HE COMES AT NIGHT

8

As she considered her options, a knock on the door pulled her from her thoughts.

Armando entered, his expression guarded. He seemed calmer than the night before, but there was a tension in his movements, a subtle hesitation as he approached her. Jessica braced herself, expecting another round of arguments, but instead, he sat down beside her, his gaze softening.

“Are you feeling any better?” he asked quietly, his voice uncharacteristically gentle.

Jessica nodded, though she avoided his eyes. “I’ll be fine,” she replied, her tone cool, detached.

An uncomfortable silence settled between them before Armando finally spoke again. “I’ve been thinking about what you said last night. About… wanting a different life.” His voice was laced with something unsteady, as if the words were foreign to him.

Jessica glanced up, surprised. She hadn’t expected him to bring it up again, let alone so soon.

“And?” she asked, cautious, unsure of where he was going with this.

He let out a slow breath, rubbing the back of his neck, a rare sign of vulnerability. “I don’t know if I can change overnight, Jess. But maybe I can try to make things…safer. Maybe I can start shifting things around.”

She narrowed her eyes, skepticism creeping into her expression. “What does that even mean, Armando? You think you can just ‘shift’ things and suddenly our lives will be free of danger?”

He frowned, the hardness returning to his gaze. “It’s not that simple,” he replied, his tone defensive. “I’m trying to work with what I have. You know how many people rely on me—how many enemies I have out there. It’s not as easy as you seem to think.”

Jessica crossed her arms, meeting his gaze with a steely determination. “I don’t care about how ‘easy’ it is for you, Armando. I care about what’s best for Alvaro. And if that means you have to make some sacrifices, then maybe that’s what you need to do.”

Armando clenched his fists, frustration simmering beneath the surface. “You act like I don’t care about him, about you. Everything I’ve done—everything I do—it’s for this family.”

She let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head. “That’s just it, Armando. You say it’s all for us, but what good is it if it’s tearing us apart?”

He looked away, his jaw tight, the anger giving way to a helplessness that he rarely let anyone see. “So what are you saying, Jessica?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. “That you’re done putting up with it? That you’re just going to walk out? Which one is it?”

Jessica’s breath hitched, her heart pounding as the gravity of the question sank in. She hadn’t truly thought that far ahead—hadn’t wanted to face the possibility that leaving him might be the only way to protect herself and Alvaro. But here he was, forcing her to confront it, to decide if she could truly walk away from the man she had once loved.

“I don’t know,” she admitted, her voice breaking slightly. “I just know that I can’t keep living like this. I can’t keep pretending that everything is fine when I’m constantly worried about what’s lurking around the corner.”

Armando’s expression softened, and he reached for her hand, his fingers brushing against hers in a hesitant, almost desperate gesture. “Jessica… please. I know I’m not perfect. But I can’t lose you. I can’t lose my family.”

Her gaze softened, her resolve wavering as she looked into his eyes. For a moment, she saw the man she had fallen in love with, the man who had once promised her the world. But that man was buried beneath layers of secrets, violence, and a life that had ensnared them both.

“Then prove it, Armando,” she whispered, pulling her hand away. “If you really want to keep us, then show me you’re willing to make a change. A real change.”

He clenched his jaw, his expression conflicted. “What do you want me to do, Jess? Tell me, and I’ll do it.”

She took a deep breath, steadying herself. “I want you to step back. From all of it. If not for me, then for Alvaro. He deserves a father who isn’t constantly looking over his shoulder, a father who can actually be there for him.”

Armando’s face twisted, torn between his loyalty to the syndicate and his love for his family. “You don’t understand. I can’t just walk away, Jessica. People depend on me. And if I step back, it’s not just my life on the line—it’s everyone who’s connected to me.”

Jessica’s shoulders slumped, the disappointment settling in. She had hoped, even if only for a fleeting moment, that he might be willing to take the risk, to put their family above everything else. But now, seeing his hesitation, she felt her hope slipping away.

“Then maybe…maybe we’re at an impasse,” she murmured, her voice thick with emotion. “Because I can’t keep pretending that this is the life I want for us.”

He reached out, his hand cupping her cheek, his gaze intense, pleading. “Don’t say that, Jess. Please. I’ll find a way. I’ll figure something out. Just… don’t give up on us. Not yet.”

She closed her eyes, leaning into his touch, torn between her love for him and the reality of their situation. She wanted to believe him, to trust that he could find a way to change. But deep down, she knew that promises alone wouldn’t be enough.

After a long moment, she opened her eyes, her expression resolute. “If you can’t make a real change, Armando… then I don’t know if there’s a future for us. Not like this.”

He swallowed hard, the weight of her words settling heavily on his shoulders. For the first time, he looked uncertain, vulnerable, as if he was finally beginning to understand the gravity of what he stood to lose.

Without another word, Jessica pulled away, turning her attention to Alvaro, who had begun to stir in his crib. She gently lifted him, cradling him against her chest, her focus entirely on her son. The warmth of his tiny body against hers grounded her, reminding her of what truly mattered.

Armando stood there for a moment, watching her, a mixture of pain and regret etched across his face. He took a step back, his voice barely a whisper. “I’ll give you space. But please… don’t shut me out completely. I’m begging you, Jess.”

She nodded, not meeting his gaze, her attention solely on Alvaro. “We’ll see, Armando. But actions speak louder than words. Remember that.”

He left quietly, closing the door behind him. As Jessica held Alvaro close, a single tear slid down her cheek, a testament to the silent battle waging within her. She knew that the days ahead would be filled with difficult decisions, but for the first time in a long time, she felt a glimmer of hope—a hope that, somehow, she could forge a new path, one where Alvaro would never have to grow up in the shadows of Armando’s world.