Chapter 3 The Man I Loved

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• Aaron Sullivan is a nightmare.
• I wish with all my might that a truck would run me over right now and kill me. My father's future wife looks at me with glassy eyes and I quickly shake my head as I observe my father's sad expression.
• Perhaps he is most likely disappointed in me, we have spent my whole life together and this feels strange, who wouldn't feel this way if out of nowhere a woman who is not your mother arrives arm in arm with your father declaring that she will marry him?
• I always thought his love would be eternal, but now, now that lady has arrived and will take the place of my mother and erase the essence that still remained of her in our home. I bow my head to cry, Aaron walks towards his mother to take her hand and kiss it, as if he wanted to comfort her in this stupid situation that I have created myself.
• "The sweet voice of the woman whose name I do not know makes me look up quickly"I'm sorry"Dad opens his eyes and then glares at me noticeably annoyed"I really am sorry, but"The brown-haired lady takes Harold's hand with determination and then intertwines them"I love your father, Romina, and I know you are seeing me right now as your enemy; But I am not, I know I will never be your mother, but I just want him and I to be happy;
• Harold takes a step forward"I hid this from you because I was afraid"Aaron rolls his eyes"But Barbara told me it was time to tell you the truth and that's why we are here, we decided to get married because we believe that Aaron and you deserve a family.
• "Aaron and me? Do you really think that scumbag and I can be family?
• Barbara took a little jump at my harsh statements, but her son did not stay behind"I already told you that I'm not into kids like you"He declared with a perfect and sensual Spanish accent"Do you think I want to be in your shitty life? Your father has been fucking my mother for six years, do you think I ever cared to meet you?
• Wait a moment, they have been together for six long years and they are telling me now"So long? The expression on Harold's face paled"You've been with this woman for so long and today is when you decide to tell me that you plan to get married, am I really your daughter?!I yelled angrily in the middle of the street. The cold of the night was freezing me, I could feel my fingers starting to turn red, but I ignored all of this because the pain of knowing that my own father had hidden something as serious as this from me made me feel worse.
• "Romina is not like that!
• The man who gave me life shouted walking behind me once I decided to leave that alley. My heart was beating too hard and I thought it could collapse at any moment.
• Where is that man who promised to protect me forever? Because to be honest, I feel disappointed in him, we had never gone through something like this in my life; Harold and I had enough trust to tell each other everything, but I feel like now our relationship has been fractured.
• I arrived home crying, my Nana tried to hold me back, although I couldn't bring myself to look her in the face, How could I tell her that I am angry with dad? For her and all the people in this mansion, it would be impossible to believe; so I ran to my room and locked myself in there to cry over everything I had caused.
• I'm not against his relationship with Barbara, what I really hate is that they hid from me that they were together as if my opinion or what I think didn't matter to them. Am I perhaps less than that stupid "panty soaker"?
• Three knocks on the wooden door of my room brought me back to reality, I pushed myself to sit on the mattress and quickly dried the moisture from my face. My shoulders continued to rise and fall from my crying, so I took a deep breath trying to calm my emotions.
• My Nana has raised me all this time and she has been the only woman where I have seen a maternal side, she has been with me in my toughest moments and I know that just by looking at me she will deduce that something really bad is happening to me. The coldness of the floor of my room feels cold, so I walk towards the huge window that lets in the cool night breeze to warm up a bit.
• The door rings three times again and I smile because I know her, she won't move from there until she knows what is happening to me.
• "What's wrong, Nan...?" I cut the words short when I see Aaron's dark eyes staring at me with some hatred. The white button-up shirt he is wearing is half open while the leather jacket that adorned his body a few hours ago now rested on one of his arms.
• "Your dad is with my mom at my house..."
• Those statements made me clench my legs, Does that mean he preferred her instead of knowing what was happening to me? I feel defeated and hurt, my dad had never done something like this to me in my life.
• "What are you doing here?" I stepped back when I perceived the stench of alcohol from his body, "Are you drunk?!"
• "A little..." He spoke with a slurred voice, his body swaying from side to side as he tried to push me aside to enter my room.
• "Rosie..."
• He laughs when he manages to enter my intimate space, Aaron takes a few steps looking carefully at every decoration and detail of my room, "I'm a woman, what color should I wear?"
• I crossed my arms watching him pick up my photo when I was little in my mom's arms.
• "You look like her..."
• I smiled.
• "Really?" I asked excitedly.
• "Yes." He put the photo frame back where it was before, "Our parents will get married in two days..."
• The floor moved and I fell back onto the couch that my uncle Tobias had given me last summer, "Don't you think it's too soon?"
• “Are you asking me? Did you see dad coming in and out of your house for six years! I barely know your mother for two hours, does this seem logical to you? She comes to this house as a lady, tell me, what will she do with my mother's photos? Will she tear them off the walls just to feel like the owner of a family that doesn't belong to her...
• The dark-haired man clenched his jaw violently” Don't talk about my mother! Do you think your father is better than my mom? That disgusting old man is only with her because he's lonely, do you think your damn daughterly love was enough? It's clear you can't keep any man by your side, even your dad abandoned you...
• My hands touched my knees as tears began to flow forcefully from my eyes” You have no right to speak to me like that...” I covered my face with my palms, "Go away..."
• “Your father told me to stay with you."
• “Then” I adjusted my bed to lie down, my hands still trembling from the horrible words Aaron had said to me, but I also had to understand something, I said ugly things about his mom and in a way I deserved that for being a bitch” Tell my Nana to give you a room, could you leave me alone?
• “I won't go with your Nana and I won't go anywhere.
• I dropped the pink pillow on the carpet next to my bed, "Excuse me?"
• “Your dad sent me so we can be closer and that's what I'm doing."
• I stifled a scream of horror as I watched him reach for the buttons of his white shirt and then let it fall to the side; damn, Aaron's body looked damn fuckable, his muscles were well-defined while his figure was slim and sensual.
• My new stepbrother ran his hands through his silky black hair, tousling it a bit, my saliva suddenly thickened and I even felt like I was running out of air.
• “Do you like what you see?” He asked, taking off his shoes.
• “Did you fall as a child? I already told you I don't like mangy dogs like you..."
• “Good, it would be weird if you started falling in love with me” Aaron bites his lower lip between his teeth and I have to look away because honestly, I'm getting a little nervous.
• “That will never happen, champ...” I get into my bed and the dark-haired man imitates my action” What do you think you're doing?
• “Sleeping?
• I snatched my pillow away” Get out!” Now I threw it in his face” How dare you think a man and a woman will sleep in the same bed?!
• “I don't see you as a woman...” My ego has hit the floor, does anyone know where it went? I clench my fist tightly” You don't have boobs and a butt, to me you're just another buddy...
• Damn you!
• The next morning, when I woke up, Aaron was no longer in my room. I walked to my dad's bedroom and his bed was perfectly made as if no one had spent the night there, and indeed that was the case, Harold did not return home.
• Having breakfast alone was becoming a habit for me. I gathered my sketches of the new designs I had created for the fall fashion show and left the house in search of a peaceful and peaceful day; or so I thought until I heard Bobbie's screams in the middle of the hallway.
• He had a piece of cotton stuck to his lower lip which was swollen from the bite I had given him as a result of his abusive kiss.
• "How are you?" he asked, and I slammed my locker shut.
• "Better than you. Did you come to see if I can now rip your lip off?"
• In the background, I could see Kitty walking quickly towards me. Last night, I left my own birthday party without even giving her an explanation.
• "I love you," I rolled my eyes trying to channel my emotions. What would happen if I killed this stalker with my own hands?
• "I already told you that I feel nothing for you, okay?" I walked past him. "Wait, if I improve my appearance, would you give me a chance?" My best friend shook her head behind Bobbie and in a way she was right, I knew it wasn't just the physical appearance that bothered me, it was also his docile personality that made me think he was a complete loser.
• Suddenly and in a situation I did not expect, Aaron appeared in front of us, covering my body with his. "She can't go out with you," Kitty raised her eyebrows as she pulled me away from those animals who had now taken intimidating positions.
• Since this morning, I hadn't seen my new stepbrother, in fact, I didn't even imagine finding him at the art school when in reality this was not part of his study plans. I had understood that Sullivan would study mechanics at our university since according to Tobias, dad had told him that this was his new son's dream; to open a mechanic workshop and go far away where he couldn't see his mother again.
• "Why are you telling me?" the chubby boy attacked without further ado.
• "Hasn't Mina told you?" they both turned to me as if I owed them explanations. "Haven't you noticed that I'm wearing the same clothes from last night's party?"
• Kitty smiled as if she had just found the solution to all her problems, she more than anyone else wanted me to get over Hugo once and for all. "Did you guys sleep together?" the curly-haired brunette asked with wide open and bright eyes.
• Aaron nodded and I immediately denied it.
• "His room is very pink, don't you think, hello Kitty?" my best friend jumped for joy, ignoring the fact that Sullivan had just offended her.
• "It's his favorite color," the traitor replied. Bobbie stood in front of me and then took my hand, which I snatched away immediately.
• “Did they have sex?” The voice of the boy who has loved me for almost four years sounds unstable,” I thought you still loved Hugo and that's why you were ignoring me...
• Aaron stopped laughing” Hugo?
• Kitty couldn't help but bite her lower lip, dad had decided that my relationship with Hugo Vélez wouldn't go anywhere since he was just a waiter who made a living with a salary that only covered his basic needs, our separation was too painful, I wanted to avoid at all costs the consequences of being with me leaving him on the streets, without a roof over his head and unable to even eat.
• I didn't talk to Harold for almost four months, I locked myself in my room and even though it's been almost two years, there isn't a single day where I don't think about him.
• “Her poor ex-boyfriend...
• Kitty said in a disdainful way; I grabbed my purse tightly and left trying not to cry, What if he doesn't have money? Shouldn't love be more important to people? I hated that people thought they could control my life as they pleased, I wanted to love whoever I wanted; but dad had already decided for me and I had no choice but to let go of the only man I have truly loved.