He looked too serious to be joking. I wanted him to be joking. But he was damn hell serious.
"Why would you?" I managed to ask.
I felt weak in my knees. I knew that if I was to deny him, he might get hurt somehow. That I didn't want. But the fact remained: I was already a married woman.
"Because I love you,"
I blinked, "I.."
"I love you. I loved you since the first time I laid my eyes on you. I have always admired you and I have always wished to be next to you. I want you to be happy. I want you to be by my side,"
"Alejandro. You're choosing the toughest road," My heart ached. One thing I knew was I didn't deserve this man. He knew what he wanted while I... Everything in me was too disorganized.
"I am a man of vision. If I want something, I go for it. My heart has chosen you, Camila. And I'm willing to face anything,"
"We are talking about Marcus, Alejandro,"
"I know,"
"Then no." My heart felt heavy as I managed to answer him. I had already hurt one man because of my decision. I couldn't afford to hurt one more.
"Camilla," His deep voice filled my ears. It was like his words were meant to make my heart stop. I felt goosebumps on my skin.
But then, I couldn't listen to my confused heart anymore, "We can't be together, Alejandro. It is too risky, I'm sorry,"
I got up from my chair and ran towards the door when I heard,
"Camila,"
I didn't stop. Instead, I let a tear fall down my cheeks and before I could open the door, strong hands grabbed me by the waist stopping me from leaving.
I stopped struggling. His arms felt so warm around me. They wrapped around me tightly as my back touched his chest.
It wasn't like any other hug. It felt completely different. It was an extended expression of the love he was ready to offer. He was so close to me, yet I was so far away.
"You don't need to do anything," He painted a warm peck on my neck, making me close my eyes, " I will fight for us," His voice sounded like an angel. It was soft, deep, and sweet, like honey.
I bit my lip, "But Alejandro..."
"Don't," he whispered.
I was quiet and still. I stayed frozen in his embrace and tried to keep my mind from wandering. My legs felt numb.
After some time, he released me and I stepped closer to the door. I wiped away my tears and opened it.
Without another word, I left. I knew the possibility of having second thoughts would be higher if I turned around to look at him. His green eyes always melted any ice in me.
The other room, the office, had the same doctor and he tilted his head to look at me. He gave me a small smile as it seemed like he understood the whole situation, and I gave back a weak smile.
I opened the door that led to the hallway. The walk was filled with his voices inside my head. My body could still sense his presence and the strong mixture of his natural aroma and perfume lingered on me like he was still hugging me.
My thoughts were brought back to the hallway when someone's hand rested on my shoulder.
"Mrs Del Monte," The nurse called and I turned to her, "How are you doing?"
She looked at my thigh, which was covered with my skirt, then back to me.
"I'm fine," I smiled.
"I assume you're also here to see your husband?" She made it look like a question more than a simple sentence.
And no, I was not. But I kept that comment to myself.
"Yes," I responded with a weak smile plastered on my face.
"But you've walked past the door," Now that she mentioned it, I did pass it.
She gestured toward the door behind me and I turned around to the door which was just a few inches from where I stood.
"Oh, I guess I was just... Lost in thoughts," I chuckled at the last part. I saw her smiling before she nodded.
"Let's go see him. Don't worry, he is in a good mood today,"
I followed the nurse and after a short time, we reached Marcus' room. The goosebumps I got weren't anything like the ones I got around Alejandro or Juan.
This man felt like ice. He was sitting on his bed, neither sleeping nor engaged in any activity. His hair, a bit messy, appeared as though it had survived a storm.
The blue sheet, covering him from the waist down to his toes, clung to his form like a part-time lover. The room itself seemed to close in around us, its white walls bearing down with suffocating tension.
"Mr. Del Monte, how are you doing today? " The nurse opened the document in her hand as she asked him the question, only to hear,
"Fine, " His voice screamed lack of any emotions. Just a non-living creature in a human form.
The nurse continued doing her job nonetheless, "You are recovering pretty fast. That's great. And, you have a visitor here,"
His head tilted to look at me. The ice painted on his face sent shivers down my whole body.
"As far as I know, this is not visitors hour," He tilted back after his voice displayed how much he hated my presence near him.
This man.
I didn't ask him to marry me and today he didn't want to see my site. He didn't even care to ask about how I was doing after the incident. He was just there, ego and pride higher than his height.
I sighed and walked near him, "How are you doing, Marcus? "
He didn't say a word.
"Marcus," My voice was lower this time, only to hear a voice that woke every little scary being inside me.
"Can't you see that I'm fine?!! " His face turned into an angry lion. I stepped back. My hand held my chest as it began to hurt.
I felt like a panic attack. His voice carried so much anger and it felt so dangerous.
"Marcus, stop it. It's okay. She's no harm, " The nurse tried to calm him down. But things only got worse.
"You think so?" His voice got lower, "You think she is innocent? A daughter of a snake is also a snake, she is just like her mother! " He shouted again.
He then looked at me, his face screaming disgust due to my presence, "You are a snake!" He gritted his teeth.
The surprise I got after hearing the words was unexplainable. I was just like my mother. What did my mom do to this man?
What did she do for him to pick every tool he had to harm me, his daughter?
Was my mother partly responsible for turning him into the monster that he is today?