125

Completely exhausted, I opened my heavy eyelids and stared at the white ceiling of the room above me.

I felt totally overwhelmed, like I hadn't slept at all and had been dancing the night away, which made it difficult for me to get up from this really, really, really uncomfortable couch.

It was already light outside. The sun's rays shone softly through the gaps between the dark curtains and immediately gave me a glimpse of the fact that Emilio was not with me.

I stared at the other side of the couch in frustration and stroked the light-colored cover a few times, which to my amazement felt cold to the touch. So cold like Emilio hadn't even spent that night next to me, which was really weird and scary at the same time.

Without wasting any more time wondering if he'd even slept, I feebly put one foot in front of the other and got up, yawning, to make my way directly to the living room.

"Morning," I murmured when I saw Hector sitting at the table and only when I got closer to him did I notice that his whole body was shaking. "Hector?"

My whisper took over the otherwise so quiet room and while panic was slowly creeping up in me, I stopped right in front of him and noticed the blood on his hands.

"What happened?!" I asked indignantly, but he stared into space, paralyzed, and seemed to be in some kind of shock. I turned in desperation and began frantically running across the living room to the remaining doors, only to yank them open one by one in a panic.

"Emilio?!" I yelled over and over again in a trembling voice and searched the entire hut for him, but there was no sign of his proximity. No more feeling of his existence, which brought the first tears to my eyes.

I didn't understand what had happened. Didn't know what I had missed and, breathing heavily, quickly ran over to the front door to frantically tear it open and look around.

The tall trees swayed in the morning breeze. The car was exactly where it was yesterday and the dogs and cats went about their simple lives while I felt like I was on drugs or trapped in a nightmare that just wouldn't stop destroying my life.

And then, just standing in the doorway, panic turning to rage, I clenched my hands into fists and ran back to Hector at the table, determined to get some answers.

"Where is he?!" I yelled loudly, but he only glanced at me and I held my breath as a single tear slid down his cheeks.

"Hector! Tell me at once-"

Suddenly, Hektor held out the remote control for his small television, which I hesitantly accepted, looking at his sorrowful face.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered under his breath, turning his face toward the wall again to appear frozen as before.

I, on the other hand, turned to the old box in the corner of the room with shaking hands and pressed the power button on the remote control.

At first nothing happened. Just a faint black flicker, but then I watched the breaking news flash wide-eyed, clutching the air deep in my lungs with tension.

"This is a true tragedy," said one reporter, standing in front of a mansion where there were so many police officers and ambulances that I could hardly believe it.

" Ernesto Torres, owner of the Torres empire, was arrested for murder this night in front of his wife Izabele and daughter Mira."

My legs felt like jelly and I could feel my heart denying all of this, but then suddenly horrific images were shown of a dead man being carried away. It was covered with a white sheet, but I didn't need to see it to know who was there.

"A family tragedy that has claimed one victim. Emilio Torres, son of his killer, was found dead last night at..."

I fell to my knees, all I could hear was the remote control hitting the wooden floor and the television turning off. I didn't notice anything else. My life, as perfect as it seemed for a few days, took a turn that I would not be able to live with.

"Why?!" I sobbed, screaming my desperation out loud while wishing over and over again that I would just wake up. My heart was in so much pain that I thought it was going to just give up and yes, I would have been fine with that.

"Isalie, you have to listen to me now," I heard Hector behind me and immediately felt his hand on my shoulder, but I tore myself away from him and jumped up to turn angrily towards him.

"You were with him, weren't you?!", I wanted to know with a trembling voice and noticed how everything around me became more and more blurred. Reality seemed to fall on me like a rock. A burden too heavy to bear any longer.

"Emilio wanted me to tell you that eventually you would understand. He wanted you to be free and blame everything on him and also that you help Mira to escape from her mother."

I listened to Hector, but I didn't give a shit what Emilio wanted. I hated him! Hated him for being so selfish as to leave me alone! Hated him for managing to put me under his spell and as happy as I was yesterday, the unhappier I was here at this moment, wishing I had never met him. If this was true love and if that's what it felt like, then I would rather have lived without her, because this pain was worse than anything.

"I have to get out of here," I explained to Hector as if I were under water and walked past him to the front door.

"Isalie, bitte!"

"No!" I yelled through tears and turned to face him one last time. "No! He left me! Decided on the wrong path and now you bring me the pleas of a dead person?! I can't help Mira! I can't even help myself anymore and it's his fault!"

Hector looked down and I took a deep breath to disappear outside crying. My life seemed over, even if my heart was still beating...