29. Izzy

Chapter 29

Izzy

A dull ache throbbed between my legs as I shouldered open the hospital door to Yara’s room. Oliver was already inside, but Emilio and Maddox followed me in.

“Yara!” I screamed, rushing into the room, but before I could get to her, two men stepped into my path.

I recognized Kazi as Emilio’s driver but not the other.

“Mateo,” Emilio’s tone was harsh. “Is this going to be a problem?”

“Yara is my top assignment, all others will be completed as directed,” the giant of a man barked out. He was huge, even bigger than Maddox, and I craned my neck to meet his eyes.

“Yara is my best friend,” I argued, stretching up to push against the goliath’s chest.

He went to protest, but then Yara cut through. “Let her see me you fucking oaf. We talked about this. In fact, everyone out except for Izzy!”

Emilio stepped forward, kissing the top of my hair, squeezing my hand before directing his attention to Kazi and Mateo. “It seems we have some matters to discuss now that she’s awake.”

They gave him a sharp nod, offering Yara one last look before exiting with everyone.

Now it was just Yara, myself, and my dad in the room.

James sat in the hospital chair. His head was in his hands. He lifted it, offering a sad smile, before shifting to stand .

He and I had talked briefly right after everything had happened. He explained how my mom had taken me and left in the dead of night. Of his fruitless searches in finding me. How Stephen had sought him out. But he didn’t dive into Yara–we agreed to wait until she woke up.

“You can stay if you’d like James,” Yara offered my dad a simpering smile.

My view of her was now unobstructed, and I finally took her in.

Bruised, battered, but smiling . As if this was just another fucking day at the office.

“No, you two need to talk. But Isobella, after, will you find me please?” James stood up, his hand moving on its own to brush away Yara’s hair off her face.

He was looking at her with absolute devotion.

I expected to hate it. To get the ick. But I didn’t. Yara had been alone for too long, she needed someone. Did I wish it wasn’t my dad?

Well duh, but oh fucking well.

After the door shut behind my dad, I turned my full attention to Yara. “So, this is why you didn’t want me to call you mamacita?” I chuckled awkwardly, taking the chair my dad had just been sitting in next to her.

She extended over and weakly punched me. “Shut up! You know you’re a bitch!?”

“Hey at least this bitch didn’t fuck your dad.” The joke fell flat between us, and I cringed a bit.

Her face whitened. “I’m sure you heard, but he’s dead. Stephen is finally and officially dead. Gone from my life.”

I watched her, we had been best friends for over a decade, but we clearly had kept secrets from each other. We both had our own sordid pasts.

“Yara… I’m going to tell you everything now. All of my secrets. Every piece that I have kept hidden from you, and I would love for you to do the sa me. But you don’t have to, you can keep anything you want from me. You know I’ll love you no matter what though don’t you?”

“I’m ready to listen. I’ll be the therapist you never went to, no matter how much I pestered you. Though I guess mine didn’t really work. But yeah girl, I think it’s time. No more fucking secrets.”

“Look what had happened was.” I joked, falling back in my chair.

“Shut up, you’re such an idiot!” She laughed a bit before coughing. It took her a few moments but eventually she caught her breath.

“You’re okay though, aren’t you? And the baby? Do you know whose it is? You didn’t lose it, did you?” I had not learned the ways of social etiquette and the questions blurted out one after another.

“Nuh uh uh, you first. But yes the baby is healthy, happy, and all that jazz. But everything else, I answer after.” She flashed her teeth before settling back on the bed.

I took that as my cue to start.

I wasn’t exactly sure where, so I decided to begin with the story of my mother. She had heard bits and pieces before but not the whole of it.

“Your mother was a raging cunt, like god rest her fucking soul. But fuck!” Yara exclaimed when I was done with that portion.

She wasn’t wrong. I loved my mom, I did, but it was hard to mourn her loss when she had truly been dead to me for years.

I then moved onto my ordeal with Sebastian.

“I’m so sorry I wasn’t there.” Her voice was thick with emotion.

At the time, she was dealing with her own problems. Daniel, her first boyfriend, had not been kind. He was why I persuaded her to leave town, helped her change her name again , how she ended up starting her company.

Next was how Emilio came into play .

“You’re fucking married?! And I wasn’t invited? I am going to kill that man.”

“Maybe don’t, you know, since he’s my husband and all.” That still hadn’t fully sunk in. We had been going nonstop since the impromptu “wedding.”

I continued on with my story. The sordid pasts of all my men. Another run in with Sebastian. Christian’s need for revenge. The murder I committed.

She stayed silent through it all.

“Emilio loved you so much he sent a guardian angel to watch over me,” Yara eventually chirped up, ignoring my confession altogether.

“What do you mean? And what about the murder I committed.”

She waved her hand. “He deserved it.”

What the fuck? Is murder just the norm now?

I had said I liked killing Christian, and while it had been exhilarating–taking back my power, saving myself–I didn’t think I wanted to kill again. But it had healed a piece of me I had tucked so far under a rug I wasn’t aware it was there. That it was broken.

“Kazi, he used to be his driver, but Emilio sent him to keep tabs on me.” Yara then explained how she had run-ins with Daniel again, stalker style, and her entire ordeal with Kazi and then how Mateo was sent, too.

Finally, she got to the point about my dad.

“I didn’t know, but Izzy. I love him. I’m in love with him. All three of them. But that’s crazy isn’t it?” she whispered, the machine hooked up to her began to beat more rapidly as her heart rate sped up.

“Yeah … You know that I have my own harem now, I guess. Is this what it’s like when you’re a boss ass bitch?” I cackled, trying to pull the lightness back into our conversation. “And I’m not mad at you Yara. You didn’t kn ow. But as long as you two don’t hurt each other. I won’t be able to side with either of you.”

She carefully sat back up on her hospital bed, her hand finding mine. She met my eyes. “I love you Izzy and I promise not to hurt him. And fuck if he and I don’t work out for whatever reason, you’re not going to lose me as a best friend. I promise.”

I smiled at her. “Agreed. Alright baby cakes, my side is done. Now it’s time for you to tell me your story. The whole thing.”

“Fuck, alright so it started one night at a comedy club…”