"She called Miranda." Rodriguez read the text again.
It had taken him from his wife's warmth at 10 in the night.
It didn't take him to guess who Camille was referring to.
He stretched his aching joints in the small space the closet had.
What to do now? He muttered to himself as he searched for Mr. Contreras' contact.
"Hello, Mr. Contreras." He acknowledged when the call went through.
"It's me." A hushed voice whispered back.
Rodriguez could not believe she still held on to the phone. She must want Adriana badly. All in favor of him though.
"Adriana reached out to the Tocci's. How?"
"How am I supposed to know? The phone was in my hands all day." She snapped.
"We'll fix it." Rodriguez retorted and cut the phone.
Immature, He mumbled before the closet's door creaked open.
"Rod, Why are you here?"
"I was just checking—what to wear tomorrow, I'll be leaving quite early."
"Oh... But you were talking to someone." She chipped in.
"Babe, You worry too much. It's just a client."
"At 10?" His wife quizzed, still doubtful.
"Yes. Why are you getting so worked up?" Rodriguez said and approached his wife, leading her outside the closet and back into the bedroom.
"I don't know. It's just that these days you've been…distant. You haven't been eating, you've been so stressed and we don't have time for us anymore, Now night calls."
Rodriguez could tell she let it all out. He hadn't noticed she was disturbed by his new habits.
It was best he kept her out of it. She was heavily pregnant and he knew she would rebuke him. This was his cross to carry.
"I know." Rodriguez admitted facing her, "But tomorrow I promise you I'll take a break from work and we will go on a date."
"I don't want to be a bother..."
"I insist." Rodriguez cut in.
"Ok. Since we haven't had time for ourselves, I was hoping you'll just stay at home with me and we'll continue designing like we used to."
"Ok then." Rodriguez smiled at her and got ready for bed.
She did the same and when she was comfy, she said,
"And no phones. It always distracts you."
"I surrender."
Rodriguez remained awake until his wife drifted back to sleep.
He hoped Mrs. Contreras had a way to fix this or he would.
***
Mrs. Contreras paced around the room wildly and continued complaining to her husband about how betrayed she felt.
"How did you even know she called them?" Her husband asked, sipping a cup of scented tea and being less concerned about what Ema had just done.
"It doesn't matter but when she comes I'll give her a piece of my tongue." She fumed.
Just then, Ema walked in.
"Are you ok mom?" She asked seeing how perturbed Mrs. Contreras was.
"Where were you?" Mrs. Contreras demanded, hoping to sound like a concerned mother but only getting the part of a jealous boyfriend.
"You saw me go outside," Ema replied as sweet and innocent as she was, still wondering what made her mother so cold.
"So you're telling lies now?" Mrs. Contreras immediately yelled, throwing sanity out of the birdbox she called a brain.
"I don't understand what you mean mum..."
"You promised me that you wouldn't lose you and you just went behind my back to accept the deal—"
"How did you even know that?" Ema Immediately demanded.
She had used a neighbor's phone and unless her mother was spying or had other diabolical means to find out what she did, she should be clueless.
"That is not important now. What is important is that you betrayed my trust, all my hope in you, you threw them out the window."
Ema watched her mother begin to cry. She was supposed to feel sympathetic, every good child should but instead, she just felt a rage she could not comprehend burn up the sympathy.
"You know what mom, you're right. I want behind your back and called the Tocci's and even if I didn't reach her, I did something wrong."
Mrs. Contreras immediately sealed the valve on her crocodile tears sham.
Ema smiled seeing her mother look up to her.
She was already expecting an apology like she always did.
"But what I don't get is you not giving me the room to breathe and it all started when I went to the city."
Ema spotted her mother open mouth. She was not expecting the backlash so Ema continued before her conscience returned,
"What are you so afraid of mom? What are you hiding?"
Mrs. Contreras didn't expect what her daughter said next.
She wasn't acting suspicious, was she? She turned to her husband whose face was buried in his palms.
He was disappointed. Was she losing it?
"I'm sorry Ema, I—just don't know what took over me." Mrs. Contreras apologized and took a step closer to Ema but the latter took a step backward.
"I know Mum, you're always sorry but one thing is for sure mother, I am going to the Tocci's."
Mrs. Contreras gritted her teeth.
Ema was being unreasonable here yet again. It reminded her of the selfish nature that Rodriguez informed her about. Mrs. Contreras could not help but wonder if the old Ema which happened to be Adriana was returning. She was burning with brimstone inside but she had to pretend to be alright.
"What are you doing this to me, Ema?"
"I'm not doing anything wrong Mother. This is an opportunity of a lifetime. What would you not want me to do this?"
Brimstone was something Mrs. Contreras couldn't chill down with eyes, however.
"I just don't want you with those creeps! Understood?"
Ema wanted to speak but she had lost the will. This was the exact reason why she didn't want to tell her in the first place. Ema felt her eyes throbbing and for the first time, she cried.
Mrs. Contreras stopped to see the damage she had done,
"I'm sorry Ema..."
"I don't need it and I'll never need you again."
Those words were just enough to stun Mrs. Contreras and give Ema enough time to escape the house.
She doesn't need me anymore... No... She's ours.
"Come back, Ema!" Mrs. Contreras wailed but it was too late. All that was left of Ema was a speck far off.
***
The road was quiet and desolate which should be comforting for someone who hated traveling long distances but not Mrs. Romero. She was pale and green all over.
"You don't look good Madam." Her driver commented, using an eye to inspect her through the driver's mirror.
Mrs. Romero forced a smile and got a plastic bag ready in case her body couldn't take the suffering anymore and it decided to make her puke the little she had managed to eat.
"I'll be okay Walter. Just keep your eyes on the ro—."
Before she could finish, a crazy being just jumped into the middle of the road, out of nowhere.
"Watch out Walter!" It eas however too late for her warning to be put into action.
Walter tried his best to maneuver the car but the lady in front of the car being stunned moved away from the danger but in the right sense, she was only going right at where Walter turned to.
The car hit her and sent her flying a foot away.
The car stopped right then. Walter was unconscious, the airbag had taken the air out of him and he was facedown to the wheel and causing the horn to honk due to the pressure his head applied. Mrs. Romero was for a moment happy to be alive. Other than hitting the chair before her hard until she got a knot in her head, she was fine. The sickness she felt before suddenly disappeared, replaced by fear of the unknown.
A thousand thought immediately cascaded her mind.
She hit someone with her car, she could be charged for manslaughter, Was the girl dead? She had to find out.
She got out of the vehicle and approached the girl.
Mrs. Romero could see that she was limp and began to fear the worst.
She took the victim's hands and felts its pulse.
Good Lord, there's a pulse.
It was weak but it was something.
She hadn't wanted to see the person's face should the person have been dead since it would haunt her nightmares.
When she turned to have a good look at the person's face. Her breathing stopped.
This was the worst thing that could possibly happen to someone.
The bleeding head and the swollen lip could not hide the fact that she was staring at her Adriana.