Bullied Cinderella - Hollie Hutchins Page 0,59

reputation drag her down. What if the gossip turned on her, and people caught on to her relationship with both Perez brothers? It would ruin us all and Jada’s marriage would be brought to a dead halt. No one would want her after that. No one would want any of us.

At some point in the middle of my mental panic attack, Jorge and Dario had turned to go back to their house, intent on telling their mother everything. I watched as Leo chased after them, demanding that they let us be. Everything escalated so fast, and before I knew it I saw him clock Jorge square in the face. The blow sent him tumbling down to the ground, but he quickly sprang up again and set off back towards the house - now even more determined than before.

Leo came running back to me. “Are you okay?”

“No, of course I’m not okay!” I cried.

His face tightened as more of everything that just happened sank in rapidly. He kneeled down beside me, but had nothing he could say beyond, “I have to follow them back to the house.”

“I know,” I sighed. “What will you say?”

He looked completely lost as his eyes pierced mine. He looked hurt and confused, and I didn’t know what I could possibly say to make any of it any better. Instead, I tried asking, “When will I see you again?”

My heart shattered when he didn’t answer. He just kept giving me the same pained stare until he finally stood up again.

“I really have to go,” he repeated, slowly turning to follow behind Jorge and Dario.

He walked so slowly at first that I was certain he would turn back around. He would come back and say something, anything, to make this right or to at least give me some hope that everything would be okay. Whatever was growing between us had felt oddly impenetrable, but that peace of mind was suddenly gone - ripped away from us all in a matter of seconds.

Once Leo was far out of sight, I fell back down to the ground and sobbed. I barely bothered covering myself up anymore now that I was alone again. I was naked, ashamed, and positive that I had just lost Leo...the man that I loved. It was the first time I had allowed myself to think about it. I had been actively avoiding it altogether. But now that I was left with nothing but my own regrets and humiliation, there was no denying it. I loved Leo, and I would never have him.

19

Leonardo

My heart was racing as I ran behind Jorge and Dario back to the house. I knew I should care about the kiss between Lucia and Dario. I should have cared about Jorge’s accusations about Lucia’s revenge plot against us. That was the logical conclusion. I could march into our house and admit that I was guilty to everything - that I had been tempted and fooled. We all had. But that Lucia and her family were done for, and we would stay the hell away from them. I could let her suffer the fate of how this scandal would destroy them. I could plead for my mother’s forgiveness, and she would soon put the whole thing behind us. I would be free of any consequence, and Lucia would finally get what I used to think she deserved.

My mind kept going through it all over and over, telling me those were the next steps to take. But beneath our reputations and how deserved what and everything else that had happened...there was one clear, resounding fact that could not be ignored. All of that would rip Lucia from my arms for good, and somehow that seemed too impossible to bear.

I didn’t have any shred of conclusion I felt good about as I stormed into the house behind Jorge and Dario. They found mother in the parlor and both started shouting all at once. She jumped and dropped her needlepoint to the floor and tried to make sense of their ranting and raving.

“Enough!” she cried finally. “What is going on!? What are you two on about!? What’s happened!?”

“It’s Lucia Chavez,” Jorge told her with a disdainful sneer. “She’s been toying with all of us. She tempted me into a dinner date while making promises to Dario. And just now...we found her ass naked with Leo! I’ll spare you the details of exactly what they were doing, but it was...ungodly to say the least.”

Her face was frozen with