ENZO MORETTI The ceremony came to a quiet end. Because Larry didn't leave any family who had the strength to wail at his grave, he was buried quietly. His daughter and niece watched and occasionally, they would clean their eyes. But they didn't scream and cry out like their heart had been cut off. To them, they’d lost someone they knew and not someone they needed to survive. When I told Isa that Lily was better off without her father, I wasn't lying. At least now that she was in the foster home, she could stay away from drug influences and the dirty life. I closed my eyes for a moment to say my last prayers. “Father forgive me for I have sinned.” A calm settled in me after reciting that. I squeezed Isa’s hand and kissed her cheek. It was the first show of affection all afternoon. People were asking questions with their eyes and this was me giving them answers. This was how I made claim of my woman. “Is it over?” Isa asked, looking up at me. I wanted to take off her ha
CLEO GARCIA I received the email last night. I have struggled to not evaporate with joy, or let out a squeal in the office. I had to let it play out. I had to let my colleagues see my article get published in the New York Times before I burst. Only after then can I show my delight by jumping and shouting with glee. I had spent an extra thirty minutes getting ready today. My eyeliner had to be perfect, as well as my foundation and lipstick. When I walked into the office, I walked with my head high. It was around ten am that the publication got published. Five minutes later, there was a knock on my door. Debbie, a team member poked her head in. “Have you seen it?” Debbie asked, grinning. I played the oblivious game. “Seen what?” I asked. Her mouth hung open. Debbie walked into my office, giving me a look. “What?” I asked. Just say it already, Debbie. It’s getting harder to pretend. Debbie raised her tablet. “You got featured on this week's New York Times
ISABELLA GARCIA “Congratulations!” Echoed in the room as soon as Cleo walked in. Cleo jerked, too startled. She rested her hand on her chest, trying to calm her raging heart. I was laughing, filled with joy and admiration for my sister. One week on the job and shs was getting featured already? That was huge! Cleo closed her eyes and bent forward, her hand resting on her knee. “Jesus,” she whispered, shocked “Congratulations,” Marco told her, placing his hand on her back. He helped her to stand up. Enzo was at the other side of the room, answering a call. He tucked his phone in his pocket and came to meet me at our table. “Congratulation, Cleo,” Enzo said. “Why would you guys do this?” Cleo asked. Her eyes shifted from one person to the next. I was still smiling. “Becasue we love you and are proud of you,” I said, stating the obvious. Her question had even tickled me. I had chuckled before answering her. “I didn't ask anybody to do this for me!” Cleo cried, offended.
ISABELLA GARCIAI fell asleep on the couch in the living room because I was waiting for Enzo to come home.I opened my eyes, a little confused at first.I had never slept in the living room so my brain took a little time to process where I was.As soon as I understood, I sprung up. I checked the windows and confirmed that it was dark outside. The wall clock told me that it was the early hours of the morning. Ten minutes past three am. Where the hell was Enzo?I went upstairs, taking the stairs two at a time. My heart raced and my mind wouldn't stop thinking of the worst.“Please be upstairs,” I whispered the prayer to myself. I did this as I climbed the stairs. Deep in my heart, I knew it was unlikely for Enzo to be upstairs. If he had come back earlier, he would have woken me up so we could move to the bedroom together.He would have never let me sleep on the couch. Just as I expected, he wasn't in the room. I went for my phone immediately and called.Taking breathing exercise
ENZO MORETTII pushed the front door open. I flung my necktie on the couch and marched up the stairs. The house smelled of lavender. The cleaners had just done their work.Isa stopped answering my calls this morning. I waited till it was bright enough to go home.I received news that Ethan’s doctor visited the house when I was about to leave Marco’s.“Isa?” I called out for her. I took the stairs two at a time.I got to our room first. When I saw that she wasn't there, Ethan’s room was next. Isa was folding Ethan’s laundry when I saw her.She looked up at the sound of the door. “Is Ethan okay?” I asked as I crossed the room to meet her.Isa looked up for a moment. There was a tiredness in her eyes. Last night, when we spoke, she mentioned falling asleep on the couch because she was waiting for me.I accepted I wasn't going to get anything from her.Isa wasn't going to answer me, and I had to know what was going on with Ethan before I buried myself in more guilt.“Ethan?” I called
ENZO MORETTI “The police saw a gram of snow on her. They took her in for questioning,” Marco said over the call. I threw my closet open to find new clothes. “The fuck!” I exclaimed. I wanted something to distract me, but not something like this. I didn’t want to think of the fight with Isa. She was right. Ethan was not my business. What she wished to do with her life was not my business. “Do you know where?” I asked Marco. I quickly put him on my speaker. Then I tried to rush with dressing up. “Yup. Turner is already there,” Marco gave me more info. My hand froze over my button. “The slime,” I hissed. Mark Turner was nothing but a waste. He was well-feared in the province. He also came with a lot of problems so people avoided him. But the one that stood out more was how useful he made himself to us. He was an unofficial informant. Turner would sell his family for drugs. The only thing he loved more than drugs were women and he was good at subduing them. My ja
ISABELLA GARCIAEnzo expected me to have an appetite. My son was stuck in a bubble and he expected me to be hungry.He brought a donut earlier and I turned it down because I couldn’t eat. It was nice to have him around but he hovered over me until I couldn’t stand it anymore. I wanted to be alone. I folded my arms around myself. My legs were on the couch as I curled in a fetal position. Enzo had asked one of the nurses to arrange for a couch. He did that right after he threw Terry out of the place. Enzo didn't have to throw Terry out. It was better not to put Terry in an angry mood, and that's what Enzo had done since he’d been here. Since he had come into my life.“I’m going to grab dinner. Do you want something?” Enzo asked seated beside me.“I’m not hungry,” I said without pause.I appreciated him and all he had done except the part where he threw Terry out. It was like he was making himself the controller of my life. He was letting his jealousy mess me up.“You have to eat,”
MARCO MARTIN “Catch!” I called out, throwing the keys without warning. Enzo was caught off guard and spun around, but I had already tossed them farther than he expected. He twisted back, trying to recover, but misjudged the distance. His foot slipped slightly. It was just enough to make his attempt look awkward. Predictable. I jogged past him, quick and smooth, snatching the keys off the floor just before his fingers could reach them. Enzo was still crouched down, breathing heavily. He looked up at me, his expression showing visible annoyance. I leaned against the wall to watch him and draw up my conclusions. I already had them in mind. This was just a small exercise to assure me. With a sharp exhale, Enzo straightened his shirt and stood in one fluid motion. “How’s the kid?” I asked Enzo as I eyed him. Enzo walked up to me. “Still breathing,” he said trying to sound like he didn't mind. “Maybe getting better, maybe not. It’s still hard to tell.” Enzo and I walked side b
ENZO MORETTII got upstairs, washed my face and towel-dried it. A knock sounded at the door. I went to open it, thinking it was Isa, but it wasn’t her."Room service?" the lady and gentleman announced with cordial smiles."You ordered breakfast for two," the lady said.I remembered. I stepped aside and let them bring the food inside. As they were leaving, Isa appeared behind them.They exchanged polite greetings before she stepped in. The door was bolted, and I headed straight to the medium-sized breakfast table to eat.Isa walked over. For a second, I thought she was going to sit with me, but she only checked her food, picked it up, and went to the dresser.That was where she preferred to eat. At least six inches away from me."You only ever talk about Cleo. I didn’t even know you had a mum," I said, making a move to break the ice between us.The tension in the air was heavier than anything I had experienced.The truth was, my brain wasn’t ready for this conversation.We were meeting
ISABELLA gARCIAJust like the rest of the attendings, we made our way to the next room. This one had a more intentionally designed space.It resembled a sports field. The chairs were arranged around the stage, and an elevated surface stood in the middle of the hall with a pulpit-like structure set up nearby.A new host took the mic, tapping it lightly as people moved around the space. Enzo and I led the way and sat on one of the high-back seats.I didn’t understand why the seats were so much compared to the attendings in the hall. There were plenty of people before, but as we had moved to the next room, which was much larger, the gaps between groups became even more noticeable. It was like evryone didn't join us to the bidding room. Empty seats remained unattended to while people moved in small groups of twos and fours. We sat down, and a tray of champagne was served to us almost immediately. The staff moved quickly, acting as if they weren’t there, slipping through the empty spaces
ISABELLA GARCIA “Did you mean what you said last night?” Enzo asked as soon as he killed the engine. He had an event to attend and had asked me to come with him. He asked a week ago, and I promised I would go. After everything that had happened yesterday, I wished I could back out, but I had given him my word. My presence in his life had disrupted things for him, no matter how humble he was about it. The least I could do was try to fix what I could while I was still here. But I knew we were finally going to have this conversation about what I said. With Bobby’s situation, there was no time last night. He was doing better now, thank God. Still in recovery though which was why Enzo was driving. He didn't want to give his job to any other person. I think he didn't trust any other person. “Going to my mum’s? Yes. I meant it, and I’m sure you understand why. Ethan… he can’t handle something like that, physically or mentally,” I said all at once. I was in the passenger seat, wearing
ENZO MORETTI I stood by the door as Isa put Ethan to sleep. It wasn’t much of a bedtime story tonight. Ethan talked about what his dad’s death meant, and Isa held him close. I didn’t want to disrupt them. If it were up to me, I would have waited outside, but Isa asked me to stay. She wanted me here. “If you want me to stay with you tonight, I can do that,” Isa offered as she tucked the blanket around Ethan. Ethan clutched his pillow, lying on his side as Isa brushed his forehead gently. “No, thank you,” Ethan murmured. Isa bent down and kissed his forehead. She lingered there, pressing her cheek against his for a moment. “I love you,” Isa whispered, so softly that I barely caught the words. “Call me if you need anything.” Isa said and straightened. “Goodnight,” Ethan told her. Isa watched him for a few seconds, then let out a quiet sigh and stepped back. She turned off the lamp which was the last source of light in the room. Even the blinds were shut. My eyes adjusted to t
ISABELLA GARCIA “This is so crazy, babe. Are you okay?” I rushed out to Enzo, flinging my bag onto our bed. Enzo sat at the edge of the bed, taking off his shoes. He was shirtless, his back carved into beautiful chunks of muscle that flexed as he moved. He turned to face me, his neck craning. I hurried across the room. I wanted to stop and take off my shoes too, but I needed to be beside him already. Enzo had called me while I was still with Cleo to tell me what Edwina did. Edwina was Terry’s mom. I hadn’t heard from her in months. She never really cared about Ethan and me, but she loved Terry. “I got dragged for answers. I wasn’t beat up,” Enzo assured me as I sat beside him. He held my chin, and I sighed, feeling safe in his warmth. “This is all my fault,” I breathed out. “If I wasn’t with you, you wouldn’t be dragged into this.” Enzo shook his head, his fingers sliding to the back of my head. “This is happening not just because I’m with you, but because of me.” H
ENZO MORETTI Nothing and nowhere is safe. Marco used to say that a lot. He never understood why we were even doing the press meets. To him, it was all fake, and the public could see right through it. “You sat there and spoke about a man you didn’t know, and you think that’s enough? We have to do more,” Marco said, his frustration clear. We finished the press conference at noon today. Normally, that would have been the end of our work for the day, but we still had meetings to handle at the office. It felt like everything was slowly falling apart. Every time we thought we were done, a new issue would come up, forcing us to sit and talk it through. The truth is, I am exhausted. But giving up and complaining would only make things worse. “Politicians are some of the fakest people on earth, but guess who votes for them? The masses.” I made my point with that statement and pulled my phone from my pocket. Isa had texted, saying she was okay. She also asked how the press meet went.
ISABELLA GARCIA Cleo crouched beside me, holding a glass of water. She lifted it to my lips, but I turned my head away, pushing it aside. A few drops spilled onto my chest, cool against my skin, but I didn’t care. My focus was locked on the unfamiliar face before me. I didn't mind the water at that moment. I had my tear-stained eyes on the face I didn't know. “I’m Debbie,” The woman said as an explanation. “We work together. Cleo and I.” Debbie spoke as if introducing herself could fix things. As though knowing her name would make having her here easier. But it wouldn’t. It only made things worse and knowing her name didn't mean I knew her Silence rang out and Debbie stood in the middle of the kitchen as the awkwardness choked every one of us. Cleo moved first. She reached for my hands, and this time, I let her help me up. Debbie hesitated, then stepped back, instinctively giving us space. She had to already know she wasn’t meant to be part of this moment. It wasn't
ISABELLA GARCIA I can get another car. Let Bobby wait with you,” Enzo said firmly. He was adamant about not leaving me alone at Cleo’s house, a place that had once been my home too. He had been so worried about me lately. It was sweet. I loved the feeling of being taken care of, of knowing that I was his priority. But I didn’t want to throw his entire day off just because of my presence. He and Marco had a packed schedule. They had a conference appearance to make and a board meeting to attend. If Enzo waited for another ride, he would be late. “We don’t know who has their eyes on you,” he said, stepping closer. His hands slid to my lower waist, pulling m body against his. I sucked in a breath, my body reacting instantly. Goosebumps rose along my arms and a fluttering warmth spread in my stomach. “She let me in,” I murmured to Enzo, lifting the key above my head to show him. His eyes flicked to it, but the sight barely softened his stance. He was still guarded, his expressio
CLEO GARCIA “It was the worst time of my life,” Debbie said, lifting the bottle to her lips. She took a slow, deliberate sip of water before continuing. “I was just a little girl on the school bus, and people loved to mess with the little girl. I sat at the back, kept quiet, and avoided eye contact. Until…” She raised her fingers slightly. There was a memory playing behind her eyelids. I could just tell in the silence of the pause. I reached for the bottle, and Debbie wordlessly pushed it into my palm. The early morning air was crisp as we walked, the quiet streets a stark contrast to the long, exhausting night we had spent clearing our work schedules. A colleague had celebrated his birthday, inviting a few of us from the office out for drinks. Debbie had brought me along, and afterward, I asked her to come over so we could wrap up some unfinished work. I was ready to make friends with her. We hadn’t spent the night exchanging stories or deepening what we knew about each other.