Chapter 10

Hadina

As soon as she closed the door behind her, Hadina fell to her knees and allowed herself to sob. She hated this. Hated herself. Peyton was right; this was all her fault and there was no denying that. Even if she wanted to pretend otherwise.

Her stupid actions, Zellie’s and her father’s too…they had all led to this. Led to heartache and pain for Peyton that she could barely handle. Seeing her heart split in two and the emptiness in her eyes was enough to destroy whatever walls Hadina had left. Her walls were crumbling into dust and so was she.

“ ?Hermana? ”

Hadina looked up to find Piper standing in front of her. She hadn’t even heard her approach.

“Hadina? ?Qué ocurre ? Are you okay?”

“She said she’s done,” Hadina whispered quietly, her voice broken and sad. “She’s done with this family and she…she’s done with me, too.”

Piper sighed and leaned down, helping to pick Hadina up. “Come. Let’s have some tea and you can tell me what she said.”

Hadina let her little sister pull her along and into the large sitting area. She sipped from the mug of tea Piper made her, relaying her conversation with Peyton in a monotone voice. She felt empty, like a shell of a human—in pain and all alone.

“ Eres una tonta . You walked away? Are you freaking dumb?”

Hadina pulled back in shock as though her sister had struck her. Piper was normally so sweet and docile. Though, with everything since Peyton’s disappearance, Hadina had noticed a slight change in Piper’s demeanor. “She told me to go!”

Piper tutted and shook her head. “Ay, Hadina, I thought you were the smartest of us all! She told you to go because she feels like you didn’t try hard enough to fight for her… Leaving again just solidifies that in her mind.”

“I won’t force myself into her life, hermana . She’s been through enough.”

“ ?Dios mío! What is wrong with this family and our ability to have healthy communication?”

Hadina rolled her eyes as she looked at her baby sister. “Says the member of this family repressing her feelings.”

Piper tensed up and glared at Hadina, crossing her arms over her chest. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I see the way Adrian looks at you. Don’t pretend you don’t feel the same.”

“Mind your fucking business, Hadi,” Piper warned in a tone Hadina knew was usually reserved for Zellie—it hurt her more than she was willing to admit knowing that it was being used on her.

Letting out a sigh, Hadina resigned her argumentative attitude. She chewed nervously at the corner of her lower lip. “You’re right. I’m sorry, Pip. I just–I can’t handle it if she rejects me again. I love her.”

Piper threw her hands up in frustration. “Tell her that! Burying your feelings may have worked for us all our lives, Hadi, but things have changed. You have someone who genuinely loves you and you can’t afford not to show her that.”

Hadina was quiet for a moment before she locked gazes with Piper. “What she went through, what she had to do… I don’t know how to help her come back from that, Pip. She said she became a monster and how do I help her when I’m one too?”

“Oh, Hadina,” Piper whispered, shaking her head. She stood and made her way to sit next to Hadina, wrapping her arm around her sister’s shoulder in comfort. “You’re not a monster and neither is Peyton. Calling yourself that is what you’ve always done to protect yourself and I guarantee it’s how Peyton is trying to protect herself too. You have to show her that you love her, darkness and all.”

“I do, you know. I love every part of her.”

Piper smiled. “I know that, silly. But I’m pretty sure Peyton needs to hear those words from you.”

Hadina chuckled softly, pulling Piper into a tighter hug. “What would I do without you, little sister?”

“Let’s not imagine situations we’ll never have to go through, hm?” Piper pulled out of their embrace and pressed a kiss to Hadina’s cheek. “Now go win back the heart of your pretty little temptress so that I don’t have to find myself a new bestie.”

Hadina let herself laugh fully this time. “Yes, ma’am.”

Standing outside the bedroom door, Hadina took a deep breath before knocking lightly.

“Go away,” Peyton called out, her voice hoarse from crying.

Hadina waited a moment, debating whether she should come back later after Peyton had had some time to calm down.

No, she thought to herself, too much time has passed already. That’s part of the problem.

She opened the door and barged inside, closing it behind her. Peyton, who had been curled up in a heap beneath her duvet, sat up in shock and glared at Hadina. “I told you to leave! What are you doing here?”

“I’m not leaving you. Not again.”

“I don’t want you here,” Peyton countered.

Hadina moved to the bottom of the bed, a smirk pulling at her lips. “So make me leave. Tell me you don’t love me and I’ll go.”

“That’s not fair and you know it. I told you to leave—why isn’t that enough?”

It pained Hadina to hear the hurt and defeat in Peyton’s voice, but she wasn’t going to give up. She would never give up. “Because we both know it isn’t what you really want.”

Peyton scoffed, swiping her overgrown bangs out of her face. “You barely know me, Hadina. Let’s admit that this is more like crazed infatuation and the sooner we cut it off, the better.”

“I don’t know you, huh?” Hadina repeated, moving around to the edge of the bed. “Funny, because I’d argue that I know you better than anyone. I know the way you taste , Peyton. I know how you tremble and bite your lip to stop yourself from screaming when you orgasm.” Climbing onto the mattress, Hadina crawled to kneel beside Peyton, looking down at her with a deviousness in her eyes. “I know the way you crave something more than the life you’ve been trapped in. I know that despite everything, the danger associated with my lifestyle gives you a thrill that you want to chase, even if you can’t admit it.”

Peyton tried not to give a reaction, though Hadina could see from the way her chest rose and fell that she was feeling exactly what Hadina had intended. She was remembering, and her walls were breaking down in the process.

“You think I want to chase the thrill after I was just fucking kidnapped?” Peyton snapped. “You’re delusional.”

A spark ignited in Hadina’s core at the violence in Peyton’s tone. She knew that it resurfacing meant that her Peyton was coming back. Taking a gamble, Hadina hooked one of her legs over Peyton’s so that she was straddling her.

“Get off me,” Peyton said, though it came out more like a plea, soft and without any confidence.

Hadina trailed her fingertips down Peyton’s cheek, reveling in the way Peyton’s eyes fluttered at the contact. “I know you, Peyton. Conozco tu alma, ” she whispered, her fingertips now trailing across her chest. “This heart? It belongs to me. You’re mine, tentadora .”

A few tears slipped from Peyton’s eyes as she looked at Hadina. “Your lies are as sweet as honey, Hadi, but it only makes it hurt more when you eventually sting me.”

“Never again,” Hadina said quietly, cupping Peyton’s face in her hands. “I swear.”

“Please leave,” Peyton cried, her tears falling heavier. “Leave before you break my heart all over again.”

“No,” Hadina answered with resoluteness. “I won’t ever leave you again.”

Peyton groaned, sniffling as she looked at the ceiling. When she finally returned her gaze to Hadina, there was a sad surrender in her eyes. “God, I hate you. I hate you so much it hurts. But I love you more than I could ever hate you, and somehow that hurts more.”

Before Hadina could formulate an answer, Peyton crashed her lips against hers and Hadina let out a sigh. Never before had a kiss ever felt like coming home.