomach twisted in disgust that I had brought such a vile person into my house and family. I never wanted to hear from or see Cesar again.
“I also extended our flight,” Ignacio said.
“How far out?”
“A little after Thanksgiving.”
“Really?” I gasped. The thought of being able to spend Thanksgiving with my family and Ignacio was a dream come true. I couldn’t have asked for a better idea. “But wait, I have so many orders to fill. Someone literally bought one of everything, and I’m not even halfway done.”
Ignacio gave me a timid smile. “Don’t worry about it.”
“What do you mean? That’s my business.”
“It means that I’m the one who ordered one of everything.”
I looked at him with confusion. “You?” I whispered. “Why?”
“Why? Because I was convinced that you didn’t want anything to do with me, and if it were true, I still wanted to find some sort of connection to you. So, I placed a massive order. I figured that you would appreciate the business, and I would be rewarded with your items.”
I stumbled over my words, not sure what to say to his kind and grand gesture. “I don’t know what to say.”
Ignacio lifted a finger. “I’m going to keep giving, Estella. You deserve the world, and I’m going to start that promise today. It’s not how I wanted to do it, but…”
“Ignacio,” I whispered. “You’ve done so much already.”
Ignacio slipped his hands into his jacket pocket and retrieved a black velvet box. He opened it, and a beautiful, star-shaped, halo ring sparkled from inside it.
“Oh my God,” I gasped.
“I know it’s only been two months or so, but it’s been the best two months of my life, even with all the obstacles we’ve had to go through. We did it together, and that’s how I want to go through the rest of my life. I want to go through everything with you. Together. You were that beam of light that my soul needed. I lived my life motionless—lifeless—without you, and
now that I know what it’s like to live, to not just exist, I don’t ever want to turn back. Marry me, Estella, and I will give you the whole universe. I will give you the sky, the stars, the sun, the moon, and every ounce of love that you deserve.”
God, my heart pounded against my chest throughout the whole speech, and I couldn’t take a proper breath. Behind me, I could hear the escalating beeps of the heart rate monitor. Ignacio exchanged a look between the monitor and my overwhelmed expression. His lips parted open, maybe to mention about wrong timing, but I quickly responded.
“Yes!” I smiled. “A million times, yes.”
Ignacio wore a proud smile as he took the ring from the box. He lifted my hand gingerly, slipping the white-gold band over my finger. “Stella mia.”
To second chances.
To forgiveness.
To love.
To a new beginning.
EPILOGUE
Estella
A Year and Ten Months Later
The sun was sending us farewells with a pastel display of colors, a slight breeze whisked through the trees, and the clattering of plates and laughter echoed from outside. It was a beautiful sight to see my entire family gathered out in the backyard, enjoying the last few days of summer. Ignacio’s film score played in the background, filling the country air with its perfection.
I recalled the moment when Ignacio decided to start writing music again.
He was desperate to create a piece for our unborn child; he wanted it to be the first instrumental piece our baby heard when it entered the world. He wrote for weeks and weeks until he declared it perfect. It was the night that marked the twentieth week of my pregnancy. I sat on the bench with him as he played it on the piano, and that’s when it happened.
It was a subtle kick that caught me off guard, but I gasped, and Ignacio cupped my stomach. Our baby kicked again, and I teased that the baby wanted to hear the rest of the music. Ignacio continued to play the piece, and there was another kick. We looked at each other and nearly teared up that our baby seemed to have a strong connection to music, and not just any music, but his dad’s music. Then, Ignacio continued creating masterpieces, and Emile sent them out to his connections, and shortly after, Ignacio had a contract with a film production to write the music for a romance movie.
The bundle of joy in my arms placed his tired head on my shoulders, signaling that he was tired but resisting. He’d had a busy day filled with so much attention, presents, and a little bit of cake to celebrate his birthday. Our baby boy, Ren, was one year old.
Ren was taken from Florence’s name—whom we knew wouldn’t have much time with him, but at least he would have her in his name. She passed away two months ago, and I knew that she desperately wanted to make it to his birthday, but she was happy to have at least cherished him even for a little while.
I reached over for the silver rattle that laid in a bed of blue tissue paper and handed it to Ren. She had personalized it with his name and three musical notes. Ren gently banged it against my chest, and I feigned pain which made him laugh.
“Silly boy, you should try to sleep,” I whispered to him.
He pressed his head against me and nuzzled my neck. That was his way of objecting.
“I guess it’s Daddy’s turn to try to put you to sleep, hmm?”
He perked his head up with a widened smile, showing me his little teeth. He was certainly a daddy’s boy, and it made me a little jealous, but not too much because Ignacio was an outstanding father. He was kind, patient, and attentive. He constantly placed us first because our happiness was his happiness.
We went back downstairs, and through the back door, everyone cheered again at the sight of a very lively Ren.
“He’s ready for round two of partying,” Maya joked. She, along with the rest of my family, had been visiting us in Italy for two weeks. It was Maya’s and her girlfriend’s last hoorah before they started college at NYU, and my parents wanted to come down since they hadn’t seen us in months. I missed them, but I loved my life in Italy.
We owned a renovated cottage made out of light-colored stones, vines coming down the edges of the house, four bedrooms with bathrooms, a perfect-sized pool, an art studio with all-natural lighting, and acres of green. Ignacio had bought the old cottage and with a lot of interior design research, we built our perfect home a couple of months shy of Ren’s arrival. It all happened within a year: the pregnancy, the intimate wedding in Paris, and moving in, but I would do it all over again.
“More like round two of attempting to put him down to sleep,” I mumbled, handing him over to Ignacio.
“No, gimme the little gnocchi!” Maya yelped with pleading hands.
Ignacio gave Ren a kiss on his chubby cheeks and handed him over to Maya. Maya wrapped him in her arms, and Alana leaned over, cooing over Ren as she played with his fingers. They were going strong for two years, and I had no doubt that after college, they would be their own happy little family.
Maya and Alana walked back inside with Ren. I knew exactly what they were going to do. They were all going to lie down in their bed together, close all the blinds, put on their starry-night projector, and listen to their lo-fi hip-hop music. For the past two nights, I would tiptoe into their room and fetch a sleeping Ren. It took a lot of patience and silence to not wake him as I lifted him off their bed and walked down the hall to place him in his crib. He was going to miss them terribly when they left.
“Well, thank you so much for that delicious meal, Ignacio. I didn’t know you could cook, too,” Mama swooned. She never held back on the compliments and eye fluttering; it was cute. I liked that she adored him as much as I did. Even Papa would throw in his own flattery along the way. Sometimes, I was convinced they liked him more than they liked me, but I didn’t blame them. I’d found myself a keeper.
Mama and Papa cleared up the plates and glasses even though we’d told them several times throughout their visit that they didn’t have to lay a finger, but they always insisted. They were always finding ways to feel needed.
The cool breeze tousled with my hair, and I lifted my head up, feeling the wind caress my skin and welcoming autumn. The month of September would always hold a special place in my heart, especially in Italy. It was the month of my son’s birthday, the month that I met my amazing husband, and the month that my life changed for good.
“Have I told you how beautiful you look today?” Ignacio said, leaning over his seat and pulling me into his lap with one solid tug. I circled my arms around his neck and gazed at his fiery, brown eyes.
“Only twice,” I teased.
“God, you’re so beautiful, so beautiful,” he repeated in his sultry voice until I laughed and begged him to stop. “Marry me, Estella.”
I lifted my hand, showcasing the beautiful engagement and wedding rings that enveloped my finger. “I did.”
“Marry me again.”
“Ignacio,” I whispered with a blush. “I think all of Marcelo and Salem’s wedding planning is getting to your head.” They were going to be married in five days, and of course, it made us feel extra-romantic, extra-tender, and extra-sentimental.
“You’re right, and it’s made me think. Do you wish we had a large wedding? Traveling around Europe to find the perfect dress, location, bakery, flowers, and more?” His eyes filled with guilt. “I know we did it all suddenly, but we are happy, right? You’re happy?”
“I’m transcendently happy. This is my Heaven.”
Ignacio laced his fingers in my hair, gingerly pulling me forward, and kissed me long and slow. His tongue intertwined mine, and I moaned against him; everything about him felt amazing. I melted into him, and he held me with a love so divine.
Years ago, I didn’t want to fall. I didn’t want to fall in love, but I did. I fell and fell harder than I could’ve ever imagined. I let myself fall, and like a beautiful composition, it was slow, fast, chaotic, harmonic, and most of all, it was heavenly.
The End
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