Chapter 32

GISELLE

'The offer is still available. You can leave with Cara. I'll see to your protection.'

I woke up the next morning with the note wedged underneath my phone on the nightstand. I scoffed, unzipping the duffel bag placed on Nicholas's side of the bed. My mouth dropped open when my eyes landed on the content of the bag. 

Cash. Loads of it. And on top of it was my passport Father had taken away from me. I took that out of the bag before zipping it up again. While the offer of freedom was tempting, I wasn't sacrificing the sense of normalcy in Cara's life after so long. She deserved it.

I rolled out of bed, going through my morning routine before heading downstairs. My feet had just touched the bottom of the stairs when the front door opened, and in walked a guard. He crossed the foyer, stopping in front of me.

"There's a woman here to see you. Her name is Andrea."

Cara's mother? What was she doing here?

"Send her in. What's your name?" I asked.

"It's Adnan."

"Adnan, I'll be in the living room so you can lead her there."

He nodded curtly before striding out of the house. I waited in the living room, and it wasn't long before Adnan brought a haggard-looking Andrea in. Her make-up was smudged, and she had bags under her eyes. Even though she looked like she hadn't slept in days, I could still see the resemblance between mother and daughter.

"Hi." I held my hand out to her for a handshake, but instead of taking it, she pulled me into her arms. 

Adnan reached for something in the waistband of his pants, but when he saw Andrea had no intentions of harming me, he relaxed by a fraction.

"Adnan, could you excuse us for a brief minute?"

Adnan grunted reluctantly before walking out of the living room.

"Thank you so much for taking care of my daughter," she sobbed, tightening the grip she had on me. "I don't know what Cara would do without your help."

"Calm down," I consoled, patting her back. "Why don't we take a seat and talk about this?"

Andrea nodded, taking a step back. She was sniffling back her tears when we both sat.

"I heard the news. My poor daughter was supposed to get married to Eduardo. Cara kept it all away from me. What kind of sick, disgusting man is Gregorio?"

"One of the worst on the planet. He's a despicable asshole, but you don't have to worry about him hurting Cara. She's now in my custody, and I'll do everything I can to keep her safe and away from my father. You do not have to worry or thank me."

Fresh tears pooled in Andrea's eyes. "But I do. Do you know the horrible things rumors say Eduardo does to his wives after marrying them? He lets his men take turns on her. Every single one of his wives suffered through this. My Cara would have suffered the same fate had you not stepped in."

Oh. My. God.

"Why is no one stopping him? That's cruel and fucked up. Do these people not have a hint of sympathy and humanity in them?"

And I thought I had it bad with Nicholas. With the disgusting things I heard by the day, I realized I lucked out with Nicholas, and I had his mother to thank for that. She raised him right, even though his father was a dick, and thankfully, all of those lessons didn't depart from him after her death.

"No one knows if this is true, but what if it is, and Cara had gotten married to him?" Andrea buried her face in her palms, sobbing into them. "This is all my fault. I should never have slept with Gregorio. All of this wouldn't have happened."

I squeezed her arm. "On the bright side, we have Cara here with us. Don't beat yourself over what happened in the past. We learn, unlearn and grow every day."

Andrea straightened, unshed tears clinging to her lid. "Non capisco perché ti abbia abbandonato."

"What does that mean?" I asked, my brows scrunching up in a frown. This was the extra push I needed to start taking some lessons to improve my knowledge of the language. 

She shook her head. "I said I'm glad to have met someone like you in this lifetime. You're so kind."

I smiled at her. "I try my best. Do you need something to eat? Money? I can get you anything."

"Nicholas visited me a few days ago. I told him some things Gregorio doesn't want anyone to know, and I fear if the truth gets out, Gregorio will eventually trace it all back to me."

"So, you need to disappear," I summed up. "If he finds you, he'll kill you."

I knew my father. I knew the lengths he'd go to keep a secret, and if that secret was outed, he'd wreak havoc in that person's life.

"I do not have the means to run away. All my savings are for Cara," Andrea replied with a resigned smile.

It finally clicked.

"You think he knows you betrayed him? Is this you saying goodbye?"

"Yes. I already called Cara to hear her voice one last time. What I told Nicholas, he won't take that news lying down. He'll retaliate, and Gregorio is going to come for my head."

"You can get out of here before then." Cara would be devastated if anything happened to her mother.

"I already told you. I have no money."

"I do. Wait here."

I ran upstairs to grab the duffel bag before bolting down the stairs again. I handed the bag to Andrea, and when she opened it, she gasped. I hoped Nicholas wouldn't be missing his money.

She shook her head vehemently. "I can't take this from you."

"You can, and you will. For Cara's sake. Take this money and escape. The earlier, the better. Make sure no one knows where you're going. I'll break the news to Cara myself."

I knew what it was like growing up without a mother who cared more about her nails than she did about my health. Cara and Andrea shared a bond I lacked with my mother, and I'd be damned if I let my father cut it because of his selfish reasons.

"Stay safe, Giselle. I never really believed in angels, but I'm convinced you're one. Thank you so much."

"It's nothing."

As I basked in her embrace, I had only one thought in my head. Father had to go.