Page 24 of Snatched Up By the Cartel

He flinched, his eyes filling with fresh tears. It hurt me when I said that, but it had to be said. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself. I promised myself that telling the truth was always better than lying, no matter the circumstances.

"I know," he whispered, his voice breaking. "And I'm sorry. I'll do whatever I can to make it right, Mateo. Please, just give me a chance to make it up to you."

I turned away, unable to bear the sight of his tears, the depth of his betrayal. I ran my hand through my hair. I couldn't believe he was asking me to give him one more chance. It wasn't going to be so easy.

"You had your chance," I said, my voice rough. It hurt my heart when I said that, but I couldn't imagine a different outcome. "And you chose to keep secrets, to lie to me yet again. I can't trust you, Rylan. Not anymore."

He took a step towards me, his eyes pleading. I knew he was going to make this more difficult than it already was, so I was prepared, not that it was going to help me much.

"Please, Mateo," he whispered. "Don't do this. Our baby needs us, needs a family. Please, let's not throw away what we have."

I shook my head, my heart aching as I looked at the man I had once loved, now a stranger to me. My baby was important to me, as was him, but I didn't know for how much longer I could go on with the way things were.

"You threw it away, Rylan," I said softly. He blinked a few times. He couldn't believe this turn of events. "The moment you chose to betray my trust yet again, you shattered what we had."

He stood there, his eyes wide, his breath coming in short gasps as he processed the finality of my words. It was over. I still loved him — and because he was my fated mate, I didn't think it was something that would ever change — but for now, everything was over between us.

"Please, Mateo," he whispered, tears welling up his eyes. "Don't leave me. I need you."

I turned away, my heart too broken to offer him any comfort. And then, I took a deep breath in. I really wished I could continue to be with him no matter what, but I couldn't. I wouldn't feel right doing such a thing.

"You should've thought of that before," I said. "I can't do this, not now. I need time to clear my head, to figure out what the hell we're going to do."

That was saying the least. There were actually a lot more things for me to do. I had no idea where I would start, but I was going to figure something out.

With that, I walked away, my steps heavy, my heart aching with each step that took me further from Rylan. To be honest, at the moment, I didn't even know where I was going exactly. Just… away.

I knew I was leaving him vulnerable, alone, but I couldn't bring myself to stay, to offer him any false hope. Otherwise, the first thing he would think was that there was still a chance for us, but there wasn't.

Our relationship was fractured, perhaps beyond repair, and I needed time to grieve, to process the depth of his betrayal. Maybe, just maybe, I could forgive him for what he did, but I wasn't holding my breath for it.

As I made my way through the city streets, my mind raced, trying to make sense of the mess we were in. I knew Rylan had made a deal, but the full extent of it was only now becoming clear. He should have told me everything.

I could remember everything he had told me when shit hit the fan.

"Yes, I did what I did. I sold the information to those people. I had to. It was the only way to get us out of prison."

And I knew he was right, that we couldn't get out of prison if he hadn't done that, but he betrayed his friend and the latter couldn't let it go.

He came for us, for Rylan. He took the penthouse from us as punishment for Rylan's betrayal. Did he really think his friend would forgive him?

I ended up at a run-down apartment building, a far cry from the luxurious penthouse we had once called home. It wasn't the best for me, but for now, it was going to do. Plus, I had lived in worse conditions. I hadn't become soft after living in the penthouse.

It was one of the few places I could think of where we might find temporary shelter, but it was a dangerous place, filled with addicts and criminals.

So, despite my better judgment, I called Rylan to come here. It didn't mean we were still together. I only invited him to come because of the baby and the fact that they both needed a roof over their heads.

I climbed the stairs, my heart heavy as I imagined bringing our baby into such an environment. I knew it wasn't a permanent solution, but it was all I could think of at the moment.

I knew that soon I would have a better solution for where we should live, but for now, we were going to have to put up with all the negative things that came with living here.

I knocked on the door of my friend's apartment, my eyes scanning the hallway, hoping Rylan wasn't far behind. Despite his pleas, he understood he shouldn't be too close to me. It wouldn't be good for both of us.

The door opened, revealing a man with hollow cheeks and bloodshot eyes. He also was someone I didn't want near my baby, but he was my only solution at the moment.

"Mateo," he said. "What are you doing here?"

He looked like a mess, almost like a drug addict. I knew he had tried to clean himself up, but he hadn't gotten very far. I couldn't blame him; most of it wasn't his fault.

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