25

Lia Hamilton

I just wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible, run into Lazzáro's arms and tell him it was all right, that it was going to be all right, that I had it all figured out, that he could let me love him now. But not everything was so easy.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Hayden asked.

- Yes of course. I forced a smile when I wanted to cry and choke him.

I didn't even know what I was eating, I could barely taste it, it could even be poisoned or something, I just couldn't.

“You seem pretty quiet after our conversation.

“It's not every day that we plan someone's murder. - I spoke.

“It will be painless, at least in the process. — I wanted to open hell and throw Hayden inside.

Damn bastard.

- Let's go? I proposed, no longer enduring his presence.

- Already?

— I think this overly spicy food is making me sick. I made a dramatic expression.

“Oh, then I think we'd better go. called the waiter.

All payment process was done quickly and so we were out the door.

— So that's the end of it... I'm working tomorrow, and I'm already pretty tired today. I said, wanting to get rid of him right away.

"I'll drop you off at home." I rolled my eyes internally.

— No need, it's close by. — and to shut him up I had to give him a hug. “I loved the date. I lied bluntly.

“I more than loved. I just thought we could go to my apartment now and...

- No! I exclaimed indignantly at his insinuation.

- Calm. Everything is fine. - put your hands up.

“Then I'll be going, Hayden. Until later. I turn around, but he pulls me against his body.

"When will we see each other again?" "Shit, would he really be on my case?"

However, it was worth it for Lazzaro.

— I don't know yet, but we meet in these regions right here. - I said and was surprised with his lips on mine.

What a beautiful piece of crap!

- See you soon. — he smiled making me want to throw out everything I forced to eat inside the restaurant.

I started walking away from him toward Magdalena's house. I walked so fast that my legs started to hurt halfway there and then I stopped, near an iron gate of someone's house, I knelt on the ground and wept desperately, with disgust, hatred, a horrendous mixture of feelings.

How could someone be able to poison a person, or even an animal? That is wrong! An innocent person who only inherited his father's money? My worst fear was that even after I revealed the truth to him, he was already sick enough that there was no cure, it had been killing me since I found out and I urgently needed to see him.

I waited another half hour for Hayden to disappear from the area and started walking towards my love's house, along the way not being able to think if he wouldn't be upset that I would show up at his house that night. But I didn't care, after all, he had done the same and the house wasn't even mine.

I think I was guided by my heart and the desire to see him as soon as possible, because when I noticed I was already in front of the gate. I went in right away ringing the bell, as if he was already waiting for me, he answered.

We stood looking at each other, he looking quite surprised while I nervously met his look, tired, swollen and red. Worry washed over me and before I could say anything to him, I hugged him with all my love and strength.

I received such a nice squeeze from him, like a man in love hugging his beloved with a lot of longing, it was something unreal, Lazzáro didn't love me, but I loved him and I needed to say it. But not now.

- What are you doing here? His voice took me by surprise as I pulled away from him.

“I needed to see you, talk to you… Just listen to me, and after that I'll leave if you want. I turned too nervously to look into his tired eyes.

He wasn't well and thinking about it consumed me at all times.

I felt his chest against my back, slightly his hands were on my hips, I felt his breath on my neck caused me delicious shivers.

“I'm here to listen to you and I don't want you to go after that. - confessed squeezing my skin with his hands.

I inhaled in excitement and nearly melted into his arms.

"First... I need you to tell me the truth." Please, Lazzáro, I beg you to let all the truth I need come out of your mouth before I tell you everything I know. I begged, standing face to face with him.

He thought for exactly two minutes as counted by me.

- He is well. His defeated look tore me apart.

- How are you feeling? About your health? My eyes glistened with the tears I was trying to hold back at all costs.

I saw the man go pale before me.

- Why that? he questioned.

"You promised..." I reminded him.

"I... Fuck..."

I had to help him.

- Is sick? My heart raced so fast I could barely breathe. “I know you don't want to talk about it and you've been hiding it from everyone. But I already know, I put the pieces together and you're being poisoned!

I watched Lazzaro's features become confused and surprised.

- What are you talking about? he asked indignantly.

“Hayden and Joyce are poisoning you with Nadia's help. I overheard her talking to him on the phone about putting something in your perfume and just when I came to live here, I saw her leave your room at three in the morning when you had spent the night out. I also heard about the paint on your new house, specifically your room, today Magdalena told me about the painter who got sick and was dismissed, but before that I had made an appointment with Hayden, since he showed interest in me, with the intention to discover more things and make him confess taking an old and simple cell phone with only the recorder on. — I removed the device that I had stopped recording before the food reached the table.

I stopped for breath handing him the phone. His furious expression mixed with disbelief.

- I'm gonna kill! He growled, clenching his fists.

“I had to pretend I was on his side, that I was going to join them against you. That was just a strategy, don't believe anything that came out of my mouth in this audio, please. I warned before he pressed play.

The following moments were of total distress and hatred, for everything we heard and even though I already knew everything, my anger only increased. As soon as the recording dialogue ended, I saw the man I loved sitting on the couch with visible difficulty in breathing.

— Lazzaro. I ran to his rescue taking him in my arms.

- Why? Why did they do this to me? So I don't have any lump between my lungs and heart, but being poisoned so that I wither and die slowly! — he got rid of me throwing all the pieces of glass they still had on a table to the floor.

— Hey, calm down... — I tried not to make her condition worse, which we still didn't really know what it was.

- Calm me down?! How do you want me to calm down after that?! Fuck, I'm going to kill that son of a bitch Hayden and his motherfucker! Oh, and Nadia... She doesn't miss out on waiting too! Cursed, a thousand times cursed!!! I covered my ears and walked away just watching him destroy his home in an endless rage.

Maybe he really needed to spill out all the hate. It wasn't easy at all.

“I've deprived myself of so many things lately because of this. Because I thought I was going to die, Lia. While I didn't understand why I was suddenly sick and dying, I was being poisoned. I lived depressed with no hope of anything else because the doctors said I would die in about a year. I deprived myself of living with you, of loving you, because I had fallen in love and when you said you liked me that was the end, it was so horrible to know that it was reciprocal and that I couldn't let that happen. I couldn't let you feel something for me to avoid your pain when I died!

His pain was mine too and I could feel what he was feeling at that moment. My heart broke at the image of him in anguish and feeling defeated, deceived. I wanted to be the cure for it all for him, I wanted to be the escape, the hope for him.

So I gave you the only thing I could. My love.

"Lazzaro, I love you." Even if now is not the appropriate time to say it, but I love you very, very much.