Defender's Heartbeat

Chapter 17

Manuel

It had been around a month since Enzo's rescue from the bad guys, but he still wasn't talking. Gerardo was softer towards him but never came to his room to see how his son was doing. Gerardo didn't believe in psychology, so Enzo received no therapy. I even suggested teaching him sign language until he started talking, but he refused.

"He must talk," he growled. That was all.

Enzo became less active for the first few days, but he gradually overcame that. However, he never talked again. He didn't even make any sounds or cry. Sometimes, he sat beside me and cuddled with me. I spoke to him affectionately, trying to comfort him, but he remained silent. Sometimes, he opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, then stared at me with a shocked expression and gave up.

"Please, baby, just say one word. Say, papa," I pleaded. He just stared at me with his sad, dark eyes.

Enzo often got scared at night while sleeping, and I had to sleep with him in his bed to make him feel safe. Surprisingly, Gerardo was okay with that, as his son was not in a good situation. However, he never tried to talk to him or comfort him.

Why couldn't he do that? Enzo is his son. Didn't he have any sympathy, at least now? I blamed him in my mind. Of course, I couldn't blame him on his face. He would shoot me in the face if I did so.

Enzo didn't go to school for a month, and his friends visited him on the weekends. The little brats were all over the mansion, screaming and yelling. Enzo played with them as before, but he still didn't talk. His friends were confused about why he wasn't talking.

"He lost a tooth. That's why he can't talk. I have an uncle who lost a tooth, and he never talked after that," I heard Elijah lying to his friends. The others looked at him with terror. Pam had already lost two of her front milk teeth, and she was the one who looked the most terrified to hear that.

"What?" Pam asked with wide-opened eyes. She looked about to cry.

"Liar, my grandfather only has four teeth. He can talk well," Noah said.

"It doesn't happen to everyone. Only for some people," Elijah changed his theory, and I saw a relieved look on Pam's face.

"Did you lose a tooth, Enzo?" Diego asked, and Enzo shook his head to say no. Even Enzo looked confused to hear what Elijah was saying.

"He said he didn't lose a tooth," Pam announced to Elijah.

"Elijah is lying," Noah got up angrily.

"No, I'm not. But there's another reason for people not to talk," Elijah said.

"Like what?" Diego asked.

"You don't believe me, so I will not say," Elijah said. It looked like he didn't come up with a quick lie.

"Kids, do you want ice cream?" I asked, and they were all happy to have some. Enzo also seemed happy to eat ice cream, as he wasn't allowed to have it so often. The Perez kids were only allowed to eat healthy, expensive food. They didn't get ice cream, chocolates, or junk food that often.

It was the second month that Enzo hadn't been talking. Enzo was having lunch with his siblings and his Papa at the dining table.

"Enzo, are you still not talking?" Gerardo asked Enzo after finishing dinner. Enzo said nothing. He looked at him as if he had forgotten how to speak.

"Enzo, you better start talking now," Gerardo said a bit louder and with anger. Enzo looked at Gerardo with scared eyes.

"Say something," Gerardo commanded, but Enzo said nothing.

"SAY SOMETHING," Gerardo hit the table with his fist, yelling angrily.

Everyone, including me, was startled. A sound came from the servant corridor to the kitchen of plates falling to the floor and breaking, probably a servant girl who got scared by Gerardo's yelling and accidentally dropped the plates.

Enzo looked terrified.

"Enzo, I won't repeat myself. JUST SAY A WORD. Is it that hard to speak?" Gerardo demanded, pointing his finger at Enzo.

"Please, boss, don't do that," I got involved because I could no longer watch.

"Who the hell are you to give me advice, Manuel?" Gerardo stood up from his chair. He was strong like a bull, although we both had the same height and probably the same size.

"Are you giving me advice now on how to raise my kids?" he growled and slapped me hard. I lost my balance with the unexpected slap and fell. Enzo rushed towards me as I fell, trying to cry. He made a little sobbing sound.

"Oh, now you're reacting, Enzo," Gerardo fumed, looking at Enzo. "Maybe this will make you talk, you stubborn brat," he said, kicking me in front of Enzo.

Anguish filled Enzo's face, his dark eyes wide and brimming with tears that streamed down his cheeks. He tried desperately to grab Gerardo's leg with his tiny, trembling hands, pulling with all his might to make him stop kicking me. Enzo's eyes held a mixture of fear, desperation, and a silent plea for his father to cease the violent assault. His tiny fingers clutched at Gerardo's pant leg, his knuckles turning white from the force of his grip as he attempted to intervene and protect me from further harm.

"I'll stop kicking him if you say one word. JUST ONE WORD," Gerardo pushed Enzo away and started to kick me like a crazy wild bull while I was on the floor. I moaned with pain. It hurt. This man had the strength of a bull. I wasn't sure how the hell he was this strong.

Enzo started to cry louder and louder.

"Papa...," Finally, he said a word. Enzo ran to me, his tiny arms outstretched and threw himself into my embrace. He clung to me with a desperate intensity, his little body shaking with sobs as he buried his face in my chest. I felt the warmth of his tears soaking through my shirt as I wrapped my arms around him, holding him close. The feeling of his small frame pressed against mine, trying to protect me from his father's assault, filled my heart with a mixture of love and heartache. I could feel the depth of his fear and the strength of his devotion in the way his fingers gripped my shirt as if he wanted to shield me from any further harm. I realized that Enzo had found his voice again to protect me. Gerardo stopped kicking me.

Gerardo lowered himself in front of Enzo. So they looked at each other face to face. Their dark eyes met, a striking resemblance between father and son becoming apparent. Though filled with fear and sadness, Enzo's eyes mirrored the intensity and depth of his father's gaze. The shape of their eyes, the thick lashes that framed them, and the deep brown hue were all too similar. It was as if Enzo's face was a smaller, more innocent version of Gerardo's, a reminder of the unbreakable bond of blood that tied them together despite the emotional chasm that separated them at that instant. "See, this is what will happen to your bodyguard if you don't talk," he said, pointing his index finger at Enzo.

Gerardo got up and left, and I got up. My whole body was aching, and I saw the other three kids looking at us with confusion and shock. They looked terrified. No wonder they were scared of their Papa.

That was how Enzo began speaking again, gradually finding his voice to protect me from his Papa.