My mouth dropped open at what she was telling me. My father was her abuser? My family was hurting her over and over and I am allowing this why? Thoughts of vulnerable Nadia fighting with everything in her to not let this man win, eventually losing all the fight in her. I shook my head in disbelief. I backed up into the wall and began fighting back tears. This can't be true. I can’t let this go on any longer, but I don’t want my family dead even though that’s what needs to happen. Imagine the conflict my head is going through processing this. “I can’t be involved with you, with your father still here. He hurt me Carter over and over again. He damaged me more than Carlos ever did. But I won’t make you decide between your family and me. But I choose my kids and me to protect.” I sat on my bed with my face in my hands trying to understand how much pain she went through. Images I can never get out. I need to get her out today. With or without me is the only way that can happen. It's not ab
I woke up from my long nap and noticed the other side of the bed was now cold, missing Carter’s warmth. I got up and found him in the kitchen with Bently cooking breakfast. “Hey, are you hungry?” He placed a plate on the table knowing that of course, I was hungry. I sat down on the stool and picked at my food. “Listen, Carlos mentioned a party that’s happening in a few days and he ordered for you to be there. It wasn’t up for debate.” I nodded and played around with my eggs as I took tiny bites. There was a huge elephant in the room causing tension. “Mom, you okay?” Bently plopped himself on the stool next to me. So innocent and I loved it. “Yeah, I am just tired, did you sleep well?” He nodded before attempting to take the bacon off my plate. I grabbed his hand. “Don’t you know better than to take a girl’s bacon?” I joked as I took a bite from the bacon in his hand. He laughed before eating the rest. He stood up and wrapped his arms around me laying his head on my lap. I love this lit
I tossed and turned all night next to the man who caused me eight years of pain. All the abuse I endured, and I couldn’t wait until he was dead. Knowing I would never catch any sleep, I got up out of bed and headed downstairs to make a snack. When I got there, a light was already on. I peaked in and saw a full head of brown hair. “Can’t sleep?” Talon asked before turning around to greet me with a smile. “Guess that makes two of us, why are you awake?” I said as I walked to the fridge talking and taking out sandwich material. “Want a sandwich?” I asked to which he nodded. I began to make our sandwiches in slightly awkward silence. “Are you nervous?” He asked. I nodded in reply. I walked back to the fridge where the whiteboard was and began to write. “I wouldn’t talk here; he has recording devices.” He nodded as I erased what I wrote. “Just know that there will be something to your liking tomorrow night, but you can’t do anything about it.” He whispered and now we were back to silence.
Weeks had passed and I couldn’t seem to get out of bed. How could a moment so perfect be so wrong? I felt betrayed, hurt, worried, devastated, and just completely out of touch with myself. I couldn’t get myself out of this slump as Bently was the reason I forced myself to eat. I know it was selfish, but maybe this is what rock bottom feels like. I recall the blank look Carter had given me before he hit the ground. Was he even alive? No one had told me anything and it was killing me. I think they were trying to avoid giving me any more bad news. The door to the room I was staying in opened. The man with brown eyes walked in. “Get out of bed. You’ve been cooped up for two weeks and Bently needs his mom.” He demanded. But sadly, my body just couldn’t move. He threw the covers off me, “You stink, and for someone who only eats soup your clothes are getting too tight.” I got the pillow and threw it at him as he laughed. “Come shower, and I will make you something to eat.” He headed for the d
Carter and I had exited the room and we followed the voice of Carlos into an office. When we walked in, we saw Carlos in Talon’s face screaming. Yet I wasn’t watching him, I was watching Talon. He was sitting in a chair behind a desk, his arms folded across his chest and he was solemn. He didn’t react to all the yelling as if It were boring him. A man who keeps his composure I find attractive. We stood there listening to them. “You had no right to pull all my men out. I made you millions by doing what I do!” Carlos was screaming and continued until Talon raised his hand silencing him. It went quiet, they just stared down and Carlos finally backed up and took a breath. “Those are my men, not yours. You abused your power. A power that not only got my niece involved but your damn wife that you mistreated. It’s sad to say but you will never be the man your father was. That’s sad considering he was a piece of sh*t.” I’ve never seen him so mad, he was red and shaking. Carlos raised his hand
Days have come and gone. I found myself getting ready for the morning, it felt like I hadn’t gotten any sleep. After showering and getting Bently ready we headed downstairs for breakfast. I ran straight into Talon. These hormones were getting to me, it’s been really hard to be around him and not let my mind wander. “You okay, you seem in a rush?” Talon said, I kept my eyes on his chest because if I looked at his brown eyes, It would be really hard to hide how much I wanted him. “It’s the first time I’ve seen a doctor this pregnancy. I am hoping to find the gender and start searching for a place.” He took a step back putting some distance between us. “Do you need a ride or some money?” My eyes met my eyelids. “No, it’s fine. Carter is taking me, and I have money. Thank you though. His eyes were burning a hole in my head and he wouldn’t leave. “Nadia, look at me.” My eyes still didn’t move, why am I so weak, how cliché? Having a thing for the top dog with a British accent. “Why won’t you
MatteoI was about to finally tell Nadia the truth, but unfortunately, I was interrupted. There were certain things I had to do in order to keep tabs on where she was at all times. Losing her really put my family in distress. My youngest sister was pregnant, my dad was back in the Cartel, my mom was depressed. Here I was wanting to be an artist, but I did what I had to in order to be a part of this. I became a cop. Never in my life did I think I would do that, but here I was and it was finally paying off, soon I could quit and be the artist I wanted to be. Nadia had gotten out of the car and I decided to text my fiancé to meet me at a bar. She has been here all along, by my side. My ride or die type of chick. She has done things I asked of her that I am not proud of, but sadly getting my sister was more important. We needed someone on the inside, and she was the perfect distraction.
Carter kept his word, he hadn’t shown his face since I basically broke up with him. You know sometimes I think I did it for the best. He doesn’t have to be distracted knowing that Carlos was on the loose. He was going to hurt him and the last thing he needs is me in the way of it. Bently is my priority at this moment. Talon told me he was going to take me out tonight and show me a good time, but what does a pregnant woman wear to these events? A knock on my bedroom door and Talon appeared. “So, I know you were wondering what to wear, so I decided a new outfit was needed.” He handed me a bag with clothes in it. I slowly looked in and noticed that it was pajamas. Where on earth were we going, a hotel? “These are pjs you realize that, right?” He laughed “Just get changed.” He said as he walked off. I guess I couldn’t knock it, until I tried it.I quickly dressed in the black sweats, and the red sweater. I put on my slippers along with it. I swear if this isn’t sleep then I don’t know wh
I sat in the exam room waiting for the doctor to come in and just sign a prescription. Which means they make you get naked to examine everything and take your blood. The door opened and she came in. “Mrs.Lozano it’s nice to see you again. I see you’re here to get some birth control pills is that correct?” I nodded at her. “Are you just doing this short term, or do you plan to later on?” She asked. “I am about to be divorced with two men pining for me. Last thing I need is to bring another child into this world. Maybe later on but as of now I don’t want it to happen, and I happen to get pregnant by someone looking at me.” I joked. Which made the doctor laugh? “You know back in the days; men would find women with big hips. Big hips meant that they could bear children with no problems. It’s a good thing these are modern times, or then you’d probably have more children by now.”
I’ve spent most of my time with Talon and I was ready to give him my all. I think the love I have for him grew into something stronger. I know Carter wants something more, but I can’t understand his reasons for breaking someone’s heart. I think honestly, I was trying to figure why he was rooting for us still, like things haven’t changed. He kisses me, and it’s like nothing changed. Things have changed, and I couldn’t let go of that one bit. Talon allowed me to figure things out, because it was never going to be an easy choice. With Talon things are so easy and comfortable. But with Carter, we are always fighting. Fighting over the same stuff, over and over. Fighting like there was still something to fight for. I felt like because we fought so much, and it turned into nothing that we deserve that chance. But I didn’t want to fight anymore. Fighting just makes things harder to end things. “Earth to Nadia, you okay?” I forgot that I had zoned out. Carter
NadiaThe next morning, I felt as if I was at peace. I still had to find my sister, but at this moment, I wanted to enjoy it before it gets dark again. I got up and wrapped myself in my robe before I headed downstairs. Talon once again was cooking. Mika was sitting at the table already eating. “Good morning. You know this is my house, you don’t need to cook.” I walked over, wrapping my arms around him. “I want to, I built up an appetite last night.” He joked. Grabbing a cup of coffee, I sat next to Mika. “Hey kid, did you sleep well?” Mika had gotten up and sat on my lap. He was much like his dad, but also a momma’s boy. “Yeah, but there was screaming. I slept right after it ended.” Poor kid. A knock on the door was heard, before Carter walked in. Oh boy this was about to get awkward. “What are you doing here?” I asked him. He sat down in front of me, before taking my piece of bacon. “You asked me to take Mika today, that you w
NadiaYou ever start a puzzle and not stop working on it for as long as it takes. Then suddenly once you get to the end, you lose that last piece? That was me putting myself back together again. I moved into my own place with my son Mika. I made sure Carter and Talon both knew I wasn’t ready to date, and that they should start doing things at their own pace. Focus on themselves, go out and date. It was good if they moved on as it took me a long time to get to a good place. Learning how to co-parent and manage going to work. I’ve been seeing a therapist for my postpartum. But although things seem to be better, I will always hold onto so much anger. But at this point in time, I needed to start moving on and allowing myself to open up. Everyone was spread out through my house, as we celebrated Mika’s birthday. I enjoyed this and seeing him so happy. “Is that a smile I see?” Talon joined me, leaning up
NadiaI can’t remember the last time I had a good night's sleep. I was up with Mika most hours of the night and found myself sleeping with Bently’s clothes just to smell him. I knew that Talon and Carter were wanting to help, but I needed space. I also didn’t trust myself alone. I was at one of the lowest points in my life. I found myself on Talon’s balcony most nights. It was the only place I could feel some kind of peace. “Hey, I brought you some hot tea.” Talon came in, setting it on the table. He sat next to me, as I cradled Mika in my arms. “What’s with British people and tea? It’s not the magical cure to everything.” He started laughing. “True, but it taste good.” The crisp winter air sent a shiver through me. Which caused Talon to get up and bring me a blanket wrapping us both in its warm embrace.“
I woke up the next day. A part of me was hoping I’d never wake up. Because waking up would mean I’d have to face the fact that my Bently was dead. I didn’t want this, not for anyone. I turned to the right and saw Talon asleep on the couch. Carter was laying back with the baby on his chest. “You can bring Mika here, so you can catch some sleep.” Carter stood up and walked over to me. “He needs to eat; I didn’t want to wake you.” He handed him over and I began to breastfeed him. “You’re going to do that with us both right here?” I rolled my eyes at him as Mika latched on. “It’s a boob that’s feeding my son, I don’t care who sees.” He stood there watching me. “Wait, Mika?” I looked at him and just nodded. But the tears started forming again. “He’s gone, isn’t he?” Carter nodded but started biting on his cheek. “He&rsqu
I was unsure if I was still alive. But I heard beeping and talking all around me. Was this a hospital? My eyelids felt heavy, but I had to try. I pried them open to see nurses standing around me. “She’s awake. Hey Nadia, do you know where you are?” I looked at the nurse who was talking to me. My throat hurt, so I just nodded in confusion. I look to my left to see Carter holding a baby. I looked down to see my baby bump was gone. To say I was freaking out was an understatement. The doctor came in and had me do some tests to confirm I was okay. “You’re incredibly lucky to be alive. Your brother gave us the okay to perform an emergency c-section. Your son is premature, but he is extraordinarily strong. We will keep both of you here until you’re ready. So, don’t stress yourself out. I will leave you.” He took his leave and I still hadn’t said anything. Maybe it was the shock.” Carter placed the b
CarterWeeks had passed since Nadia was taken right in front of my eyes. I was helpless. There was nothing I could do. I beat myself up for not being able to help her. Telling Bently she will be home soon, when really, we don’t even know where she is. Or if she was coming back at all. Talon and I have been working hard with tons of his men on the lookout. I want to hold onto hope that she’s alive still, along with my son. Again we don’t know what his intentions are anymore. Where were we going to go from here? But I needed to have more trust in her. We were in his office trying to figure out anywhere she could be. Suddenly the papers on the table were on the floor. “This is bullsh*t. How is it no one has any idea where she is!” He yelled. “Carlos had thousands of hiding places. She could be anywhere. We’ve checked a lot of places and there isn’t any trace.” I was frustrated,
Bently had told him what I was doing in small words, but it didn’t need big ones. We had parked in the parking lot of the park. I knew I was about to get an earful. As Bently ran off to the playground, Carter grabbed my hand and moved my hair away from my neck revealing the hicky I tried hard to hide. “You slept with him, didn’t you?” I felt ashamed that I got caught, but he wasn’t a stupid man. “Answer me Nadia.” I looked up to his eyes that were full of hurt and I nodded in disappointment. He removed his hands from me, before taking off for a walk. The thought that I just kept on hurting him and he kept coming back made me mad. I couldn’t control how I felt, and I had little self-control. He left for a long time, just trying to get himself together. I played with Bently for a few hours before we sat on the bench to talk. “Mom, can I ask you something?” I nodded at him. “We are away fr