Translation of Love - By Alice Montalvo-Tribue Page 0,56

his arm around my shoulder possessively but never taking his eyes off of her. Her eyes go wide. She looks like someone’s just smacked her in her pretty little face. I can see her emotions run from hurt to angry in the span of ten seconds. Victor tenses and I can tell he’s prepared for a battle.

Christina recovers quickly. She squares her shoulders and plasters a fake smile on her lips. “Well, Ellie, it’s so nice to meet you. I’m Christina, Victor’s…”

“I know who you are,” I interrupt. I don’t need the reminder of who she is or was.

“Yes, I suppose you do.” She turns her head slightly, looking down on Victor. “Let me know when you get tired of your poor replacement.”

Victor moves to stand. He looks furious, but Alex is out of his chair in seconds, crossing around the table and grabbing her by the elbow. I find my voice before he can drag her out of there. “Excuse me?” I ask with pure venom in my voice. “I’m no ones replacement. I’m the upgrade. You’ll do well to remember that. I don’t know who the hell you think you are but I will rip you to shreds if you get in my face or come near Victor again.”

Victor’s jaw drops as I stare her down. I can tell he’s holding back laughter. Rob’s head bows down and Alex just beams at me. Christina glares at me. “Little bitch!” she spits out.

Victor strengthens his hold on me so that he can keep me in my chair, and Alex quickly ushers her away from our table. “What a fucking bitch!” I say to no one in particular.

Rob stands. “I’m going to make sure she leaves,” he says, walking toward the exit, leaving Victor and I alone. I wish he wouldn’t have left because now I’m pissed even though I know I shouldn’t be. I know it’s not Victor’s fault but that woman brought out the claws in me and I’m having a hard time retracting them.

“Babe, I’m so sorry.” His tension is visible.

“Don’t, I really don’t wanna hear it.” He looks stunned at my response but is careful controlling his emotions before we cause a scene. “I’m tired. Can you just get me out of here, please?”

I can’t read the look on his face. I know I’m acting like a brat but I need sufficient time to cool off. “I can get you out of here.” He stands, pulls his wallet from his back pocket, throws down enough money to cover the bill and tip and pulls me up. Walking in front of me, he leads me swiftly out of the restaurant.

Outside, Rob is standing by the car, holding the door open for us. Alex pulls me away from Victor and envelops me in a hug. He leans in close so that only I can hear and says, “Don’t let her ruin a good thing. He doesn’t love her, he wants you.”

I nod my head. “I know,” I whisper back, not sure if I mean it.

“Don’t be so hard on him, okay?” Alex releases me. “I’m taking a cab,” he says to Victor. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” Victor nods, grabbing my hand again and helping me into the car. He gets in beside me. Moments later, we’re on our way back to his place. Victor’s looking out the window. I’m pretty sure he’s mad now too. I decide that I’m ready to discuss the incident now.

“Victor.”

He cuts me off. “Not here.”

I sink into the seat and nod. He’s right. We shouldn’t do this in front of poor Rob. I know that this isn’t Victor’s fault. I do, but my brain is not listening. All I can hear is the jealousy raging throughout every pore of my body. I spend the remainder of the ride trying to calm down my crazy insecurities, but I fail. I was okay when Christina was just a picture in a paper that his mom left behind, but having met her in the flesh is just too much. I’m mounting my defenses and my instinct to flee is kicking in. Irrational or not, I don’t care. Suddenly, all of the progress I’ve made has disintegrated into dust.

We make it into the apartment and immediately I run upstairs to Victor’s bedroom. I can’t have this confrontation with him, because if anyone can pacify me he can. He follows me into his room. Doing my best to ignore him, I grab my bag. Luckily, the only