Chapter 52

I'm still in California, Amelia. I'm not going anywhere.

I paused that morning, my heart in shambles, rebelling against me for not answering any of Alejandro's texts. That morning, I had found two bouquets at the front door. They were Dahlia's, so I knew they were from him. I couldn't throw them away, so I put them in water and allowed my heart a minute to enjoy them.

That day, I had the energy to have what promised to be the hardest encounter to date. I had decided that I needed to go see Richard and confront him.

Nicholas came to get me in the afternoon, and we drove together. The jail was a much worse experience than a hospital. I could feel all the hair on my neck rise. I was very uncomfortable with the idea of being surrounded by certain people who had broken the social contract. When they took me and Nico to see Richard, I almost walked back to the car, but I could no longer be a coward. I had to face my fears.

"You came!" said Richard, and he got up from the table he was sitting at in the visitation room.

"I did," I said, keeping my distance.

This wasn't a social visit. We both sat down at opposing ends of the square table.

"Amelia, I can't imagine how you must feel, but I...it…it was a mistake. I didn't know that man was there…I thought he was one more of those lowlife fucks…"

"You have no right to take anyone's life like that, Richard, no matter who they are. That's part of what is wrong with you, what's broken inside of you. This false sense of self, this chip on your shoulder, making you want to prove to the world and yourself that you are better than others. I think you actually managed to convince yourself of that, of your superiority. That delusion made you decide that it was okay to take what wasn't yours, that it was okay to kill, that it was okay to steal from me and treat me like your fucking charity case."

Richard's face was distorted. He looked shocked and horrified. This was the first time I ever saw him cry. Part of me wanted to grab his hand, console him. After all, he was the only father I ever knew. But he didn't deserve it. He didn't deserve whatever love was left in me for him.

"I just wanted a better life."

"You were a cartel member, weren't you?"

"Yes. I was born into terrible circumstances. I had no choice. But when I met your mother, I saw an opportunity to get out. She had some money from her parents, and she had invested in an American business. I wanted a different life. I needed to belong here. I needed my past gone. I needed to be an American. We decided to move here, but she died. And I kept you. I kept you. Remember that."

"You did. But you were never a father to me. You kept me for my mother's shares. That"s it."

Richard looked like I had slapped him, his eyes wide.

"Yes, I know."

"No, you don"t. When your mom invested, the company was nothing like it is now. I built it up, made it the empire it is today."

"By stealing from me. You used my money for everything."

"Didn't I take care of you? Give you everything you ever wanted?"

"No, not everything. I didn't have your love. I didn't have a dad. I had a man who treated me like an inconvenience."

"Don't say that," he begged, his eyes wet.

I didn't want to feel sympathy. I didn't want to take pity on him.

Time had passed, and, the sleep-deprived man who had already lost some weight tugged at my heart. His frown lines were more pronounced, and he had more wrinkles around his eyes. This was no longer the strong man who used to terrify me. My heart wanted to go to him, even if he didn't deserve it. I had to get out of there.

"Don't leave me like this, Amelia" he begged, panicked, looking at the prison guards walking around us. "After all I have done for you. I need you. I need you to testify in my favor in court."

I laughed, the sympathy I had left washed away by his audacity. He was once again trying to manipulate me, and I almost let him.

"You did take care of me, Richard, but for interest. And I know you don't love me. You never did. I got kidnapped because of you! Because of your greed! Those people you stole from…I know, Richard! I know what you did!"

"It was you? It was you!!! YOU! YOU took my diamonds!"

"I don't know what you are talking about," I said slowly, a devious smile on my face.

Richard stood and took a step back, recognizing in me his biggest and most dangerous enemy. I enjoyed the fear and shock in his eyes for a few seconds more.

"You never loved me. You used me. The worst part is, I would have let you do exactly as you did. You were my father, Richard, whether you wanted it or not. And for your love, I would have given you all of it, without blinking an eye. I was just a kid who wanted the love of a parent. You chose not to give me that. You chose your greed, your need to belong. You chose your hatred for your own country. You took classes just to get rid of your accent. You hate me because I remind you of that life you left behind. But I was innocent. I was just a girl, who desperately wanted a dad."

"Amelia…I'm so sorry."

My throat closed. I wouldn't sob in front of him. I wouldn't give him that satisfaction, so I walked away before it was too late.

"What was he talking about?" asked Nicholas as we got to the parking lot.

"I am swearing you to secrecy as my attorney."

"Of course."

I sighed.

"The people who took me…they did it because Richard stole their diamonds. That video of him killing that man…that's what it was about, stealing diamonds."

"I can"t believe this!"

"You better. That's why it took so long for me to be released. He left me there to die. He wasn't going to give them back."

"How do you know all of this?"

"I, uh…overheard some conversations when I was in captivity…" I turned around, avoiding his gaze, ashamed that after all he had done for me, I was lying to protect Alejandro.

"Did you take those diamonds?"

"No, I would have no idea where they are."

Nicholas stared at me for a minute, clearly suspicious. I kept a cold face this time and held his eye contact. When it came to protecting Alejandro, there was no strength I couldn't conjure. He sighed.

"Well, now that he is in prison, he won"t be enjoying them anyway. Are you going to file a complaint for this?"

"No, there is a video of him clearly killing a person. He stole some of my money, committed fraud…he is done for. I just want to move on."

"I know."

Nicholas got closer to me and wrapped me in his arms. I enjoyed feeling another person"s warmth and strength, but I slowly pushed him away. I did not want to cause any confusion.

Nico treated me to dinner as a thank-you for bringing him what he called "a Wild Wild West case." I gladly accepted. The less I was left alone with my thoughts, the less likely it was that Alejandro would haunt me. It had been a few days since he had called, and even if I was not answering him, just knowing that he had been trying to reach me gave me a sort of masochist comfort.

It was one a.m. when I woke up to my phone ringing.

"Hello?"

"Amelia, I'm sorry for calling you so many times. Something happened…" explained Nicholas.

"What's wrong?" I immediately sat down, not knowing what to expect, hoping nothing had happened to Alejandro.

"It's Richard…he…he committed suicide. He's dead, Amelia."