Exile

Prologue

Marina-Jimena

Losing someone you have love and have grown attached to is like grasping your last breath... You're well aware of the last breath you have taken and that at any given moment you'll start fighting the urge to not inhale underwater. However, nothing is stopping you from inhaling, and you just have to come to the realization that this is the way you'll die. Your nose burns from the water moving up your nostrils, your brain feels as if it's about to explode, and your chest expands as it pulls water into your lungs. Then... darkness.

***

𝐅𝐞𝐰 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤

"Pablo por favor escúchame-" My chest burnt with every plead I made; my brain felt as if it was about to explode. Nothing I was saying was getting through to him. To him, I was nothing but a social climber, gold digger, and cheater. I wouldn't blame him, all the bullshit of evidence pointed towards that, Marina-Jimena Ramirez is a social climber, gold digger, and cheater.

"¡No puedo! ¿No lo entiendes? No puedo escuchar más de tu mierda de excusas," he shouted as he slammed his hand down on the long glass table that sits in the middle of the room, his larger hands grab a handful of the evidence that lay on the table, and tosses it my way. The evidence swayed in the air from left to right as it fell towards my feet. My heart ached as I look at him. His eyes drowned in a sea of tears; however, were bloodshot red. His palms were on his forehead as he tried to control his breathing; however, nothing was controlling his rage. His breathing didn't slow nor did the tears that streamed down his tan face. 

I close my eyes trying to understand that last hour. My mind raced and all I could think about was that it was either Clara or Felix.

"¿Quieres saber qué es lo que más duele? Que me enamoré de ti como un idiota. Porque no eres la chica más atractiva o inteligente que he conocido. Pero aún así me enamoré perdidamente de ti... como un estupido me enamoré," his words were like a thousand blades being thrown directly at me.  He stood a few inches away from me. His eyes never breaking eye contact with mine. "Le pedí a Pedri que llamara a alguien para que dejaran tus maletas en el vestíbulo. Cuando regrese a mi departamento, porque ya no es nuestro sino mío, no quiero verte allí. No te quiero aquí en Barcelona.¿Te quedo claro? Que esté enamorado de ti no quiere decir que no me des asco."

His words echo as his footsteps did as well.  I fell to my knees as I scrabbled to grab a handhold of the bullshit of evidence that lay on the floor all crumbled. I opened my bag and stuffed it and took the hard drive inserted in the computer as well.

"Pablo!" I ran out of the conference room he had brought me in. Cold. That's how I will remember that conference room. As I run towards the practice fields which is where I knew I would find him the rest of the team was there forming a wall. Their warnings did not scare me more than the thought of me losing Pablo forever. As I fought to get past them, to get a last glimpse of Gavi they threw me out of the building onto the back streets of the building where the garbage was. 

***

𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭

It's been a couple of months since I last heard or read any article about him. I've been living in isolation from everyone. Gabe has been moving me around like cargo; however, not just me, but my family. My family's location is unknown and as far as the world knows I could be dead.

A soft knock on the four panel door brings me back to reality.

"Come in," I say as I continue to look out my bedroom window. I could feel the warmth of the sun on my big cheeks and especially on the top of my black hair. The window overlooked the back garden of one of Gabe's and Elif's houses.

"How are you feeling?" Gabe asked for the 7th time today. My response hasn't changed from the first time he asked so I don't respond, but continue to look out the window.

"Can I ask, why haven't you done anything yet?"

I snap my direction towards him, clearly taking him by surprise as he takes a few steps back. His facial expressions read concern. His thick black brows raised as he expects an answer any moment.

"What's the point? He's with Clara..." I trail off and return my gaze to the garden filled with multi-colored flowers. The crocuses had started to bloom a few weeks ago. The vibrant purple crocuses were no stranger to the honey bees. I however had grown fond of the ornamental cherry trees. They looked beyond gorgeous and delicate. 

Gabe body weight shift from his feet, before he makes his way to the seat next to me. The sun rested on his dark black hair. Along with half his face. There was something about brown eyes under the sunlight. They looked like pots of honey. Like home. Like Pablo...

The thought of him moving on caused my heart to ache, but knowing it was with Clara ignited something in me that just sends me to the edge. Knowing he's with her, someone who caused so much destruction in our relationship until she obliterated it completely with her lies and just presence is like a wicked knife to my chest. I knew there was no point in doing something, after all, he was happy with her. Compared to her I was aware I wasn't the most beautiful or intelligent girl. I mean those were some of Pablo's last words to me.

"Marina-Jimena... " Gabe spoke gently, as he moved closer to me, removing the pillow that sat between us, "the point is that you have to open his eyes. He has to see the lies that were fed to him. That the cynical bitch he's dating and parading around is nothing but a full on bitch. But most importantly everyone should know the truth." I knew there was some truth to Gabe's words; however, it was not my responsibility to open Pablo's eyes. If he truly loved me, it wouldn't have ended this way. He would've done the investigation, instead of me. He would've kicked Clara out of his life, not me. I was his girlfriend and most certainly not his mother to be feeding him the truth, or to open his eyes as Gabe said. 

"Please stop..." I choked out as I wiped the tears off my round warm cheeks that are heated due to the suns rays. 

"Stop? You can't possibly be serious... Marina-Jimena if you show Gavi the tape and demonstrate how it's all a fucking montage that Clara paid to have done, he would without a doubt dump her and be back in your life. If Gavi knew what you've been through-"

"Stop. Just fucking stop. Don't you see I'm fucking hurting? I don't care about him. He moved on, now I want to move on. I want to be able to stick my head out in the streets without being chased or threaten. I just want my life back... I want my parents and siblings to have their life back, because of me there is some fucking place they don't know hiding for the same reasons I am. I just want to go back to my normal life. I want my family to go back to their normal life."

I knew my family was somewhere nice or at least decent I hoped. I knew Gabe and his men would take good care of them, but I know my parents and I know they wish they were home. I know I wish I was back home, in the United States or with my grandparents in Mexico. All I wanted for the longest time these past few months was to just see a familiar face.

__________________

𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞:

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘧ú𝘵𝘣𝘰𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧1.