Chapter 13

When Hope and I arrived back in New York, my Mother and Andrew were there to greet us at the airport. It felt like forever since I had seen them. My Mother refused to let me go. She kept hugging me, crying and screaming in Spanish.

Andrew stood with his arm in a cast and embraced us both. I started to cry a little, both from the happiness and sadness. Everything I had been feeling in the past months came out.

“Natalia… mijita… forgive me.” My Mom said through her tears. I refused to let her go and sighed.

“Mami… it’s over… it’s over and we never have to think about it again…”

“Are you stupid? They could come back for you. You have to go to the police!” Andrew edged me on but I closed my eyes.

“I just want to forget about it.”

I told myself at the time that I wouldn’t go to the police more for Hope than for me. She was still in love with Tommy and I knew she didn’t want to hurt him, she just wanted to break free.

We all got in the car and headed back to my house. Hope was going to stay with us until she was able to get her own apartment and a job.

What I didn’t realize was that things were different and wouldn’t be the same.

**

I had been settled back in my house for a few weeks. I decided to take the semester off being that I was way behind on all my work.

Hope and I had been looking for jobs and came across one working as waitresses at this bar in Soho. Hope took the job but I wasn’t allowed to.

It seemed like my family had me on this really short leash now. I couldn’t stand it. I mean if I wasn’t smothered enough living with Tommy, my family didn’t let me do anything.

I understood that they were worried, but I needed my freedom too. That’s when I decided to move out. I had a bunch of money saved up and my best friend, Ricky was looking for two roommates.

It was time for this little girl to grow up.

“Mami…We need to talk.”

My mother was busily washing dishes after the huge breakfast she had cooked. She had the radio blasting 93.1 and “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom” by Selena was playing.

“Que paso?” She questioned as she busily scrubbed the frying pan. Of course we had a dishwasher but my Mom felt it was more efficient to clean things by hand.

“Mami… I’m moving out…”

“No you’re not.” My Mother continued to scrub and the pan with the brillo pad in her hand. She barely even bothered to look at me and that pissed me off.

“Yes I am. I already have an apartment. I’m leaving this weekend.”

She dropped the pan in the sink with such a force that I jumped back. My Mom is just about 5 foot, but for a little woman, she can be really scary. Isabel Fuentes turned and looked at me.

“You didn’t even bother to tell me?! Where are you moving to and with what money?! You’ve never worked a day in your life!! I’ve made sure of that, Natalia!”

“I had money saved, Mami. I just think it’s time for me to go on my own.” I crossed my arms, showing her that I was serious. The petite woman just glared at me.

“You’re not leaving this house. You’re still a nina.”

“I’m 19 years old. I’m an adult, Mom. I’m moving out, it’s going to be Hope, Ricky and me.”

“Ricky?!” She screeched. “ESE PATO?! NO!!”

“So what if he’s gay?! There’s nothing wrong with that!!!” I yelled back at her, knowing instantaneously that I shouldn’t have done that. “I’m leaving Mami, there’s nothing you can do to change my mind.”

My Mother burst out crying, and I started to feel guilty. Playing with the necklace Justin gave me that never left my neck, I sighed.

“Mami I’m not moving far. I just want to grow up and be on my own…you guys baby me too much.”

“Natalia, you were kidnapped! I just want to keep you safe!”

“You can’t keep me safe forever. You can’t shelter me. I have to live my own life!”

My Mother sighed, knowing that I was right. I hated how this had to be, but I needed to be on my own. I needed to grow up and I had a feeling that in that house I wasn’t going to be able to do that.

**

Hope and I had finished moving into Ricky’s apartment. It was the huge loft apartment and was just so awesome.

“I have a feeling you girls are really going to like it here.” Ricky said as he flipped through the channels.

Now Ricky is really hot, he’s tall with brown hair and brown eyes, and I swear if he wasn’t gay I’d be all up on him. Hope thought he was gorgeous and hell I don’t blame her.

They both became fast friends, it was great to see Hope adapting. Even though I still heard her crying at night for Tommy. She told Ricky and me that he was her only love. She didn’t think she could or wanted to love anyone else again.

Ricky told her not to think that. He said there was always hope. You gotta love him.

“I think so too.” Hope plopped down on the couch next to Ricky and smiled.

“You know, this is like threes company, except Ricky really is gay.” I giggled and sat on the opposite side of Ricky, leaning my head on his shoulder. “By the way when am I meeting your boyfriend?”

“When I’m sure you won’t scare him away.” Ricky grinned at me as he chewed on a carrot stick. “Hope, the last time I introduced her to one of my boyfriends she asked him a million questions and then threatened she would kill him if he hurt me.”

“That’s Natalia for you.” Hope laughed and grabbed the remote from Ricky’s hand, turning on General Hospital.

“Oh shut up!” I laughed and pulled my long hair up into a ponytail.

“So Hope… did you see Natalia’s brother?” Ricky inquired, with this sly smile on his face.

“Hell yeah. That guy is fucking hoooooot!” Hope said with a laugh. Ricky grinned and nodded his head.

“He is!!! Too bad he’s not gay. Maybe I could turn him.”

“You’ll have to fight me for him.” Hope said with a laugh.

“Bring it bitch!” Ricky replied, laughing, I rolled my eyes and made a gagging motion.

“That’s gross!!! That’s my brother!!”

“So?!”

“You need help, Rick. AND, you have a boyfriend.” I stated smugly and stuck my tongue out at him.

“Louis is hot and all… but I can still dream about Andrew…”

“AND THE MYSTERY BOYFRIEND HAS A NAME!!” I screeched while Hope laughed.

“He’s not so mysterious, I met him!”

“I didn’t!! That’s no fair!!”

“Like I said before, you’d scare him away.” Ricky replied and munched on another carrot stick. I pouted at him and crossed my arms.

“I’ll be good when I meet him! I promise!! Please Rick?!”

“Fine…but I swear, if you do anything to embarrass me I swear to God I’ll dig up the pictures of you from prom night.”

Yeah, Rick went with me to prom when I was a senior. I had gone to an all girl Catholic High School and Rick was my only guy friend. He had promised to go with me and we had a great time together.

Although I got drunk with a bad hangover and some parts of prom are fuzzy, I had a great time. Especially from the scary pictures Rick took of me dancing on a car like a retard.

Basically, Rick would always be my best friend and do anything for me. He’s more like family than anything else.

“Rick!! I’ll be good I promise!”

“Good.”

**

This whole time back in Florida, chaos was going on in the Ryan Mansion. Tommy had fallen into a state of depression when Hope left him. He constantly replied there last meeting in his mind.

“Tommy, you shouldn’t do this to Natalia. It’s crazy and you know if someone was holding you prisoner, you’d try to get out too.” Hope said, following him to his wet bar as he poured himself another glass of brandy.

“Either way she disobeyed me and she should be punished. Not you or Timberlake will stop me from doing so.” Tommy downed his brandy and Hope glared at him.

“You’re an asshole, Tommy.”

“Hope, I frankly don’t care what you say. I’m protecting my work and I’m not letting the bitch go. I’ve told you many times before, stay out of my work. It doesn’t concern you.”

“Everything is work to you isn’t it Tommy.” Hope shook her head in disgust. “Common decency would say to let the poor girl go and forget it. But you don’t have that do you Tommy. You’re not even human. You’re a monster!”

Tommy flung his glass of brandy at Hope. She looked shocked as it hit the wall right next to her.

“Just shut the fuck up and get the fuck away from me.” Tommy hissed at her. Never once had Tommy ever cursed at her or acted in a violent way toward her.

Hope ran out of the room in tears and Tommy just watched her go, drinking himself into another state of consciousness.

Constantly Tommy thought back to that day. He wished it were different, he wished he would have let Natalia go.  If that were what it would take to have his Hope with him again then that’s all that would matter.

The business was falling apart and Joseph Ryan had to step in and take his role as leader again. Joseph only said that it would be till Tommy got back on his feet and got over Hope.

Tommy wasn’t sure if that would ever happen.

“Women come and go all the time, Tommy. You should never get too attached to them. They’re all greedy little whores, only after your money.”  Joseph Ryan kept trying to drill into Tommy’s brain, but it didn’t work.

Tommy knew Hope was different, he just needed to change for her and then he would be able to get her back. First he needed to find her.

The letter Hope left Tommy didn’t say much. It just said that she was leaving him and never coming back. The letter was cold, and not at all like his sunshine. How Tommy missed his sunshine.

Justin was doing just as bad as Tommy. He moped around most of the time, just thinking about his few moments of happiness. No one woman had ever loved him before and this feeling was just so new.

But then again, while Natalia was on Justin’s mind, it distracted him. Justin had almost been killed because of his carelessness.

That was when Joseph Ryan had to get back in charge. He could not let his business that he had worked so hard for to fall apart.

Joseph was going to take matters into his own hands. He had hired a Private Investigator to head to New York. As soon as he found the sources of Tommy and Justin’s pain, he would bring them back and force them to love again.