5: Denial

The rain lashed against my face like tiny needles, soaking through my thin shirt as I stumbled out of the hospital doors. My hair clung to my face, and my sneakers squelched with every step. I didn’t know where I was going—I just knew I needed to keep moving. Anywhere but here. My steps faltered when a wave of nausea washed over me. This is too much for one day.

Kicked out. Arrested. Pregnant.

I laughed bitterly, my hand instinctively pressing against my flat stomach. “Pregnant,” I whispered to no one. It was absurd. Maybe the doctors were wrong. Maybe fate wasn’t this cruel.

But it was. Of course, it was.

A baby. A child. After years of Marco’s abuse,his insults, of his mother’s cruel words, of being called barren—a curse in heels. And now, when he’d thrown me out like garbage, this child decided to show up. I laughed again, louder this time, the sound strangled and raw.

“Unbelievable,” I muttered, shaking my head.

I was an orphan. I had no one except my adoptive parents who raised me—and they were in a nursing home, dependent on every cent I made. Marco never bothered to offer a penny into their care. And now? I didn’t even have that. My influencer career was hanging by a thread, riddled with hate messages and sponsorship cancellations

And then there was him. Alejandro. The audacity of that man. Offering me another marriage—another cage—less than 24 hours after I’d clawed my way out of the first one. Who did he think he was?

Alejandro De Luca. Even his name was enough to make Marco’s face darken with rage. They were sworn enemies, bitter rivals whose feud stretched far beyond business dealings. No one knew the exact reason for their animosity—not even me. All I knew was that whenever they crossed paths, the tension in the room was suffocating, their hatred barely concealed behind sharp words and icy glares. And now, here he was, Marco’s nemesis, helping me. His enemy’s wife. Ex-wife, I corrected bitterly, the word leaving a sour taste in my mouth. What did Alejandro De Luca gain from this? Why me?

I touched the ring on my finger—the last thing of value Marco left me with. Even now, I couldn’t fully process how my life became a tv drama in less than 24 hours.

The rain kept pouring, the night pressing in closer as I kept walking, the streets getting darker and emptier. I glanced at my phone—no signal. Of course. Why would the universe give me even the smallest break tonight?

The neighborhood didn’t look safe. Dim streetlights flickered above me, and the few people I passed didn’t bother to hide their stares. My pulse quickened when I heard footsteps behind me, clutching my arms around myself.

And then I heard it. Footsteps.

My heart dropped into my stomach.

I didn’t dare turn around—I couldn’t. Instead, I picked up my pace, half-running, the sound of my shoes splashing in puddles drowned out by the heavy steps behind me.

Faster.

The footsteps quickened too.

Run, Estella.

I ran, my breath coming in sharp, desperate gasps. Tears blurred my vision, mixing with the rain. This couldn’t be happening. Not now. Not again. My legs burned, my chest ached, but I didn’t stop.

I didn’t see the curb in front of me. My foot caught, and I stumbled forward, colliding into a wall. No—not a wall, someone.

I stumbled backward, gasping as strong hands grabbed me before I could fall. My first instinct was to struggle, to break free.

Then a scent hit me—fresh cedarwood and rain-soaked leather.

I knew that smell

“Let go of me!” I shouted, my voice trembling.

“No,” came the reply.

That voice. Smooth, cold, commanding. It cut through the panic like a blade.

Alejandro.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I demanded, trying to twist out of his grasp. “Let me go!”

“Not until you stop acting like a stubborn fool,” he snapped. His voice was cold, but his eyes scanned me—my drenched clothes, my trembling frame. “Do you have any idea how reckless you’re being? Running around like this in your condition?”

“Condition?” My voice cracked as I glared up at him.

He exhaled sharply. “The baby, Estella.”

I froze. My hands fell to my sides, and the fight drained out of me. The baby.

As if his words unlocked something deep inside me. My knees buckled, and before I knew it, I was crying. No—sobbing. Deep, gut-wrenching sobs that I couldn’t stop even if I wanted to.

“I can’t do this,” I choked out. “I can’t…

Alejandro didn’t let go. He didn’t say a word as my body shook against him, his hands steadying me while I fell apart.

“You’re pathetic,” he said finally.

My head snapped up, eyes red and swollen, glaring at him through the rain. “What the hell—”

“Let me finish,” he interrupted. “You’re pathetic for wasting your energy on tears when you should be saving it for the people who deserve your wrath.” His gaze was unwavering, and for a moment, I forgot the cold. Forgot the rain.

I hated him. I hated him for being right.

He pulled out his phone, muttering something into it in rapid Spanish. Before I could process what was happening, a black SUV pulled up to the curb, its headlights cutting through the gloom.

“You’re coming with me,” Alejandro said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

“No,” I whispered, shaking my head weakly.

“Yes,” he said simply, guiding me toward the car.

I didn’t have the strength to argue. My legs felt like lead, my body too heavy to fight him anymore. Alejandro opened the door and helped me into the backseat, his touch firm but careful.

I sank into the backseat, too exhausted to fight him anymore. The leather was cold against my wet clothes, but it felt like heaven compared to the rain outside. My head lolled against the headrest, and for the first time in what felt like hours, I closed my eyes

For the first time that night, I felt the faintest flicker of warmth—of safety.

Even if it came from the devil himself.