Page 42 of Vicious Little Liar
15
LETICIA
My father didn’t show up that night.
He didn’t come the day after.
Or the day after that.
A full week passes without so much as a word from Papá, and I can tell his silence is getting under Andrés’s skin. I’d tell him not to be surprised but to do that, I’d have to speak to him, something I’m not doing right now.
After having my family’s paperwork thrown in my face and realizing the reality of my situation, I was deposited back to my room where I’ve spent the last week.
Isolated and alone.
At least there is a television equipped with cable. I’ve had enough time to binge watch the first three seasons of Grey’s Anatomy, and damn, that season finale with Christina and Burke’s wedding, talk about tearing a girl’s heart out.
All things pop-culture are frowned upon back home, so I’m making the most of the time I have and hoping to watch far enough in to see the plane crash episode the commercials keep talking about. You’d think that a channel dedicated to Grey’s reruns would hold back the spoilers, but no, they’re giving out all the drama and I have four and a half seasons to go before I get to it.
There’s a loud knock on the door. The one that connects my room to Andrés’s. Not the main one. Adjusting the pillows at my back, I turn up the volume on the T.V. and ignore it.
Andrés tried talking to me after my father failed to appear the first night, but I didn’t want to hear it. He was insistent at first. But after throwing the bedside lamp at his head, he realized giving me space is for the best.
I don’t know why he’s here or what he wants now. But my feelings where he is concerned haven’t changed in the slightest. If it was up to me, I’d never see him again. I’d rather go home to my father. To Maxim. To all of it. Anything to get away from Andrés and the seductive lies he continues to weave.
“Leti—“ The door opens and Andrés pokes his head through the door. “Leticia?”
Keeping my eyes glued to the television screen, I tune him out.
Silence stretches between us. I wait for him to turn away, closing the door behind him like he’s done these past five nights when I’ve refused to speak to him, but this time, he doesn’t leave.
The asshole steps further into the room, leaving the door that connects our rooms open as he makes his way to the bed where I am seated.
Rubbing the back of his neck, he gives me this lost puppy dog look that I might have found endearing on him as a boy, but now, all I feel is a cold, simmering rage.
“We should talk.”
I really hate when he says that.
“Pass.”
His jaw clenches, and a vein pulses along his temple.
“Will you just listen—“
Nope. “Get out.”
“Leticia!” He throws his arms in the air. “Think rationally—”
“No,” I snap and throw the remote control at him.
He ducks, and the plastic controller smashes into the wall behind him, narrowly missing his head. It splinters into pieces.Shit. So much for Grey’s Anatomy.
“You’re being unreasonable.”
“Ha!” I bark out a laugh. “Me? Unreasonable?” If he only knew. “Go away, Andrés. You have what you need. Go plot and scheme with your brothers. Rest assured, I won’t be going anywhere.”Yet.
Stalking forward, I realize too late what he intends, and my eyes go wide right before he lunges for me. Using his heavier weight and strength, Andrés straddles my waist, towering over me on the bed. Going into fight-or-flight mode, I writhe beneath him, kicking and punching whatever I’m able to connect with in a bid to get away.
