Chapter 49

All I ever wanted was a family, and that’s why I took a step back. Christian betrayed me, but I was not ready to let go of that small hope I had in building a family. I was not ready to let go of Christian. “I can’t.” I breathed.

“So you’ll continue to live your life as a prisoner?” Beau asked with a disappointed look on his face.

Chills left my body upon hearing those words. Prisoner? Did it not go a bit too far? Yes, Christian ordering everyone to report my every move was a bit annoying, him lying to me was unacceptable, but other than that it seemed fine— I’m sure there had to be an explanation for all of this. Everything Christian had done had always been in the baby’s best interest.

He lied to me, but that didn’t mean we couldn’t fix this mistake.

We had fixed our issues before, and we could do it again.

“I’m not a prisoner.” I chuckled in disbelief— but the look on his face told me that he did not find this as funny as I did. “Once you’re in— you’re never fully getting out, you know that right? The only way is death. Do you think Fabio will let you live!”

“Maybe? Fabio let your life!” I yelled back.

“Because I became the scapegoat so our parents could give you a better life. If they knew you would’ve ended up like this goddamnit!” Beau roughly grabbed my hand but I pulled it away.

“Let go of me!” I yelled at him. His words hit me hard, the Alfonzo’s had sent me away to save me so I could have a better life and I screwed it up, Beau’s sacrifice had been for nothing. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that just...I want to save you!” Beau tried to grab my hand again, but once again I pulled it away.

“Christian promised to protect me and to let me go once the baby is born if you wait for a bit longer-“

“It was all a lie, wake up Serena please!” Beau told me. “He was never going to let you go and now he isn’t going to let you go at all, Fabio knows about your identity and is probably planning to execute the both of you right now!”

“Think about it, who would Christian safe? You or his entire family? He does not care about you, after the baby is born he will hand you over to Fabio before you even get the chance to blink— and if you don’t watch out he’ll give both you and the baby away.” Beau said, but I could not trust his words.

That was not Christian.

I thought about the promise Christian had made me. He promised to let me go after the baby got here, but in the past he had made me a lot of promises and had barely managed to keep those.

“Huh? I don’t understand!” I told him. “Christian would never do that to me, stop it!” I told him and shot daggers at him as a way of telling him to not step any closer. “Be quiet, someone might hear us,” Beau whispered.

I gave him a look of pity and realized how terrible his life must’ve been for him to be living in constant fear like this. How bad could one man be? One thing was for sure if everyone was so terrified of this man— that must’ve meant Fabio Garcia was the monster everyone made him out to be?

“Beau, let’s forget this ever happened. Since you told me no one knows about you I will keep your identity hidden, but you should go back to Fabio for now, you haven’t even thought this through. We leave, and then?” I asked him and observed the startled look on his face.

Exactly, there was no plan.

“I’m not running away from my problems once again, and I want to hear Christian’s side of the story and the Alfonzo’s side of the story— I’m sure there’s a good reason—“

“There isn’t, they betrayed you, they betrayed us. Our father was coward enough to fight and gave me a way to the enemy to be executed, while they send you away to rot and did not even contact you once in twenty-one years to see how you were doing. Do you think they will protect us now? They couldn’t even protect us when we were babies...”

“Beau, I’m sorry,” I whispered unsure of what to do. It seemed as this whole mess started because of me, out of everyone I could get pregnant by it just had to be Christian...

“If you really are, then come with me so I can protect both you and the baby, I will never lie to you and I will never betray you. I’ve been looking for you for a long time and I will never let go of you, ever.”

“Beau...I can’t.” I told him once again. The last thing I wanted was to put him in any kind of danger. If Fabio was not aware that he knew about his identity, it must’ve meant that he was still safe for now and I did not want to risk that.

“I understand.” He chuckled and finally let go of my hand. “I have one request for you.”

“When you meet the Alfonzo’s, please don’t tell them that you’ve found me— I want them to suffer.”

“Beau, you just told me that they regret their decision.” I sighed but he shook his head. “I don’t care, I want them to suffer. I only care about you...so if you want to go back to them and believe that they can keep you safe from Fabio, then although I do not agree with it— I’ll trust your decision.” He spoke with closed eyes before he lowered his head.

It seemed as if he was willing to do anything to stay on my good side.

“Thank you,” I whispered and tried to step forward so I could hug him, but he had immediately stepped back. “Let’s forget any of this ever happened.”

“Beau, I never said I do not want to get to know you!”

“I know, but I need you to stay safe— so unless you don’t want to run with me, I need you to forget about me before Fabio slaughters both of us.” He spoke without looking at me. “Do you truly trust Christian?” He asked me.

“Yes, he betrayed me, he made mistakes— but I trust him with my life,” I told him. The truth was that I would absolutely not let this pass and confront him. Many levels of trust were broken but that did not mean that I did not trust his word to protect me. I would not remove the baby from its father.

“Since you’ve put so much trust into Christian, from now on I’ll be his eyes and ears,” Beau spoke.

He was even willing to go as betraying Vincenzo because I had put all my trust in Christian. So Christian better keep his promise.

“Don’t tell anyone besides him that you know about me, please.” He requested once again, and I nodded my head. “I promise, you have my word.”

“Good, listen. In the next few weeks, it will be quiet because Fabio is a man of strategies and won’t immediately attack you, He will be keeping a close eye on you instead. So don’t do anything reckless.”

“I won’t,” I told Beau. “If Vincenzo suddenly contacts you, know that he blames our family for his mother’s death and that it’s not out of your best interest but to hand you over to Fabio.”

“You knew all of this and still you remained loyal?” I asked Beau. I truly felt sorry for him and everything he had to go through.

“He doesn’t know any better than what he was taught.”

I felt my phone buzz and quickly pulled it out, reading the message from Christian.

‘Come home immediately.’

“It’s Christian, he wants me to come home,” I told Beau. The tone of Christian’s text had confused me a little and I wondered what his issue was. I had not even expected him to be home that quickly.

Beau told me that it would remain quiet for at least a few weeks, so what was Christian’s issue? Had he finally decided to tell me the truth?

I looked at my missed calls and saw that he had called me fifteen times within the past ten minutes.

“I have to go now,” I told Beau. We looked at each other for a few seconds and I still had to process everything. Beau...my very own twin. I had expected to feel some kind of special connection, but there wasn’t. Maybe if the circumstances were a bit better.

“I’ll contact you.” Beau tried to smile through his pain. He must’ve felt betrayed by me for picking Christian and the Alfonzo’s over him, but I had no choice. I did not only have myself to think about but also a baby.

“Promise me you’ll be safe.” Beau stared into my eyes. “I promise.” I smiled back at him, but there was only one thing going through my mind.

What had Christian so worked up that he had felt the need to call me fifteen times?