Killing For Ace Hernandez ✓

18 | Runaway

I guess forever didn’t actually mean forever and at the end I realised he was the spark I needed to be set ablaze but I was no longer his. And the moment I finally found my home, it wasn’t a building, but two eyes and a heartbeat.

I knew I could fall in love with something, someone just as broken as me because I hated myself forever but him…oh...man he made me fall. But the worst thing about loving someone to the depths of your soul is knowing that you will lose them. Nothing and no one lasts forever.

At least, now, I knew what it felt like to breathe.

We have been on the road for six hours, six hours since I saw the love of my life shot. Dead? I do not know, I held onto the necklace tightly as tears continue to fall down my eyes.

“So che mi odi adesso.” He whispers, I wanted to pull myself away from this situation, but something inside of me, my heart, was telling me to do the opposite. To stay and listen, no matter how much he does not deserve it.

[I know you hate me now]

“Arabella, non avrei mai voluto che succedesse. Lo ti amo.”

[Arabella, I never wanted this to happen. I do love you.]

The strong wind of the open window flushing against my face, I bring my knees close to my body.

“I know you will never forgive me; I know.”

I never replied.

“I did unwise s**t, things I should have never done. I just enjoyed you not knowing that part of me, and loving me for-”

“Someone fake, this. This is the real you, this is what you should have showed me. Not the billionaire phase. Let us start over Ace. Let me fall for who you really are, show me that side of you. Show me you.” I turn around, pressing my hands onto his chest. His eyes close slightly, I settle on his lap.

“That side is one you would not be able to handle...”

“Let me be the judge for that, Ace, I tried. I tried hating you, I tried everything but I can’t. I can’t Ace, because I love you. I always have and always will. But I only love one side of you. Show me the other.”

“Arabella, its not your fault.” Rodrigues whispers, I wanted to reply but nothing exited my mouth. Because it is my fault. I should have let him leave when he had the chance.

“I love you Arabella.” He whispers against my swollen lips.

“And I love you Hernandez.”

“I promise to always protect you, always and forever,” his wet hair touched my forehead, the drops falling down my cheeks. His hands wrap itself around my waist, he glances at my stomach for a quick second before smiling sinisterly.

“Always and forever.”

“We said always and forever.” I look at Rodrigues. “And we broke it, and its my fault because my father wanted me, and now he’s dead!”

“He isn’t dead, Arabella.”

“He is dead. I saw him get shot.” I argue.

“Arabella, he handled three bullets to the shoulders. I am sure he isn’t dead.”  I look back to see a sleeping Rose. Rodrigues parks up into a motel and exits the car, “okay, we need to shower and change, by the time I fix our passports up.” How is he handling this situation so well? I exit the car slowly, feeling pain between my legs as I open Roses door but Rodrigues get their first and picks her sleeping body up.

I smile kindly as we make our way inside the reception. The women chews onto her gum before throwing us a key. I caught it since Rodrigues’ hands are full. “Room 304.” We walk down the hallways, before arriving at our door. I push the key inside revealing a good enough bedroom with two beds.

Rodrigues shuts the door behind me and rests Rose onto the bed along with the suitcase of all our things. “Go shower.” He tells me, I nod my head and walk inside the bathroom, I switch on the water.

I strip of my clothing, including Ace’s blazer which is the only thing keeping me going, having his scent around me. On me.

Shower water comes as perfect rain, warm and steady, awakening my skin in all the right ways. My hair darkens, as my eyes travel down to the ring around my neck.

I sigh, finishing up, the blood stains all removed of me. I wrap the towel around my body and exit the room, I see Rose laughing at something Rodrigues said. He turns around, his eyes locking with my own before immidtaley pointing to the ground. “Sorry, I am going to give you both privacies to finish up. I’ll put gas in the car.” I nod my head as he leaves the room.

“Mummy is Ace coming?” I see Rose all dressed and clean.

“No, Ace has gone on holiday.”

“Where?”

“I don’t know Rose.” I slide on a pair of trousers, wrapping my body with a hoodie and a baseball cap.

“Why did he leave us?”

“He didn’t.”

“Why did he leave us?” She repeats.

“He didn’t leave us!” I burst out, Rose backs away into the corner, her lips quivering and Rodrigues enters the room. “He didn’t leave us!”

“Okay! Okay Arabella enough.” Rodrigues grabs onto my arms as tears fall down my eyes, he sighs as he pushes my head against his chest. When my emotions hand me the "sadness card," that is when tears come.

They say sadness is behind anger, yet anger never comes unless in direct self-defence, and so perhaps I can credit this natural passivity with my willingness to cry and feel pain, to let the sorrow teach me more about my true nature and how fragile we humans are.

“It’s okay Arabella. Look at me.” I glance up, he strokes my cheeks as my eyes lock with his honey brown ones. Not the perfect hazel ones I see, the ones mixed with dark blue and green. The ones that gave me hope. “I have to tell you but I don’t want to hurt you even more.”

“He’s dead, isn’t he?” Rodrigues looks away from my eyes.

“He got shot in the heart…” I nod my head, pushing past him as I rush towards the car. I slam the door once I enter and allow the tears to leave my eyes.

His hand slipped around my waist; I rest the side of my cheek against his shoulder. Whilst our eyes were connecting, I felt nothing but freedom for the first time in nineteen years. The vinyl playing from another room. “Ace.”

 I whisper his name. “Arabella.” He returns.

“Tell me this is forever.”

“We know it is not Bella” He admits the truth, I feel tears brim the edge of my eyes.

“Just tell me.” I repeat.

“This is forever princess.” I let out a laugh, pushing onto his shoulders as I see the rest of his face. He lifts my hands and twirls me around in my bedroom before bringing me back against him. We continue to stay in each other’s hold for a minute but we both knew it was never going to work.

“Arabella, you hungry?” I groan, waking up. A dream.

“I-I’m fine.” I whisper, he nods his head driving past the gas station. He bites onto the sandwich he had from Chipotle. I turn to see a sad Rose. “I’m sorry Rosey.” I whisper to her; she looks up at me with a soft smile. “I didn’t mean to shout at you, mummy is just really tired.”

“It’s okay, I just miss Ace.”

“I miss him to baby, I miss him to but look, we have uncle Rodrigues here with us and I couldn’t be more thankful.” I murmur, he gives me a sympathetic smile. “Seriously, thank you Rodrigues.”

“Alright don’t get soppy with me.” I chuckle rolling my eyes.

“Do you think I’m still pregnant?”

“We’ll find out when we arrive in Spain,”

AUTHOR: 

How do you feel by the actions of Ace?

Do you think Arabella's actions are right?