Page 38 of Game of Revenge

Where would Richard have found that many diamonds in the first place? They must be worth an enormous fortune, as both men seemed to be doing fine financially, and yet my freedom had been taken from me, likely in exchange for them? How would Alejandro have known about them anyway? Did they know each other? I wasn't sure what to do with this information. I wasn't sure if I wanted to confront him about it.

How greedy could a person be to kidnap another human being for some diamonds—however much they might be worth. Alejandro did not care about my life or what he was destroying by taking my freedom away for money.

I was starting to ground myself in logic and rationality. I couldn’t allow myself to feel anything for someone like this. He acted like a gentleman, yes, but he had also kidnapped me. How could I reconcile the criminal and the gentleman? I needed to do something, distract myself. I opened every single drawer in the room to see if I could find anything useful to my situation, but there was nothing.

Of course, Alejandro wasn’t stupid, and he wasn’t going to leave anything compromising in this room, especially after he found me going through his things in his office. I walked into his closet to explore. Alejandro had exquisite taste. I found a couple tuxedos and smiled—of course he had some. I loved a man in a suit. George wore them often, but they seemed to never quite fit him. I lightly caressed the satin lapel on one of the tuxedos, running my hand down to explore the feel of it.

I felt something in the left jacket pocket. I turned around to make sure I was alone and pulled the piece of paper out. It was the invitation to my birthday party. Slight panic started to rise in my stomach. He was there, at my party, the day I got abducted! I searched my memory for guests. How would he have even received an invitation in the first place?

I remembered…I remembered the mysterious man that was staring at me from afar, sending a burning sensation down my back even when I couldn’t see him.

It must have been him, planning and organizing what would turn out to be one of the worst evenings of my life! I was enraged. Of course, it wasn’t news that he had kidnapped me, but getting acquainted with the reason and the details of the execution made his crime all too real, too raw again. I put the card back where I found it and went back to the room, pacing back and forth. I was starting to feel weak again, but I didn’t care. I could not stay still.

When Alejandro knocked and opened our common bedroom door, I flew to him, pushing him.

“You were there, weren’t you?”

“What?” he said, holding my hands to get me to stop hitting him.

“My birthday party. You were there!”

“Ah,” he said, letting me go. “Yes,” he admitted, walking to the window.

“Criminal!” I shouted. “How could you so coldly calculate how to ruin someone's life—on their birthday, mind you. What kind of a man goes to a party, enjoys it, and engages in pleasantries while his people take someone’s freedom away?!”

“Amelia…”

“No, there is nothing you can say. You are a sadist!”

“Enough!” he said, turning to face me. His hardened face softened when he realized I was sobbing.

“Amelia, please…”

“Don’t come near me!” I cried. “You disgust me!”

Alejandro looked like someone had punched him in the chest.

“How did you get in, in the first place? How were you invited?”

“Amelia, there is a lot you don’t understand.”

“Well, explain it to me! Tell me! I am not a child. I deserve to know, to understand! I can’t keep doing this!”

I could feel my throat closing.

This wasn’t just about the kidnapping. It was about the shame and confusion I felt because of how one touch of his could transport me to another world. It was about trying to reconcile what I felt and what I should feel, trying to find an explanation, a sliver of hope, but realizing how absurd and illogical my behavior had been.

“I can’t!” he shouted. “Don’t you understand?!” he pleaded, closing the distance between us. “I am trying to protect you! The less you know, the better!”

“Bullshit!”

“Do you think I enjoy this?” His lips hardened, and his nostrils flared as he grabbed my arm to make me look at him. “Can’t you see what I am going through?” he whispered, searching my eyes for answers. “I have to protect you—now more than ever. I can’t…I can’t let them get to you, mi niña.” He added in a deeper voice. “I can’t tell you what I know, it will put your life in danger even further. Do you get that? Can you not trust me?”

Searching his eyes, I tried to understand what he was so afraid to voice. He looked conflicted, with a painful darkening his gaze. He was pulling me again, destabilizing my resolve and the strength I thought reason could feed me. Panicked, I pulled my arms away with all my strength, going as far from him as I could.

“I can’t trust you if you can't tell me. I can’t trust you if you don’t trust me, Alejandro.”

Alejandro looked devastated, but I could not let what might just be me projecting what I wanted to see make me lose control of my emotions any more than I already had.