Chereads / Two Heart Apart / Chapter 16 - Let's Just End It

Chapter 16 - Let's Just End It

Diego sat on a chair, leaning on it, his mind was filled with troubling thoughts,on how to escape from all what he was passing through.

His heart sank when he saw the name on the screen: 'Dad',what was going on,why was he calling,he thought about declining it but something pushed him to pick up 

"Diego… I need you to listen to me," his dad voice was strained, fear cloaked in desperation. "Lucia has been taken. She's missing."

"What?" Diego exclaimed, his blood running cold. "What do you mean she's missing? How could this happen?"

"I don't know the details, her dad just informed me, you need to do something Diego, your fiance is in danger,let me know if you've received any information about her" his dad said hanging up immediately.

 Diego sat in silence feeling an urgent itch to reach out to Diana. 

"Why do I feel Diana has something to do with this" he thought pulling out his phone and dialed her number quickly. 'No answer'. He called again, and this time, after a few rings, Diana picked up.

"What, Diego?" Her tone was laced with impatience, almost mocking.

"Where are you, Diana? He asked curiously 

"What kind of a silly question are you asking?" she shot back defensively. 

"Diana, what did you do?" A sense of dread washed over him. 

"What makes you think I did something to that slut?" she snapped, venom dripping from her words.

"Diana, please be honest,Do you have anything to do with Lucia going missing?" His voice turned sharply accusatory, desperation creeping in.

There was a heavy pause on the line, an uncomfortable silence that filled the air with thousands of possibilities before he heard her respond, "Yes, I had to do it."

Diego felt as if he'd been punched in the gut. "Shit," he cursed, feeling a blend of rage and disbelief. "You have to tell me where she is!"

"I can't, Diego,no I won't" Diana shot back 

"I'm on my way to your house" He said lastly hanging up abruptly he dashed out to his car outside .

"Why did she choose abducting Lucia , like it was her only alternative to get rid of her" Diego thought fraustratingly.

After what seems like eternity 

With one final sharp turn, he finally reached her neighborhood, he didn't care about the consequences of his reckless driving; all that mattered was getting answers. He sprinted to the door, his fists ready to strike with the force of emotion that churned inside him.

He knocked hard, the sound echoing through the neighborhood . When the door swung open, it was as if Diego had kicked it down. He pushed past Diana before she could even say a word, storming into her living room. 

"Where did you keep her, Diana?" he demanded, eyes blazing with fury. 

Diana's expression held a mix of surprise and defiance. "She's with the guys I hired," she replied coolly, folding her arms. 

The words hit Diego like a physical blow. "Why did you have to go to such lengths, abducting the congressman's daughter? Are you out of your mind?" 

"This was the only way to stop the marriage from happening!" she shot back, her voice rising, offended by his anger. 

Diego ran a hand through his hair, frustration surging within him. "You didn't need to resort to this! There are a million ways you could have handled the situation"

Diana stepped closer, her posture defensive yet oddly composed. "Diego, I see no reason for you to scold me. This was your job, but I helped. You should be thanking me." Her tone was laced with self-justification, as if she genuinely believed that she'd done something noble. 

"Thanking you?" Diego echoed incredulously, as disbelief coursed through him. "You've crossed a line that shouldn't be crossed! Lucia could be in real danger right now!" 

Diana shrugged, unfazed. "That's not my problem. My purpose was to protect you from getting married to that whore"This marriage would wreak havoc on everything we've worked for." 

"By kidnapping someone?" Diego shook his head, the weight of disappointment heavy on his shoulders. "Diana, this isn't protection; it's sabotage—against Lucia and me. Do you even hear yourself?"

"Look, you don't understand!" Diana snapped. "They'll ruin everything. This was the only way to make your parents understand that they can't simply control your lives." 

Diego felt his fists clench at his sides. "And you thought taking Lucia hostage was the answer? You're acting irrationally and selfishly! "I never asked you to do this, how did you come up with such crazy idea" Diego retorted sharply 

Diana's gaze hardened, "You talk about innocence, but you don't see the bigger picture. I did it for you, Diego! You deserve better than being shackled to a marriage that would end your career and destroy your future."

"Not like this," Diego fired back, backing away from her heated words. "You think this is going to end well? You're putting yourself in danger, putting us all at risk, and for what? A misguided sense of loyalty?"

For a moment, Diana's facade cracked, revealing a glimpse of vulnerability. "I thought you would understand. We've always fought against the system, against people trying to dictate our lives." 

"The system doesn't justify kidnapping," Diego spoke, his voice lowering as a cold determination settled in. "Now, you need to tell me where she is. You are going to make this right, and you're going to help me bring Lucia back. We can't let this get any worse."

Diana tightened her jaw, grappling with the implications of his words. "You don't have to do this, Diego. I can help. Just trust me. Together, we could turn this all around."

"I can't trust you now," he replied firmly, the depth of betrayal seeping into his tone. "I need to find Lucia, and you will tell me were you hid her" Diego said with a firm tone

"I'm getting sick of you, Diana!" he shouted, the words escaping before he could rein them in. They had fought long enough—it was time for the final confrontation.

"Then let's just end it! You're so selfish, Diego!" she shot back, her voice a sharp blade cutting through the tension. 

 "My parents are already on it, manipulating my life! You should be my comfort, but here you are adding more fuel to the fire burning in me," Diego uttered with a stern expression.

"Just go back to Lucia then! Don't you dare come back to me!" 

A part of him wanted to scream at her ridiculousness, to call her out for her shallow thinking, but he knew better now. "Diana, you ended this relationship. I was willing to hold on despite you being so lousy." The frustration boiled over, words tumbling out. "I have too much going through my head. If you want to end things, then so be it."

Glancing at her lastly,He walked away shutting the door loudly 

Fuming in anger realizing Diego was ready to end things with her, she picked up a vase from the table and hurled it to the ground. The ceramic shattered into dozens of pieces on the floor 

"Diana!" he muttered, wanting to run back in but something told him to keep moving.

He walked to his car getting in the car he took a deep breath, closing his eyes in fraustion.

Diego's knuckles tightened around the steering wheel as he sped toward the Bar,

He pulled into the parking lot,shoving the door open and stepping out.

He made his way to the bar, where the bartender, a wiry man with a welcoming smile, commenced pouring a frothy pint. Diego, however, had different plans. "Just give me a bottle of your strongest beer," he said, his voice low and edged with desperation.

"Rough Day?" the bartender asked, tilting his head with a knowing look.

"You don't even know," Diego muttered. He popped the cap off the bottle and with a heavy heart, he took a swig, the bitterness stinging his throat but bringing with it a momentary numbness. 

Diego leaned against the bar, glancing around at the other patrons laughing and chatting. It felt alien to him. As he sat there, another gulp of beer slid down, attempting to wash away the sting of betrayal and isolation that clawed within him.

Diana had ended their relationship with a callousness he never saw coming. It pained him to think that the warmth they once shared had been extinguished so easily, replaced by cold accusations and a shattered façade. But even more unbearable was the realization that his parents were pulling strings behind the scenes, making up arranged marriages which he detest so bad .

"What is the need of living?" he thought frustratingly, his gaze fixed on the bottle.

He lifted the bottle to his lips again, the chill of the glass against his skin oddly comforting, almost like an embrace he desperately craved. 

But then, a voice—the voice of Diana—cut through the haze. "You should've fought harder for me, Diego!" It echoed in his ears, a haunting reminder of his failures. 

He tilted the bottle back, draining it as if he could drown the noise in alcohol, but the emptiness in his heart remained. He slammed the bottle down on the bar, ordering another, misjudging how far down the rabbit hole he had already slipped. "One more," he croaked. 

Diego felt the last shreds of control slip from his fingers. He had envisioned love as a blooming garden, but now, it felt like a battlefield, filled with only destruction .

———

Megan gripped the steering wheel tightly as she drove to the bar,her mind swirling with thoughts that seemed to have no resolution. The night had been suffocating, heavy with expectations "Just a little space alone would be good," she muttered to herself, desperate for an escape from the noise of her life.

she parked and stepped out, and she could hear the faint sound of laughter and clinking glasses After all the chaos in her mind, she needed a moment to breathe, to gather her thoughts, to define a little clarity. "I need to clear my head," she thought as she walked into the bustling bar.

Megan approached the bar and ordered two bottles of wine right away,something bold to match her mood. She took a breath, feeling slightly more at ease . But as she turned to find a table, her heart stumbled.

Across the room, slumped over at a table, was Diego.

"What? Diego?" she whispered under her breath, eyes widening. The sight of him sent a wave of unanswered questions crashing over her. Her Last encounter with him was so not great though he looked far from okay. His usual charm was replaced by a shadow of frustration that loomed over him like a dark cloud.

Megan stared, her heart aching at the sight of him. "What was he doing here? Why does he look so frustrated and unhappy?" She couldn't take her eyes off him,Something inside her urged her to approach him, but confusion held her back. It wasn't her place to interfere, was it?

Diego, however, was lost in his own world. He didn't notice Megan's presence; his focus was solely on drowning himself in the alcohol that was supposed to numb his pain. The bartender brought his beers, and one by one, he sloshed them down, an alcoholic haze filling the cracks of his life's burdens. 

Megan watched helplessly, her heart sinking further as he brought another bottle to his lips, his hands shaking slightly. 

She tried to focus on her own wine, to sip and enjoy, but the liquid felt like lead in her throat. 

Diego got up at once,his movements unsteady. He staggered slightly trying to steady himself.

Megan's breath caught in her throat, panic seizing her. Before she could realize he crashed hard against the floor, the sound ringing out.

The room fell silent for a moment, all eyes turning towards the commotion. Megan rushed to his side, kneeling beside him as other patrons began to murmur and gather around. "Diego! Are you okay?" she said, her voice trembling as she reached out to him.

He groaned, blinking up at her with a hazy look in his eyes, barely recognizzing her. 

Her heart pounded as she brushed a strand of hair away from his forehead, worried about how far he had fallen.

Though they had not always been in good terms since high school, she found it hard to ignore him, especially in this current State.

Diego sat up slowly, trying to shake off the fog in his mind. "I…I just needed a drink," he mumbled, "But it's all gone wrong."

 "Can we get you up? Let's get you some water," she suggested, her voice filled with urgency. "You shouldn't be here by yourself."

With a sigh, she pulled him to his feet, her hands firmly "Let's get you to your car," she said as she began walking with him toward the exit.

As they stumbled toward the door, one of the bartender stepped in front of them. "Uh, ma'am, his bills are still left unsettled," he said, glancing nervously at the disheveled Diego.

Megan's heart skipped a beat, but she didn't hesitate. "I'll take care of it," she replied, reaching into her purse and pulling out her credit card. "It's on me." She handed the card over, hoping it would clear the path to getting Diego out of there.

After a brief moment, the bartender returned with her card, a relieved expression on his face. "Thanks, ma'am."

" You're welcome," Megan said, already eager to move on. She slipped the card back into her purse and a second glance, her focus solely on Diego, who was still swaying slightly beside her.

With a deep breath, she rifled through his pockets until her fingers grazed the cool metal of his car keys. "Got it!" she said with a sense of triumph, pulling the keys out and quickly walking toward the door.

"Where are we going?" Diego muttered, his words hanging like a fog as pulled him outside.

"To your car. You need to lie down," she responded briskly, gripping his arm tightly as they crossed the threshold into the crisp night air.

Megan pressed the key fob, and the headlights flickered on. She guided Diego toward the back seat, his movements sluggish and uncoordinated,her focus shifted exclusively to making sure he didn't hurt himself further. 

When they reached the car, she pushed the door open and gently helped him into the back seat. "Just relax, Diego," she said, trying to keep her tone soothing as she adjusted his position for him to lie back against the leather upholstery. "You're okay."

For a brief moment, Diego closed his eyes, surrendering to the comfort of the seat. The tension in his body began to ease, and he glanced at Megan through his heavy leads before he finally closed his eyes falling into a deep sleep.