Page 70 of Game of Revenge

I always thought she and I would end up together, until I had to move to the US. We lost touch, and she started dating my brother. That was when I realized that Elena and I weren’t in love and never had been. I didn’t feel anything at all when I found out about their relationship.

Since his death, we had grown closer, understandably so. And yes, we both caved and fucked a few times. That was a big mistake. I had made as much clear to her. She had decided to help with infiltrating Richard’s circle, and that had complicated things between us. After the way she reacted to Amelia’s presence when we came here, I knew I needed to set things straight with her.

“So”—I cleared my throat—“the other day, when I came here—”

“I know,” she interrupted before I could finish.

She looked at me with those black coffee eyes, her thick lashes hiding most of them. She was pouting as she slid her arm in mine.

“I’m sorry, Alejandro. I just panicked. You were hurt, and I…I lost it a bit. I just miss him so much. You’ve been my only company since…since what happened.”

I felt my throat close. It was still hard for both of us. I knew the pain she was going through. She also lost someone—someone she was in love with. However, I still needed to set things straight.

“But I am not him, Elena. You can't just fill the void with me.”

“Why not? We slept together already, and you enjoyed it.”

Tears were rolling down her beautiful face. My heart sank, her sorrow reflecting mine. I couldn’t morph into my brother for her, however much she needed it. While I had entertained the idea in the past, driven by pain, there was someone else, someone who made me feel alive.

“We are great friends, Elena. Let’s not ruin it. Please. We fucked, yes, but it was a mistake, led by grief and nothing else.”

She closed her eyes for a bit. “Fine,” she sighed. After a long pause, she continued. “It's because of her, isn’t it? You love her, don’t you?”

There wasn’t much left to say between us, so we continued walking in silence until we made it to her front door.

“We are still on for the trip?”

“Still on,” I confirmed.

She gave me a hug, a parting one, hopefully a return to the friendship we should have never jeopardized for a few nights of comfort.

Chapter 33

Amelia

A long, warm shower was just what I needed to distract myself from my thoughts. I felt newly invigorated because Alejandro wasn’t the ogre I had built him out to be in my head. I was feeling reborn, relieved, almost happy about my circumstances, which could have been so much worse it seemed.

As usual, Dolores did not disappoint. She had done much more than borrow some clothes from her daughter. She had asked her to properly shop for me, as evidenced by the fact that most of the clothes still had their tags on them. I arranged all the clothes in the closet, happy to see that Dolores’s daughter had thought of all the details, from shoes to underwear, and had coordinated the outfits.

I chose to wear a beachy short blue dress with small white flowers. I liked how it perfectly grabbed my breasts. The bottom had fringes and stopped a few inches above my knees. I enjoyed the hair products and fluffed my curls. I lathered on some sunscreen and put on some of the new makeup.

No matter what I did, the memory of the morning was always there. I could not help smiling, like a teenager, when the feelings flooded my brain, but the enjoyment was always followed by a bit of guilt. I was starting to feel free to let what had been rising inside of me for a while now flourish, but what was the point?

While he never meant to harm me, there was still a purpose for him, a purpose I now knew I could help fulfill. While his words made my heart flutter, I was ashamed to let him touch me like that after what I knew and what I didn’t know. The other issue was the decision I had to make: whether to tell him about the diamonds or not.

As the afternoon was coming to an end, I went looking for Alejandro. He was nowhere to be found. Dolores was already gone, but she had left the house spotless and the kitchen filled with food and small cakes.

As the sun was setting, I ventured down to the water for fresh air. After just a few minutes on the patio, I heard some voices coming off the beach in my direction. As I got up to take a look, I saw Alejandro and Elena, her arm wrapped around his, peacefully strolling, slowly heading to her house. I felt like someone had just punched me in my stomach. I quickly headed back to the house. The last thing I wanted was for them to see me see them together.

I ran inside and went directly to my bedroom, violently closing the door behind me. I started pacing with anger. How could I have been so stupid? Spending the day looking for him, dreaming of our next moment together, when I knew damn well that he had a girlfriend, a girl he had known since he was a child, even if he had denied it. Someone he had a lot more in common with than me—the woman he had called spoiled. How could I possibly compete with that?

I heard some voices coming from the living room. I was tempted to go there and just scream, but my pride was stronger. I piled up all the shirts I had borrowed from his closet to bring them to his room and drop them in his hamper. I no longer needed them, nor did I want them.

While I was about to leave his room, I heard footsteps outside his door. My heart skipped a beat as I expected to see Alejandro with Elena in his arms, but Alejandro walked in alone, looking even tanner, wearing a pair of cotton pants with a light-gray shirt. I was doing my best to keep my cool.

“How are you?” he asked.

“Good, where were you?”