Chapter 53
Third POV
After Imela placed a bid on the finished artwork of Seth, she and Fermin said their farewells to the celebrating Planes and took their leave from the party.
Their drive home was twenty minutes, but they did it silently, and neither wanted to break it. Usually, Fermín kept Imela engaged in one conversation or the other, but there was no such thing this time. For whatever reason, he didn’t want to break his silence.
The awkward silence began after Imela returned from the restroom. All the way home, they maintained it, and Imela stared out the window to keep herself distracted from it all. Her hand trailed her face a few times, reminiscing about Oliver’s touch on her skin, which now made it feel different to her touch. She had no affection for Oliver, so why did she feel this way?
Caesar opened the car’s door as it stopped in front of the house. She stepped out and walked into the house, and Fermín followed behind.
“Mamá!” Ocean called, running downstairs and towards her with his hands spread out. Though surprised
that he was still awake, Imela hurried over to him and took him into her hands.
“You are awake.” She said while rocking him in her arms.
Monique, his nanny, ran behind him. “He said he wouldn’t sleep until you returned.” She said.
Imela couldn’t blame her. Though he is young, when Ocean has his mind on something, he rarely changes it.
“It’s fine.” She kissed his head. “I am back now, so go with Monique and let her put you to bed,” she
instructed.
He nodded, and she set him down on his feet. He waved at Fermín before going to Monique, and the two
left for his bedroom.
Imela watched until Ocean was out of view before turning her attention to Fermin, who didn’t look very bothered by the silence. “This silence has lingered for too long; are we going to talk about it, or do you wish to carry it on to bed?”
His grey eyes turned to her, and they had a wounded look in them. “Sure, why did you have the smell of your ex–husband all over you earlier?”
“Because he followed me into the bathroom earlier and said he wanted to talk to me alone, and if you had asked me instead of ignoring me like you did, I would have told you.” She answered in an annoyed tone.
Contiful Mistake
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Chapter 53
He scoffed. “He wanted to talk, and that was all? How do you have his smell all over you then?”
“No, what he said and did were two different things. He had his hands on my face, but nothing happened. We have worked together for two months, and there has never been an incident like this. You have seen us work together, and you know better than to-”
His eyes narrowed at her, “To what? Be human?”
“Fermín.”
“Be jealous? Yes, I am jealous.”
She scowled. “Of what? Oliver? You have no reason to be. He is a client; any affection I had for him is in the past.”
He bit down on his lower lip as he stared at her. “Even you don’t believe that.”
She groaned in frustration and rubbed her palm over her forehead. “Don’t do this, Fermin; don’t bring up things that don’t exist.”
He gave her a pained look. “You don’t see what I see, mi amor. I noticed it a few times.”
She laughed heartily. “What the hell are you talking about? You are the only one I have eyes for, the only one I have my mind set on. He’s my past; you are my present and future. Whatever you are seeing is not
true,”
The more she spoke, the more miserable he looked. “You may not know it or even admit it, but I see the way you look at him. That look isn’t for someone who is in the past. I don’t know the end goal because, since you decided to return, I have been in the dark with most of your plans, but he is a part of them. I
am not.”
She shook her head; she couldn’t tell him her plan because she knew he would want to talk her out of it, not because he wasn’t involved. She saw him at the very end, and they were together. “That’s not true.”
He smiled through his glassy eyes, but she saw pain. “I knew I wanted you the first time I saw you. I told you I wanted you because that is the type of man I am. I see what I want, and I go for it. There was one thing I couldn’t do: make you fall in love with me. I knew you weren’t over him when we met, but I thought you would eventually let go.” A tear ran down his face. “My heart beats for you, and that was why I left Madrid and came to be with you because I saw a future for us, but I came here and saw reality. I have been in denial for so long, but the more I hold on, the more it hurts.“
She walked over to him and placed her hands on his face, wiping off his tears. Her heart squeezed in her chest, and she knew where this was headed. “Do not do this, Fermin; I love you; you know I love you.” She spoke, her eyes growing glassy.
He smiled, but the pain in his eyes clouded it, and he cupped her face. “You love me, I know that. You
Chapter 53
were never in love with me, though, and there is a difference. You love him–much more than you could ever love me, and it is time I accept that.”
“Please, do not break up with me.” She whimpered, grasping at his shirt and refusing to let go.
He kissed her lips passionately before taking hold of her hands and then pulling away from the kiss. “You won’t do it, so I have to; I am saving the both of us.”
“Fermín.”
He wiped off the tears that ran down her face. “I will stay at a hotel until I return to Madrid. I will send for my things tomorrow. Take care of yourself and keep an eye on Ocean. Tell him I love him, and he will always have a place in my heart.”
He said no other word before walking away from her.
“Fermin!” She cried out, but he didn’t return to her.
She stood with tears running down her face as she watched him walk away. She couldn’t stop him, and once again, she lost a good person in her life. First, it was Elena, and now it was Fermín. The Planes had taken them both and left her with nothing but hatred, resentment, and the need to avenge her broken
heart.
