Penitence (ON HOLD)

Chapter Thirteen

Soo I'm feeling kinda eh. If you want something to pump you up go look on my message board and see how turnt I was yesterday.  Anywayyy, this is Nina's POV. Enjoy, Vote, and Comment.
-Megan

"Baby you have visitors." Anderson says waking me up.

Being inside of this isolated room is driving me crazy. At first I thought that Anderson and Mr. Costanzo would come and get me out of here, but I soon gave up hope. Truthfully, they are the last two people I want to see right now.

I wish I could say that what Trent and I had was a fling, but it was far from it. That night, we were both showing emotions that we didn't know existed.

For a second he had me believing that I could do better than Anderson, but in reality Anderson and I are meant for each other. No matter how much he hits me, he won't leave me like everyone else did.

"Nina darling." Mr. Costanzo says as he enters the room smiling.

Another man walks in behind him. His facial features are strikingly familiar, but I can't figure out who he is.

Regardless of what both men look like, they walk like they are made of precious jewels.

I've never noticed the level of  arrogance that Mr. Costanzo carries around until now. It disgusts me. This cannot be the man I have confided in for over two years.

"What do you want?" I ask impatiently.

This is a waste of my time. I could be observing the room for another exit or maybe even catching up on some well needed sleep.

"I thought that you would be happy to see me, but I guess my visitation should have been scheduled at an earlier date." He states sadly.

Instead of giving him the satisfaction of knowing how hurt I am, I sit in silence waiting for him to explain his reason for coming to see me.

"This is my brother Benito. Dorothy, Trent's mom, told us that Clinton Westbrook wasn't Trenton's biological father a long time ago. Whenever we would question her about who it was, she would shut us down." He sighs loudly.

I try to wrap my head around the fact that Trent has been lied to all his life, but I can't. He has to be going through some serious pain right now.

"What does this have to do with Benito. More importantly, what does this have to do with me?" I question him.

"Trent told his mother that he was falling in love with you and she decided that now would be a good time to let the cat out of the bag. Trent's father is Benito. The sad thing is that Benito didn't even know." He states avoiding my eyes.

"Once again, what does this have to do with me?" I ask irritated.

The silence is maddening. Mr. Costanzo's nervousness saturates the entire room, which causes me to become anxious as well.

Instead of using another snarky comment, I think about the endless possibilities of what he will say next.

"Your mother and I were in a relationship a long time ago. I loved her more than anything, but she wanted a wealthy husband and that is the one thing I could not give her. I found a job a few months into  our relationship and purchased a two bedroom house, but that still didn't make her satisfied." He says.

I've never mentioned him to my mother before. Simply because I don't like talking to her.

"And?" I ask searching his eyes for something more.

"A month later she left claiming that she fell out of love with me. It broke my heart, but my brain still didn't believe her. I worked extra hard to start my company. Many days I was up until two o'clock in the morning trying to get ahead of everyone else that was taking business management classes. Once I received my degree, I approached her again only to find out that she was dating your father. At the time he was wealthy and young.  That's exactly what Vivian was looking for. Also, during that time she was  pregnant. She led everyone to believe you were his child, but you aren't.  From the moment I saw you, I knew you were mine." He reveals.

His facial expression confirms that he is telling the truth, but I still don't speak. Trent and I are cousins.

"Trent found out four days ago. He wrote this letter and he told me to tell you that he will always love you." He says handing me an envelope.

On the front, my name is written in Trent's beautiful handwriting. I open the letter and start to read..

Dear Nina,
    By now you know that we are cousins. I know. It's crazy. At first I was shocked and I didn't believe my uncle, but now I do. The similarities between you two are noticeable if one chooses to look closely. The way you both act should have turned on a light bulb in my head.

If you're wondering whether I regret the night we spent together, the answer is no. I will always love you Nina. That's why I'm giving you the opportunity to either cut me off or stay in touch. Whether you like it or not, there are still some other things you need to know and hearing them from your father and your mother probably won't be wise. They will only try to sugar coat everything.

Also, I think that we should end our relationship.  I know that there is a way we could work this out, but that would make the company and our family look horrible. Bad publicity and rumors are two things the Costanzo's hate.  Please stay safe and listen to the people watching over you no matter what happens.
                           Love,
                                    Trent

Water starts to collect in my eyes and my hands are shaking so badly that the paper falls to the floor.

I knew that we would have to end our relationship, but a little part of me wants to bend the rules. The fact that he broke things off with me in a letter doesn't help either.

Also, my father was my one of my best friends during the past two years. I shared some of my most intimate moments with him. Doesn't the Costanzo family deserve some of the pain that they inflicted upon Trent and I?

"Get out!" I yell livid.

Without any objection, they leave my presence.

"Are you okay?" Anderson inquires.

"Please just kiss me. Make the pain go away." I sob into his shirt.

He carries me into the adjacent room and our night is filled with heartache, passion, and the rekindling of our relationship.