𝐉𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐘, 𝐉𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐘| Miguel Diaz [ONGOING FOR SEASON 6 PART 3]

𝒙𝒙𝒊𝒊𝒊. beginning of a new era

chapter twenty-two:
❛ beginning of a new era ❜

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Arizona sat on the couch, the dim glow of the TV barely illuminating the dark living room. It was late, too late for Diego to still be up, so she had sent him to bed hours ago. The silence of the house gnawed at her, the emptiness weighing heavier with every tick of the clock. She hadn't spoken to her mom in what felt like ages, at least not a real conversation. Daniela was usually locked away in her room, either passed out or lost in her drunken haze. Arizona had been playing the role of caretaker, both for her younger brother and for herself, for five long months now.

The knock at the door was sudden, sharp, and insistent. Arizona's heart lurched in her chest. She wasn't expecting anyone. For a moment, fear spiked through her, the idea of some stranger outside in the middle of the night setting her on edge. But when she peeked through the window and saw who it was, fear gave way to a slow, simmering rage.

It was Alexander. Her father.

She hadn't seen him in five months. Not since he walked out of the hospital that day, leaving behind a trail of broken promises and disappointment. And now, there he was, standing on her doorstep, swaying slightly in his drunken stupor.

Arizona opened the door, her heart racing but her face set in a cold, hard mask. The smell of alcohol hit her immediately, a pungent reminder of the past months of misery.

"Arizona..." Alexander's voice cracked, his eyes bloodshot and swollen, tears streaming down his face. "I'm... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for everything. For leaving again... For what I said... I was wrong. I called you a disgrace, and I didn't mean it. Please..."

He collapsed to his knees on the doorstep, his body trembling with sobs. Arizona stared down at him, her throat tight with the overwhelming mix of anger and sorrow that had been building for so long.

"You're sorry?" she snapped, her voice shaking. "You think that's gonna fix anything? You're always the reason why Mom starts drinking again! Do you even get that?!"

Alexander looked up at her, his expression broken. "I didn't mean to-"

"She was sober!" Arizona shouted, cutting him off. Her hands clenched into fists, nails digging into her palms. "Mom was sober! Then you waltz back into our lives and everything falls apart! Do you have any idea what it's been like? I haven't had a normal conversation with her in five months because of you! She's been drinking every single day since you left. Every single day, Dad! And guess who has to clean up after it? Guess who has to be the parent for Diego? Me! I'm only seventeen, and I have to be the adult because you screwed everything up again!"