Jade smiled faintly, feeling as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Sure, she should've told all of this to her friend, but Nerea already knew most of it, and she didn't want to overwhelm her with the same pain again and again.
"They say talking helps," the man in front of her commented.
"You don't really practice that yourself, do you?"
He gave a barely noticeable smile.
"That's right," he admitted, now on his third coffee. He took a sip and added, "I've never been the kind of person who talks much, but I'm a good listener." He gestured with his mug, and the gesture brought a smile to Jade's lips.
"Thanks for listening to me."
"There's no need to thank me… But, if you want my honest opinion, you should find a way to move your father out of that house. Then, the two of you should fight for Alicia's custody and forget about the woman who gave birth to you, that bastard of a husband, and that Allison girl," he advised, taking another sip of his coffee.
"I've thought about it a lot. I always dismissed the idea because Elias is a police officer and has the law on his side."
"That's understandable, but you have to find a way to leave that place for good. It's for the best. And I'm telling you right now—you can count on me for anything."
"I'll keep that in mind…"
"And about that man… I'll say the same thing. Stay away. If he truly cared about you, he wouldn't talk to you the way he does. A man who mistreats a woman like that doesn't deserve a second chance… And abuse isn't just physical. There are so many ways to hurt a woman," he said. "And you don't deserve any of them."
"I don't know what to do about him… I'm so confused…"
Dominick
He had done it again—he didn't understand her… Wasn't one enough? That Robinson guy, his brother, and now… Who the hell was this other guy? He looked familiar, but Dominick couldn't place him.
She was shameless. Walking around with one man and then another like it was nothing. Her attitude infuriated him. With others, she was all smiles and charm, but with him, all he ever got were slaps and insults.
Since the incident in his room, his anger had been burning. It had cooled a little when he considered apologizing, but after overhearing her say she was dating someone else, everything went to hell again. Now, the only thing running through Dom's foggy mind was that he would get what he wanted—no matter what.
He had just left the bar. He wasn't totally drunk, but he had enough drinks to do something stupid.
He stepped out of the elevator and realized he was in the staff hallway. And there she was… He was sure it was her.
He rushed over. She was about to open her room door when he grabbed her arm and stopped her.
"You're back!" he exclaimed with a smile that Jade didn't like one bit. "I've been waiting for you," he lied.
"Dominick, what are you doing here?" she frowned, rolling her eyes when she caught the smell of alcohol. "You've been drinking. Typical. You better leave."
"I'm not leaving," he snapped, tightening his grip. "I want a night with you too. If they can have it, why can't I?"
"You're hurting me. Let go!" she struggled. "And I don't know what you're talking about…"
"You don't?" he laughed bitterly, getting closer. His breath reeked of alcohol, and it made her stomach turn. "Christian. Robinson. That other guy…" he listed, getting angrier with each name. "They all get to enjoy your body, but not me? Tell me—how much did they pay? Name a price. I don't care."
Jade shoved him hard, then slapped him across the face with all her strength, cutting him off completely.
"You're disgusting," she said, deeply offended. "Don't you ever dare talk to me again, you jerk!"
She went into her room and slammed the door shut, locking it.
"Open the door, Jade!" Dom yelled. "Open up, damn it! I'm not done talking to you!"
She didn't answer. She curled up in her bed, sobbing uncontrollably, feeling like her whole world was collapsing.
Dominick stayed outside her room, banging and shouting for a long while until some of the staff from the rooms nearby reported a disturbance. Maximiliano was the one who came to take care of Dom, dragging him back to his room.
Monday
Jade
Jade had gotten up early to get ready. She needed to get to the bank.
She left the hotel and took a cab.
During the ride, she was praying silently, begging for them to approve the loan. It was her father's only hope.
Half an hour later, the car stopped. She paid, stepped out, and climbed up onto the sidewalk. Her steps were unsure as she approached the bank's doors.
She entered, greeted the guard, and walked toward one of the desks.
"How can I help you?" a woman behind the counter asked.
"I'm here to request a loan," she said, clearly nervous—this was her only chance to save her father, and there was no other way.
"You'll be attended to shortly," the woman smiled. A few minutes later, Jade was led to one of the small desks where a man with a big smile was waiting for her.
"Good morning," the man greeted. "So, you're here to apply for a loan…"
"That's right."
"First, we'll need to verify a few things," he said as he pulled out some papers. "We'll check your financial status."
"I…" she sighed. "I'm already paying off a loan. I mortgaged my house two months ago," she confessed. "Would that prevent me from applying for another?"
"Well, one important factor would be how you've been paying off that loan. Do you have a stable job?" She nodded.
"Other than the house, do you have any other property you could use as collateral?" She shook her head.
"I'm very sorry, miss. In that case, we can't approve the loan. I recommend finishing your current payments and then applying for a new one."
"But I don't have time…" she murmured, feeling her only hope slip through her fingers.
"My hands are tied," the man said with genuine regret.
She left the bank, unable to hold back her tears of frustration. Everything was falling apart. She didn't know what to do anymore—things were only getting worse. She wanted to talk to someone, to vent again.
She got on the bus, and when she arrived at the hotel, she went straight to her room. She told herself she would explain to the HR manager later why she'd missed half her shift.
She opened the door—and to her surprise, found her friend Nerea on the bed, eating chocolates and ice cream. Used tissues were scattered all around her.
Jade frowned.
"Is there something wrong?" she asked as she closed the door and walked over, taking off her shoes and climbing onto the bed beside her. She looked at her friend's puffy eyes. "You're scaring me. Tell me—what happened?"
The brunette hiccupped. Jade immediately knew something serious had happened. Nerea wasn't someone who cried easily.
"The tears are partly hormones too," she replied, spooning more ice cream into her mouth. "I had a horrible night," she sobbed.
"I'm here now," Jade hugged her, putting her own problems aside for the moment. Her friend needed her. "Now tell me about this awful night."
"David is married," she confessed, making Jade's eyes go wide. "The bastard has a wife. I saw them at a restaurant. She's pregnant. Can you believe it?"
"Freaking bastard," Jade hissed. "And with that innocent face of his… anyone would fall for it. He fooled you well, but this isn't your fault. You're a victim, just like his wife."
"I spoke to her in the restroom," Nerea hiccupped, passing a chocolate to Jade, who didn't hesitate to eat it. "Before I knew she was David's wife. She was so kind to me, even though she didn't know me. She seemed like a good woman. I felt so guilty—I was the other woman! A homewrecker!" she cried, still clinging to her friend.
"You're not, Nerea. You didn't know she existed."
"But I didn't check either. I just liked him and slept with him. I didn't think it was a big deal… but lately, I realized I was really starting to fall for him…" She pulled away to scoop more ice cream.
"It's a good thing you found out now, before things got even worse. At least you didn't cause a scene," Jade said, and they both laughed.
"Maybe I should've…" Nerea muttered, covering her face.
"Did anything else happen?" Jade asked.
"I came back to the hotel and started drinking…" she began, avoiding eye contact with her friend. "I drank way too much. Then Maximiliano showed up and started teasing me about his cut. We started teasing each other back… and drinking…"
She sighed heavily.
"Long story short—I had sex with him."
"Shit!" Jade rubbed her forehead while her friend started crying again.
"I don't even like him!" she wailed. "But, girl, the way he f*cked me… whew." She let out a mischievous little giggle, her face twisting into one of those «it was so wrong but so good», expressions. "I won't lie, it was unreal. That thing he's got between his legs? It's magical. God."
"Nerea!" Jade covered her mouth to stop from laughing.
"What? I don't like lying. And just when I thought life couldn't get worse—bam—my period started. It's awful. That's why I'm crying. It's the hormones."
"Sure, the hormones," Jade said, squinting at her. "And poor you. Mine's already gone. It came Monday night, made a mess of the bed, and stopped on Thursday," she smiled in relief. "By the way, where were you last night? You didn't sleep here."
"With that lying bastard, David," she cried again.
[...]
Jade spent the whole afternoon with her, cursing David every five minutes and eating all the ice cream they had. After a few hours, the blonde told her friend about her father's condition, the bank's rejection, and lastly—but certainly not least—the attempted rape by her stepfather.
Nerea scolded her for not telling her sooner, but after hearing everything Dominick had done, the brunette calmed down. Although she appreciated Dom's help, she cursed him for the awful things he'd said to her friend. They talked for a long while, venting, eating, and drinking—they even managed to get someone to bring them alcohol. They fell asleep next to each other, lying in a mess of chocolate wrappers and tissues.
{...}
Tuesday
With numb limbs, a pounding headache, and a strong urge to throw up... that's how both girls woke up.
They rushed to the bathroom. Nerea made it to the toilet first and emptied her stomach. Jade, who didn't make it in time, ended up vomiting all over the floor.
"Oh no..." the blonde groaned, already dreading having to clean up her own mess.
"You're a mess " Nerea muttered, grimacing. "You're cleaning this up…" Another retch cut her off, and she vomited again.
"We're a disaster," Jade laughed.
"No doubt about it," the brunette replied, getting up. "Let's go wash off the filth."
[...]
After showering and getting ready, they went to pick up the day's room cleaning assignments.
"I swear my head is about to explode," Nerea whined as she popped some pills and drank from a water bottle. Jade mimicked her.
"Nerea, you got drunk Sunday night and again yesterday—what did you expect?" she chuckled. "With these pills, I'll be fine. You, on the other hand, need the whole pharmacy."
"Don't mock me, you jerk," the brunette grumbled, dragging her feet through the hallway. "I don't wanna work with María. She's boring and never talks to me," she whined.
"I'm stuck with Sam. She talks non-stop about… her amazing boyfriend Alfredo."
"Her amazing boyfriend Alfredo," they both said in unison, then burst out laughing.
"She's unbearable," said Jade.
"See you later," Nerea said as they went their separate ways.
Jade got to work alongside her talkative partner. The girl didn't stop chattering, and Jade responded with the occasional "yes" or "no" when needed. Hours later, she was exhausted—and completely fed up with the endless Alfredo stories.
Her mind had drifted far from Sam's rambling and gone back to her father. Dr. Newman's words repeated over and over like a broken record… again and again.
She stepped out of the last room she had to clean that day, having stayed late to make up the hours she lost the day before.
Her head hung low.
"I was looking for you," Dominick's voice made her stop in her tracks.
"Leave me alone. I'm not in the mood," she snapped and kept walking.
"You're not going anywhere," he said, grabbing her and turning her around.
Dominick had been drinking again. His clothes were rumpled, and his hair was a mess.
"What do you want? Let go of me!" she struggled.
"How much do you want?" he asked, his voice angry.
"Excuse me?" Jade couldn't believe he was asking how much she wanted to sleep with him, again. She knew he was an asshole, but this was a new low.
"Don't play innocent with me. That act doesn't suit you. You're nothing but a wh—"
She didn't let him finish. Her hand flew across his face.
"You don't get to insult me, you have no—"
He grabbed her wrists tightly.
"Tell me! How much? Five hundred thousand? A million? Name your price—I'll pay anything." His eyes burned with fury. "Money's not a problem for me."
She fell silent. Dr. Newman's words echoed in her head. Swallowing her pride and the hatred she felt for the man in front of her, she gave in.
"One million dollars. That's what I want. Happy now? You'll get what you've been craving," she said, wiping away a tear.
"I knew your true colors would show eventually," he said, looking her up and down.
She turned away, knowing she had just sold her dignity… but fully aware it was for a greater cause.
In this moment, the end justifies the means.
"I'll come find you later to talk terms," he added coldly, making her stop.
"As you wish," she spat, her words thick with bitterness, revealing the deep hate inside her.
Dominick stood in the middle of the hallway, bile rising in his throat—but there was no going back now…