Chapter 50

“You’re back already?” I asked Christian while I tried to read the look on his face. He seemed pissed.

“Do you think this is normal?”

I flinched and stared at him while he sat on the couch as if he had been waiting for me for hours.

“Emmanuella, do you mind going upstairs for some bit?” Christian asked her as she immediately obeyed. I was in disbelief by his words but waited until Emmanuella was upstairs.

“What?” I asked him, my ears must have deceived me. He was the one who had been lying to me, so how was I in the wrong?

“This thing of yours, not picking up your phone, sneaking out— where were you? Let’s start with that.” He stood up from the couch and I immediately thought of Beau calling me a prisoner. Sneaking out the house? He was one to talk.

“Excuse me?” I snickered, still trying to process his words but he appeared to be serious. “So I am not a prisoner, but you let people follow me outside and decide when it’s time for me to come home— is that it?”

“I know you’ve been fucking Vince, tell me where were you!” He raised his voice, completely ignoring my words. “Fucking Vince? No? And why do you even care?”

“Because I told you not to hang out with him!”

“No, you didn’t!” I yelled back. “You never said that, because you keep everything a secret from me, and you don’t have to worry about it anyway because whatever friendship we had is done— but you should know that right?” I asked. Before I would completely flip out for him lying to me all this time I would give him one last chance to come clean.

“Were you ever going to tell me that the Alfonzo’s are my birth parents or that some man will be after me to execute me?” I asked him directly as he looked back at me, clearly unsure of what to say.

“W-what? Did Vincenzo tell you?” He asked. “Vincenzo? No? I think we both agree it’s not that smart for me to hang out with him right?”

“Serena, I don’t have time for this— I have somewhere to be.” He spoke and looked down at his phone. When did he ever have time for this? Until now he still did not care.

“Also I know you think I’m uneducated, stupid— and easy to deceive, but I actually managed to find out on my own,” I told him. Any sane person would’ve been asking for forgiveness, but here he was— still acting like he was some sort of saint.

“You know Christian, you make me sick.” I sighed. “If you had told me the truth from the beginning I wouldn’t have been hanging out with him in the first place.”

“Then why did you?”

“Were you ever going to tell me about my birth parents?” I asked once again, expecting him to say yes— but instead, he looked down which was adding to my anger. I didn’t confront him to argue, all I wanted were answers but he still wasn’t giving it to me. “I know about the fire, about Fabio, the Alfonzo’s...I know everything.”

“Serena, from now on Vernon will go with you wherever you go, it’s not safe outside.” He spoke, ignoring my question. “Were you going to tell me about the Alfonzo’s?”

Once again he was trying to dodge the question and turned away. He probably knew of the danger I was in but was once again not telling me. “No, you want the truth? No, I wasn’t. We had discussed that you would leave after the baby got here, so there was no point in telling you.”

It felt as if my world had dropped. He was really planning on not telling me a single thing. “Do you know why I was hanging out with Vincenzo? Because I feel alone here, I feel like I’m suffocating— other than giving me a roof above my head I’ve done everything alone, you won’t talk to me, you won’t tell me anything— and I thought we were getting somewhere but you’re still the same.” I spoke with tears in my eyes, trying to get through to him.

“What were you doing in Vegas? Answer me honestly.” I gave him one last chance to tell me the truth. It was not that hard to put two and two together and I had a great idea of the real reason why he was there. Luna had told me about a rat in the family.

“Seren-“

“No, answer me— please. If you care about me just a little bit you will answer me!”

I told Beau we could trust him, and here he was— proving me wrong.

“There was someone who knew about your identity and spread rumors, I went there to deal with it.” He sighed, avoiding my gaze. “Okay, who was it?”

“Not important, I told you what you have to know— so now you will listen to me and stay inside. Vincenzo and the Garcia’s are not your friends, that’s all you have to know. All you have to do is trust me.” He turned around again, but I felt anger washing over me.

I grabbed a nearby vase and threw it at his head, but he dodged it and turned around to face me. “Trust?” Tears streamed down my cheeks.

“You’re asking me to trust you? I cried in your arms about my parents and you sat there and looked at how I was suffocating— despite knowing where they were. Do you really think I can trust you?”

“I trust you can keep the baby safe, so that’s why I’m putting up with your bullshit, but you’re so selfish, this is not about you and your feelings— this is about me!” I told him.

“No, it is about me and my feelings— and my heart is trying everything I can to keep you safe, everything I did not tell you is to keep you safe!” He yelled back. I flinched at his tone and took a step back while he had a regretful look on his face.

“Serena now is not the time to argue, I have to go.” He sighed and stepped forward while I took another step back. “I’m not going to hurt you— you’re the one who threw a vase to my face, but I never intended to hurt you, I just want you to listen.”

“I’m done listening. Don’t worry I’ll follow your requests— for the baby’s sake.” I ended the conversation and tried to walk away but he ran after me and grabbed me by my wrist.

“Christian, just like you I also don’t want to argue— and as crazy as it sounds I still like you and want to believe that you had your reasons for lying to me, but I need some time to breathe so please.” I tried to release myself from his grip.

I had yet to tell him about Beau, but even I did not have any time to process all of this.

“Serena, I know that you have so many questions that I can’t give to you right now. I know you’re angry and confused, I know that I make you sick at the moment, but please trust that I’m doing it to protect you.”

“I don’t do it because I don’t want to tell you anything but I do it out of love.” He told me.

“Yes, out of love for the baby, I understand but—“

“I’m not...talking about the baby.” Christian closed his eyes and sighed. “W-what?” I asked, hoping to finally hear the words I had been longing for but he shook his head.

“It’s not important, get some rest...for the baby.” He cut off the subject. I felt pathetic that I had indirectly confessed my feelings to him, time and time over again— while all I got in return were lies on top of lies. “We’ll discuss this tomorrow, I have something to take care of.”

“W-what?” I asked confused. “Whatever I have to say to you, I’ll tell you tomorrow— but I don’t have time for this right now. I only came here to tell you to take your distance from Vincenzo, and I don’t know how you found out about everything— but the truth was going to come out pretty soon either way so it's fine. It is what it is, but don’t waste your time crying. You have to deal with it.” He released my wrist. “Huh?”

Christian was the most confusing person I had ever met and never failed to surprise me with just how quickly he changed subjects. “We’ll come back to this later, I have to go now.” He suddenly spoke.

“Not again! Where are you going?”

“Listen, there’s something I have to take care of with my brother— but after that, I’ll tell you everything.” He walked past m, leaving me behind completely flustered. “Are you leaving me again?” I asked in disbelief.

“Please prepare yourself, your parents are going to want to meet you—“ He stopped mid-sentence when he felt my phone buzz. His eyes landed on the screen and his face tightened when he read Vincenzo’s name.

“Give it!” He demanded and pulled the phone from my hands before he picked up, leaving me behind in shock.

“Serena?” I heard Vincenzo’s voice as Christian put him on speaker. Christian looked at me, forcing me to answer.

“Y-yes?” I asked, trying to remain calmly— but the look on Christian’s face was scaring me. “Serena please listen, you might’ve heard everything by now, but I promise you that I had no idea who you were— and everything I felt for you was genuine and I don’t blame you or your family for a thing. Can we please meet up-“

“Are you still going on with your bullshit?” Christian spoke. “Chris?”

“Vince listens, you’ve done enough and now I’m asking you to stay away from my fiancée and my baby— I don’t know what kind of game you and Fabio are playing, but you stay the hell away and don’t ever contact Serena again!”

My fiancée...

“I understand and I was planning to do that, but I had something to tell her.” Vincenzo sighed. “Speak,” Christian demanded.

“Fabio will attack the Lamberti’s and the Alfonzo’s three months from now— He’ll schedule a meeting with you and tell you that he had a change of mind and that he’ll spare her and the baby but this is not true— if you work along and show up he’ll show you mercy,” Vincenzo explained.

Christian had a confused look on his face and so did I. “Why?” He wondered.

“Why are you helping us?”

“Because you are my best friend, and Serena is...dear to me,” Vincenzo spoke, and I felt sorry. I felt sorry that I couldn’t return his feelings especially after learning what had happened— and I felt sorry that our friendship had to get in the middle of all of this.

“You know what will happen to me if he finds out I betrayed him— but you, Serena, and that baby of yours are all I care about. I have always been on your side Christian, I have always been loyal to my best friend even though you think otherwise, and I will never betray you.” Vincenzo told him. His words sounded sincere and I did not question it, but Christian’s look and the way he rolled his eyes said otherwise.

“Thanks, but please don’t contact her ever again,” Christian made clear, trying to sound as formal as possible, but even I could look through him and see that his words had hit him.

“I understand, but please keep Serena safe.” Vincenzo requested. Even until this very second, he was still worried about me.

“If that was it I’ll go now.” Christian cut him off. Vincenzo’s words seemed sincere but I did not want to get involved with any feud the two families had and kept my mouth shut.

“Serena...I’m sorry.” He apologized before he hung up the phone. Christian took a deep breath and grabbed my hand. “Huh?” I asked and looked down at our hands.

“He’s playing along the game his father told him to play and in the end he’ll fuck us over, he’s apologizing for that and nothing more— we can’t trust him.” Christian spoke.

“I hope you realize he was trying to lure you outside, and he would’ve probably succeeded if I wasn’t here— I thought they would let is rest for now, but they’re moving quick. Don’t trust him.”

My head went to Beau and how he had said that Vincenzo did not know any better. Christian and Beau knew him better than I did, so perhaps this was really all a game.

Could I even trust Beau?

I looked at Christian and considered telling him about Beau, but he was already stressed enough as it was— so that could wait.

“Now that Vince knows who you are he won’t let you or the baby walk out free and reunite with your family, while he has to suffer every single day— please think!” Christian pulled me along.

“Change of plans, for me to keep you safe, you have to come with me wherever I go.”

“Wait, where are we going?” I asked.

“We’re going to pay my dear brother a visit so you can see why you can’t trust anyone, not even your own family.”