Page 23 of Snatched Up By the Cartel

Finally, he nodded, his shoulders sagging as he let out a heavy breath. "I understand," he said softly. "But it doesn't make it hurt any less, Rylan. You should have told me everything sooner. It's about trust."

I took a step towards him, my hands reaching for his, my eyes pleading for his forgiveness. "I know," I whispered, my voice still shaking. The worst was over, but I still wasn't in the clear. "And I'm sorry. Please, forgive me, Mateo. I love you, and I can't bear the thought of losing you." I really couldn't. The mere possibility of that happening tightened my heart.

He stood there, his eyes still searching mine, the conflict within him clear. Finally, he sighed, his hands reaching out to grasp mine, his thumbs brushing away the tears that escaped. That fact alone washed away most of my worries.

"I forgive you, little omega," he said softly, his voice rough with emotion. "But we need to face the truth. Whatever deal you made, it's coming back to bite us. We need to prepare."

I nodded, my heart heavy with the knowledge that my actions had put us both in danger. I was aware that my friend, who I had betrayed, would hurt me. He hated me for what I did. That was part of the price I had to pay, after all.

"I know," I whispered. "And I'll do everything in my power to keep us safe, Mateo. Whatever comes our way, we'll face it together."

He pulled me into his arms, his embrace a source of comfort and strength. "Together," he agreed, his voice steady. "We'll face whatever comes together."

Chapter 8

Mateo

The sun cast a warm glow over the city as Rylan and I stood on the sidewalk, our eyes fixed on the penthouse that had become the most important place for us. Or so I thought. The events of the past few hours had shaken me to my core, leaving me questioning everything I thought I knew about Rylan, about us.

It shouldn't be happening this way. We had so many good memories in there. I couldn't even imagine ourselves living somewhere else.

"I can't believe it's gone," Rylan whispered, his eyes wide, his hand resting protectively on his swollen belly. It reminded me of how fucked up this was. His former friend didn't give a shit about the baby. "This was our home."

'Was' was the keyword in his phrase. It wasn't anymore. We couldn't go up there anymore.

I clenched my jaw, my eyes narrowing as I took in the scene before us. I wished I could do something, but I was powerless.

The penthouse, once a symbol of our freedom and new life together, now stood as a reminder of the consequences of Rylan's actions. As much as I knew he'd meant well, I couldn't shake off the thought that this could all be happening differently if he hadn't been so rash.

"It's my fault," he continued. "I should've told you, Mateo. I should've trusted you with the truth." And, he was right. At least, about that, he was 100% right. He should have told me everything from the start.

What happened was that he betrayed his friend and, because of that, he used his influence to take the penthouse away from us. It was petty, but it was what it was. In the end, he just wanted revenge for what Rylan did.

I blamed that asshole, but not as much as I wished I was going to. The thing I hated the most about him was that he didn't even care about the baby in Rylan's belly.

It turned out that that guy wasn't Rylan's friend after all.

I turned to Rylan, my eyes burning with anger and hurt. "You should've," I growled, my voice tight. "But you chose to keep secrets, to betray my trust." I would have done something, anything. It might not have changed the outcome, but it would still have been better than what we were going through.

Rylan flinched, his eyes filling with tears. He stepped back, putting some distance between me and him. He could feel my anger simmering beneath the surface.

"I know," he whispered, his hand coming up to wipe away the tears that escaped. "And I'm sorry. I was afraid, afraid you wouldn't understand, that you'd leave me." He took a deep breath. "It was just like before. I was so afraid of your reaction."

I took a step back, my hands balling into fists at my sides. "You were right," I said. "I don't understand, Rylan. How could you do this? How could you put us, our baby, in danger?" I shook my head. "And, it really isn't like this is the first time. Just like you said, it happened before."

He took a step towards me, his eyes pleading. That was surprising. Did he really think he could change how I felt about it just with his words? I didn't think it was possible.

"I never meant to put us in danger," he said. "I only wanted to protect what we have, to give our baby a future."

I shook my head, my heart hardening against the man I had once loved. It was still there, kind of, but it wasn't the same thing anymore. I didn't think it could ever be the same again. I knew my life would not be complete without him, so I couldn't exactly give up on him without consequences, but I was still wondering if it was worth pursuing this relationship I had with him. I was pondering if I shouldn't just give up and leave.

One moment, we had the penthouse and everything was great. I wasn't even thinking about what he did to get us out of prison and that he'd betrayed his only friend. Then, the next moment, his former friend came here with the police and several lawyers to take it all away from us. It made me feel desperate, just like the day before I joined the cartel.

"You put us all at risk," I said, my voice cold. "And now, we're left with nothing."

He reached for me, his eyes desperate. "We still have each other," he said softly, his hand brushing my arm. He said that as if it was the thing that most mattered. It wasn't. "We can start over, find another place, away from all this."

I pulled away, my heart too wounded to accept his touch. I shook my head. How could he think something like that and that it was okay? It wasn't. "How, Rylan?" I asked, my voice harsh. "With what money? We don't have anything else and it's your fault."

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