Defender's Heartbeat

Chapter 24

Manuel

One day, Enzo was late coming out of school again, and I felt extremely nervous. Why did he seem oblivious to the dangers he could encounter? As a teenager, he constantly frustrated me.

I noticed a schoolgirl with blonde hair approaching me. Oh no, not today, I thought. Then I realized it was Enzo's friend, Pam.

"I don't think he'll come out today," Pam retorted as she walked away.

I called Enzo's phone about ten times, but he didn't answer, so I went inside the school. I was shocked to see Enzo sitting on a bench, spreading his legs wide and looking relaxed. His coat and bag were on the ground, and his tie was nowhere to be found.

His white shirt was unbuttoned all the way down, and a girl was touching his body while another girl kissed his lips. These two girls were not the ones I had seen the other day.

"ENZO," I shouted, my voice louder and angrier than before.

"Oops," said one of the girls as they ran away. I couldn't believe the behavior of those girls. I wondered how their parents had raised them. Enzo's Papa hadn't raised him properly, and I wasn't allowed to discipline him either.

"What the hell are you doing?" I asked angrily.

"Relax, Papa. I was just having fun," Enzo said, looking for his tie. He couldn't find it. His hair was a mess. He picked up his bag and coat.

"You better button up your shirt before we leave the gate," I said, and he looked down at his shirt. At that moment, he noticed that it was unbuttoned.

"You don't even know your shirt is unbuttoned," I barked. Enzo buttoned some buttons and attempted to walk, but I stopped him.

"Next time, you must come out when I give the first ring to your phone. I am tired of seeing this nonsense. I wonder what I will have to see next time," I said sternly, staring at him. "Do you understand?" I asked firmly. He nodded in agreement. It seemed like, today, Enzo had forgotten who was in charge.

"Where the hell are the teachers in this school?" I muttered as we walked to the car.

"Oh, enough, Papa. Why are you so jealous? Is it because you don't have a girlfriend?" Enzo asked.

"I don't need a girlfriend. I'm married," I said.

"You're married?" he said, stopping in his tracks and staring at me in surprise.

"Yes, I'm married. Why do you look surprised? Where do you think I'm going when I say I'm going home?" I replied.

"You're married?" he said, again, angrily.

"Yes, Enzo. Yes. There's nothing to be surprised about if a man has a wife," I said.

"But you said you were mine. You always say, 'I'm all yours, I'm all yours,' and now you're saying you're married?" Enzo hissed.

"Shh... why are you shouting?" I said, puzzled by his reaction. I couldn't understand why he was so angry to hear that I was married. And I couldn't fathom how he could have believed, all this time, that I might not be married. I had never talked directly about it, but there were many hints. I opened the door for him to hop in, and he stared at me angrily and confusedly.

"Do you have children, too?" he asked as I drove the car, still with a shocked voice.

"Yes," I said, and he started to kick the front seat angrily.

"You have children too. HOW DARE YOU? HOW DARE YOU, PAPA? YOU ARE A LIAR. I HATE YOU. I HATE YOU," Enzo started to scream like an angry toddler, and I couldn't believe it.

"Enzo, stop it," I said firmly.

"Stop what? You are a liar," he fumed and aggressively launched his bag to the floor, slumping down in his seat.

"Just hold on until we get home. After we go home, scream as much as you want," I said, glancing at Enzo through the rearview mirror.

As soon as we arrived home and I parked the car, Enzo stormed out and began to punch my chest, accusing me. "You are a liar, liar, liar," he screamed at me.

"What did I lie about?" I asked, holding his hands tightly. I couldn't believe the way he was behaving right now.

"You said you were only mine. You said you'd never leave me. But you have a family. You can't do that to me," he screamed, leaving me speechless and unsure of how to respond.

"Do they call you Papa, too? What do they call you?" he asked, still angry and with eyes full of tears.

"Stop it, Enzo," I said softly, trying to calm him.

"No," he replied, pulling his hands out of my grip with all his strength.

"NO, NO, NO," he started to scream, kicking everything in the garage. I let him do all the crazy stuff he wanted until he felt tired. Finally, he collapsed on the floor, throwing his arms and legs like an X shape.

"Who do you love more? Me or them?" he asked quietly.

I pulled him up and helped him stand on his feet. "You," I said, looking into his eyes.

"What if you're lying?" he asked. His voice sounded hoarse.

"I'm not," I reassured him, looking into his eyes. And I was telling the truth. I loved Enzo more than anyone in this world.

"Prove it then," he challenged.

"How do you want me to prove it?" I asked. He said nothing, just blinked a few times while looking at me.

"I'm tired," he said finally.

"I know," I said. Enzo walked away, looking down, and I followed him to his room, carrying his bag and coat. He collapsed onto his bed, still covered in dirt.

"I never thought you'd lie to me," he said, looking up at the expensive ceiling in his room.

"I never did. I thought you knew," I replied softly, sitting on Enzo's sofa and looking at him.

He stayed still for a few minutes, and I noticed his body starting to gasp, just like when he was sleeping at night.

"Enzo?" I stood up and went closer to him. His eyes were closed, and his body was gasping.

"Enzo, Enzo," I spoke to him, tapping his cheek slowly. He didn't open his eyes and was breathing heavily, gasping softly. I didn't know what to do. I reached for my phone to call the doctor, but at that instant, he woke up with fear, breathing heavily, as if he had just woken up from a nightmare. My phone fell to the ground, and I wrapped my arms around him, pulling his body closer to mine. This thing only happened when he was asleep at night. I was shocked to see it happen suddenly like this.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. Papa's here," I assured him. He had never told me what he saw in his dreams that terrified him.

"My head hurts," Enzo moaned, pain evident in his voice as he covered his face. I gave him a painkiller that his doctor had recommended.

"Take a nap," I encouraged softly, stroking his hair. His eyes grew heavy from the strong medicine, and he lay down on the bed, looking as if he were drunk.

Enzo

I could hear people talking around me, but I didn't know where I was. They were taking me somewhere, and I couldn't see because they had put a blindfold on me. They said, "Why blindfold him? He can't run away. He's just a kid."

Then, suddenly, I was inside a dirty house. It looked strange, and I wished I was back home with Papa. I wanted to cry, but I couldn't make a sound. Then, they pushed me into a room.

Then I heard gunshots. There was a man on the floor, bleeding. I got scared. I tried to scream and run, but I couldn't. I struggled and felt hot. Then, someone gently touched my hand and said my name. I opened my eyes to see Papa sitting beside my bed, looking at me.

It's the same nightmare again, I realized.

"Papa, will I ever be able to sleep peacefully?" I asked him. His green eyes were teary as he stroked my hair. I hugged his thigh, feeling the pain in my heart.