Page 76 of A Lie so Dangerous and Fragile

“Take care, Miss Simpson.”

I walked out of the room with a heaviness in my chest I couldn’t explain. Tristan was on the phone when I came out. He kept pacing around and running his fingers through his hair.

“Okay, get all the details you need and get back to me,” he said to the person on the other line and ended the call.

“Is everything okay?” I asked.

“Yes,” he replied and entered the car.

I spoke to Vina on the phone on our way back to the hotel. Tristan was also busy on his phone, but he was asking for information about the courts here in Cuba.

When we entered the bedroom in our suite, Tristan went to the balcony while I sat at the foot of the bed. He spoke on the phone with Adrian. He kept cursing at the thought of never seeing Kayla. I knew he was mad at me, but he didn’t want to admit it.

Tristan released a heavy breath when he finished on the phone. He took a glance at me and said nothing as he walked to the closet. He changed into a white shirt and gray lounge pants while I watched with a pounding heart.

“Say something, please. Just let it out,” I begged.

He was quiet. His mouth opened and closed, as if he didn’t know where to begin. He exhaled and kept trying to adjust his T-shirt that hugged his torso.

“Why didn’t you ever ask for help?” he asked calmly. He stared at me, waiting for an answer.

“I was scared,” I said.

“You should have asked for help, Chloe!” he snapped.

“From who? The people who had made me feel worthless? The people who might endanger my kids?”

I stood up and walked closer to him. He was silent, his facial muscles constricting.

“We could lose her,” he said with a tight jaw and eyes hooded in anger and fear.

“You think I don’t know that? I was never planning on having a baby, especially twins. My life was a mess, and I was trying to move on. Trust me, the last thing I wanted was to be pregnant with your child. There was nothing I could do about it. I was at a point where I felt insecure, where I could trust no one, Tristan!”

“I was wrong. I admit it. I couldn’t stand the thought of watching them suffer because I had brought them into this world. It was my responsibility to make sure they had a better life. After everything that had happened, I couldn’t let them anywhere close to the people who had hurt me. They deserved better. I didn’t want to involve them in my past. I wanted a new beginning for them.”

“You had Vina. She would do anything for you. I know we all hurt you, but the twins didn’t deserve any of this.”

“You make it sound so easy. You have no idea what I was going through. Do you know how many times I thought of having an abortion? How many times I thought of taking my life? I wasthis closeto drowning myself in a bathtub. You think it was an easy decision to give her away? It still haunts me every time I close my eyes. It kills me every day, knowing if I had done enough, she’d be with me, with her brother. I didn’t know what to do or who to turn to for help. And just so you know, Vina has her own life to worry about. She has done enough for me, so much that I can’t ever repay her.”

“So, the plan was to keep them away from me forever? Even if you hated me, you should have given me a chance to help,” he said, looking heartbroken.

“I didn’t know if they were going to be safe with you and your family after everything that happened. Keeping them a secret seemed like the right thing to do.”

“I know I did horrible things to you in the past, but you can’t keep blaming me for every mistake you make. I know it was hard for you. I can’t imagine what you went through, keeping the twins, and I will forever be grateful for your decision.”

I bit on my lip to stop the tears, the guilt, and the pain I had been trying to avoid, but all those years resurfaced.

“You didn’t have to do it all by yourself. Sometimes, it’s okay to ask for help. Kayla will still be here with us, with her brother. We don’t even know how the hearing at the court will go. Shit might go down in that court, and we might end up losing our little girl. I don’t know if I can live with the thought of my daughter living with another family and knowing there is nothing I can do about it. I really wish I hadn’t fucked things up,” he said and left the room.

I sank to the floor in heavy tears. I cried like a baby, not holding the sounds back. I’d been deceiving myself that maybe if I forgot about her, then it would be like it never happened, and she wouldn’t feel real. The thought of Kayla hating me for what I had done burned my heart.

The door opened, but my vision was too blurry from the tears to see the person. Tristan stopped in front of me. He released a heavy breath and leaned down.

“Hey,” he called softly. He took my arms and pulled me up. “It’s okay. We are going to get her back.” He pulled me into his arms and wrapped them around me snuggly.

“I’m so sorry,” I sobbed against his chest.

“Shit, I’m sorry, Chloe. I shouldn’t have snapped. I’m angry at the thought of never seeing her, never knowing how she looks, or never carrying her in my arms. I guess I’m still being punished for what I did,” he whispered.

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