They sang Happy Birthday to Alicia, and everyone gave her their gifts, except Jade, who had already given hers. She smiled, seeing the happiness reflected on her sister's face.
Her gaze landed on her father. He looked happy, but not completely. His brown eyes hid the pain caused by Janeth, his ex-wife.
«How could he allow this? How can he bear to see the lover of the woman who was once his wife living under the same roof? How…?» she wondered. It all seemed unreal.
She looked at Elías. He was ten years younger than her father, forty-three… His dark brown hair was just beginning to show a few gray strands. Very few. His green eyes were identical to Allison's. He was a stocky man.
He wasn't ugly, but to Jade, he was a horrible person.
"How's work, Jade?" her stepfather asked, and Jade wrinkled her nose. Stepfather. She didn't even know why she called him that—not out loud—when her real father was still alive... For her, he was always going to be an intruder.
"Jade, Elías asked you a question. Answer him," her mother snapped, pulling her out of her thoughts. The table fell into tense silence. The clinking of cutlery stopped.
All eyes were on Jade.
"Why should I?" she asked, setting her fork down.
"Jade!" her father scolded. He always tried to avoid conflict at any cost.
"What? I don't have to talk to that man, who's just living here like a freeloader," she said, and resumed eating.
"Leave," Janeth said. Jade frowned. "Jade, leave the house. It's better if you come back another day."
"Janeth, please…" Lucas tried to protest, but deep down, he knew he couldn't do anything.
"No, Lucas. Your daughter needs to learn some manners. Jade, you know where the door is," she said, pointing toward the exit. Allison and Elías smiled in victory. Alicia kept her head down, just like Lucas, both of them feeling powerless.
"She's your daughter too, Janeth, you can't…"
"Dad, it's fine," Jade muttered as she scraped her chair back and stood. She held her tears back for when she'd be alone. "This woman already said what I need to do."
"Jade…"
"Let her go," Elías interrupted Janeth, placing his hand over hers. Janeth looked down. Lucas got up from the table and went to his room, he couldn't stand to stay in that room, watching them treat his daughter that way. Alicia wanted to follow, but Elías stopped her with just a look.
Jade went to her room to grab a few things before leaving...
[...]
Dominick
It was almost ten at night, and Dominick was leaving the restaurant. He'd planned to go to the bar and keep drinking, maybe even take a woman to bed. He hadn't had a chance to sleep with anyone in days.
He was about to cross the hallway when someone called out to him. He turned around and saw Nerea running toward him.
"Good thing I caught you," she said, catching her breath.
"Were you looking for me?" he frowned. "Why?"
"I need you to go pick up Jade. It's late and…"
"Why me, exactly?" he asked, crossing his arms.
Nerea rolled her eyes.
"Think of it as payback for not leaving you passed out in the women's restroom. Come on, it's really late for her to be coming back alone, and the place is a bit far," she explained.
Dominick stared at her for a few seconds, sighed, and said:
"Give me the address."
"I knew you weren't completely an asshole!" Nerea squealed. As odd as it was, Dominick actually liked her introverted nature.
"I'll take that as a compliment," he muttered, handing her his phone. "Type the address."
"And Dominick…" Nerea started, typing in the address on Google Maps, "don't be an idiot. Don't provoke her."
He raised an eyebrow.
"I'll do my best. No promises."
He didn't wait for a reply and walked away.
Jade
She had left without looking back, cursing the day her mother had met Elías… so many years ago.
She still remembered the look of disappointment on her father's face when he found out Allison wasn't his daughter. How gleeful Allison had been, throwing it in Lucas's face that they didn't share blood. That day, Jade had seen her father cry for the first time, and it broke her.
She smiled faintly as she remembered beating Allison up that day.
But the smile faded as she recalled the punishment her mother gave her. It had always been Allison—before her, above her—the favorite, the daughter she always wanted… Even though they were only a year apart, there had always been rivalry between them.
Jade clenched her purse as tears of helplessness and rage poured out.
"Damn Elías…" Jade muttered under her breath, "Allison, you're such a bit..."
"Why are you all alone?" a voice interrupted.
She looked up and realized she had reached the bus stop without even noticing. There was no one else around except for two sketchy-looking men.
One of them was smoking and sitting on the curb. The one who spoke was standing about ten steps away from her.
She cleared her throat.
"Because I feel like it," she answered, crossing her arms. "Thanks for your concern," she growled between her teeth.
The man's expression shifted in a flash from mocking to annoyed.
Jade was so caught up in her anger that she hadn't realized the danger these two men posed.
The one who had spoken—stocky and average height—wore worn-out clothes. He took a step toward her, but a voice stopped him in his tracks.
"Everything okay, Jade?" Dominick asked as he shut the car door. The men eyed him up and down.
He walked up to her and placed a possessive hand on her waist.
Jade turned her face toward him, but Dominick didn't even look at her, his eyes were locked on the two men.
"See you later… doll," the man sneered, eyeing her up and down.
"Walk," Dominick ordered. Before she could react to what the man had said, she was already moving, his hand guiding her by the back.
Jade shivered, and Dominick pulled his hand away when he felt her skin bristle.
He silently helped her into the front seat. Then he walked around the Mercedes-Benz and got in. He sat there, quiet, not even starting the car.
"What are you doing here?" she asked after a few tense seconds. She wiped away her tears.
"A thank you would've been nice, at least," Dominick muttered, finally turning the key in the ignition and starting to drive.
"Thank you?" she wrinkled her nose. "For what?"
She knew exactly what for, but she was far too stubborn and proud to admit she owed him anything.
"You've got some nerve asking that," he shook his head. "You owe me one, Jade, and I plan to collect when you least expect it."
"I don't owe you anything," she muttered.
"Yes, you do," Dominick replied, a smug grin lingering on his face.
The rest of the ride was silent. Jade just stared out the window, watching the darkness devour the last traces of light.
Dominick glanced at her from the corner of his eye. He had spent the entire drive stealing looks at her.
The more time he spent with her, the more convinced he became: the only way to get rid of the attraction he felt—and the rage her attitude sparked in him—was to sleep with her.
A block before reaching the hotel, Dominick pulled over and got out of the car.
"What the…?"
Jade frowned, confused by his sudden move. She got out as well.
"Is something wrong?" she asked from behind him, hugging herself as a cold breeze hit her. He didn't respond, his shoulders were tense.
She noticed how the white shirt clung to his muscles. He wasn't wearing a jacket. Jade grimaced.
"I get it," she said simply, and began walking.
Dominick frowned at her reaction. He didn't let her get more than a few steps before grabbing her arm and making her turn around.
"Why the hell are you walking away?" he demanded, gripping her arms. "What is it that you think you understand?"
She clenched her teeth.
"It's obvious. I know when I'm not wanted. You're the one who came looking for me. I didn't call you," she snapped, pulling away.
"Nerea asked me to get you," he said, still not understanding what was going on.
"Right." She turned and walked away again, only to be stopped a third time that night by his hand.
"Can you explain yourself?" he demanded. "You can't behave for a single moment. I don't even know why the hell I bother."
"Stop pretending. It's clear you pulled over so no one would see you arriving with me. I don't care. In fact, I'm the one who doesn't want to be seen with someone like you," she spat, furious, though even she didn't know exactly why.
"Is that what you think? That I didn't want to be seen with you?" he laughed bitterly.
"I don't see anything funny. Why else would you stop before getting to the hotel?" she crossed her arms. The whole situation felt strange, out of place, like she was watching a scene in a movie where she was the protagonist, and it didn't fit her at all.
She didn't belong in that role.
"I needed to think. And your presence doesn't allow me to do that," he explained, though he didn't have to.
"All the more reason for me to leave, so you can think clearly." She turned to walk away again, but once more he caught her arm, pulled her in, and wrapped her in his strong embrace.
"You're so stubborn and proud…" he murmured, brushing the hair from her face that had scattered from the sudden movement. "That mouth of yours only spits poison when it's about me."
"You earned it," she replied, lost in his gaze, wrapped not just in his arms but in a whole new feeling.
Torn…
That's exactly how she felt in that moment.
But she didn't want to admit it to herself, not yet. Admitting it would mean acknowledging things she wasn't ready to face.
"Let go of me, or you'll have another reason to hate me," she warned, with a smile.
"It's kind of disturbing that the first time you smile at me, it's because you're threatening me…" he let her go, and to his surprise, Jade didn't walk away. She just stood there, right in front of him.
"What do you want from me?" she dared to ask, folding her arms like that might somehow keep him at bay.
"What makes you think I want something from you?" Dominick raised an eyebrow, his smile turning wicked.
"Oh, please," she rolled her eyes. "Since the day you got here, you've made my life a living hell. You're insufferable…"
"You deserved everything I've done to you," he cut her off, taking a step toward her. She took one back. "You turned into a wildcat and gave my face a makeover with your claws."
"I spent hours in jail because of you. I think we're even," she narrowed her eyes. "I think it's time we put an end to this, as painful as it may be," she added dramatically, extending her hand. "It's time to act like adults. This constant bickering isn't healthy for either of us, so, Dominick," she emphasized his name, "why don't we call a truce to this pointless war that you—" she stressed the word—"started, and live peacefully on our own separate sides?"
Dominick shook her hand.
"Maybe you're right. Something has to end here. We can't keep coexisting in such a toxic space."
"I knew there was a reasonable man in you somewhere." But Dominick didn't let go of her hand. Even when she tried to pull away.
"Still," he said, tightening his grip just to slide his hand into a better hold, "I can't stay away from you, not when I've got every intention of keeping the promise I made."
"What promise?" she asked, brows drawn together.
"I told you I wouldn't rest until I had you in my bed," he pulled her closer by the hand, then took her by the waist, leaning in to whisper in her ear, "naked, soaking wet… and screaming my name completely out of control."