Her words are a punch to the chest.
She's asking me to let them go and give up the family I just found.
I reach out and cup her face in my hands. "I can't do that."
"Why not?"
"Because I need you here. Sofia needs her father,Tesoro. I need you…"
"Dante." Angelica shies away when I try to lean in to kiss her.
She's clearly still not happy with this arrangement and yoyoing between wanting to be with me and being terrified of my world.
I don’t know how to fix that war she's suffering from when I can't even make my own war stop.
"I know you're scared and this life terrifies you. But I'm asking you to trust me."
She opens her mouth to respond, but a knock on the doorframe interrupts us.
Rico stands in the doorway with his arm bandaged.
His expression is grim.
"We have a problem," he says.
I drop my hands from Angelica's face and turn to him. "What kind of problem?"
My question draws a look of concern to his face as he looks down at Angelica and then Sofia who is playing pretend with the Nativity characters, oblivious to my world unraveling.
My shoulders drop and I sigh. "I'll be there in a moment," I tell him.
Rico nods and leaves, and I turn back to Angelica.
She's watching me with an expression I can't read.
She's already made up her mind about leaving.
"I have to go," I say.
"I know."
"We'll finish this conversation later."
"Will we?" she asks dryly and pulls away from me, moving toward Sofia, ripping my heart out as she goes.
I want to promise her that we’ll figure this out together.
But the truth is I don't know if I can win this war and keep my family at the same time.
I don't know if I can be the man she needs me to be and the man I have to be to survive at the same time.
I turn to walk out, but as the door shuts behind me, all I can think is how bad it will hurt if she really wants to leave.
I can't make her stay.
And I could take Sofia.
I have enough power, money, and resources to do it, but hurting Angelica to keep Sofia feels just as painful.
