Chapter 56: Responsible
1033words
I stormed into my room, with Nathan right behind me. He grabbed my arm, turning me around to face him. 'We need to talk, Scarlett. Why are you overreacting?"
'Don't fucking touch me!" I yanked my hand away. 'What's wrong with you, Nathan? What's really going on with you?" I crossed my arms, glaring.
'Fine, I know it sounds extreme, but desperate times call for desperate measures," he said, holding my gaze.
'Really? Then who's the desperate one here—me or you?"
'What do you want to do, Scarlett? Just live like this forever? What if I'm not around when it happens again—call someone else to have sex with you?" The way he said it made my blood boil.
'Get out of my room and never come back," I said, pointing to the door.
'No, I'm done with your ‘leave my room' speeches. We're going to settle this, once and for all," he insisted, standing firm.
'Settle what, Nathan? How could you even imagine me sleeping with that man? Seven days, Nathan—seven fucking days!" I groaned, frustrated. 'If Gabriel were here, he would never suggest something so insane."
'But he isn't here, and you need a real solution."
'It's my problem," I reminded him.
'He might be our only option," he said quietly, leaning against the door.
'Do I look like I care? The fact that you're even considering this is beyond reason," I shot back, my chest heaving. 'Just in case you forgot, Nathan, I've lived with this for five solid years—all because of you. If you hadn't done what you did, none of this would have happened."
'There we go again," he pinched his forehead. 'It's always my fault. My fault for this, my fault for that. I never told you to run away to Mexico, did I? I never told you to escape from your problems. So, why is everything my fault now?"
'You're the most despicable person I've ever met!" I snarled.
'And you're the most selfish person I've ever known!" he retorted, just as heatedly. 'Why does it always have to be about you? You think you're the only one who has been hurting all these years? Every single minute, I was thinking of you, worrying if you were okay, wondering where you were and who you were with. You don't think the emotional toll on me was enough to drive anyone mad?"
'Fine, then. We're even. Now leave, and don't come back," I turned away, heading to the vanity to take off my jewelry. Suddenly, everything about him was suffocating.
He hesitated before stepping toward me. 'I'm sorry," he murmured, his hand reaching for my shoulder.
I flinched away. 'Don't touch me," I said coldly. 'I don't want to see you anymore."
Just then, my phone rang, vibrating on the table. I snatched it up, turning up the volume as I was removing my earrings. 'What?!" I snapped into the phone, all my anger spilling out.
'Uh… bad time?" Jaguar's voice asked, taken aback.
'What do you want?" I demanded.
'I've been trying to reach you, boss. The job is done," he said. Confused, I narrowed my eyes, then picked up the phone, lowering the volume slightly.
'What job?" I asked, but before I could process, Nathan snatched the phone from me, turning the volume back up.
'That's my phone, Nathan!" I groaned, reaching for it, but he pulled back.
'Explain yourself," he commanded.
'I did the job she asked," Jaguar said.
"What bloody job?" I snapped.
"You told me to burn down Reyes Legacy Jewels," Jaguar announced. My heart stopped, my hands trembling as the words sank in. 'I've been trying to reach you for my balance."
Nathan hung up abruptly and smashed the phone to the floor, startling me. 'This was all your plan, Scarlett," he began, his voice strangely calm. 'You hired someone to destroy my company. You killed our child."
'I didn't…" I whispered, the words barely escaping me, my tears streaming down.
'Oh, yeah, sure. Because you didn't know she would be there!" he yelled. 'You murdered an innocent child because of your own selfish reasons. Congratulations, Scarlett—I hope you're happy." He turned to leave, then stopped to glare back. 'You've always loved saying this to me, right? Well, it's my turn: I hate you." And with that, he slammed the door.
I sank to the floor, sobbing as the reality of Jaguar's words hit me. He hadn't heard me when I called it off, hadn't heard me say to abort the plan. Now my daughter was gone.
'Scarlett?" My mother's voice came as she rushed into the room, alarmed. She knelt beside me. 'What happened? I saw Nathan leave angrily. Why were you two fighting?" Her face was filled with worry.
'I killed Razi, Mother," I choked out. 'My stupid revenge plan killed my daughter."
She hugged me tightly. 'No, Scarlett. A mother would never harm her child," she whispered, trying to soothe me.
'I'm serious, Mother," I said, pulling away. 'It was my fault. I had stopped him, but he didn't hear me. He went through with the plan anyway, and now my daughter is gone. Nathan is angry with me… I didn't mean for this to happen." I buried my face in my hands, sobbing uncontrollably.
The pain of losing my baby was overwhelming. I knew that God was punishing me for all my past mistakes. I never wanted any of this; I never wanted to meet Hernandez, who ruined my life. I never wanted any of this hurt.
'Just calm down, Scarlett. God has a reason for everything," she murmured, gently holding me.
'Argh!" I cried, clutching my stomach as a sharp pain suddenly tore through me. It was like Desirella, but different.
'What's wrong?" she asked, panic in her voice.
I collapsed onto the floor as the pain intensified, a scream escaping my lips. 'Scarlett?" My mother's voice quivered as she tried to hold me up. 'Someone help! Kristine!" she shouted desperately.
Kristine burst into the room, as if expecting to be called. 'Mother?"
'Call Robert! Get the car. Stay with me, Scarlett, please," she pleaded, cradling my head in her lap as darkness enveloped me.
