Free Secrets & Surrender 3 by L.G. Castillo

her after what she did to Mom. Even if they’d gotten Mom out and paid for Juan’s bail, Mrs. Marcelli deserved to get her ass nailed to the wall by my dad. Instead, there he was, patting her hand and giving her a sympathetic smile.
    “Dad.” I stayed by the doorway and gestured for him to come over.
    He nodded and then patted Mrs. Marcelli’s hand one last time.
    She smiled gratefully at him before turning her attention back to Nic.
    “I don’t get it, Dad. How can you be nice to that woman after what she did to Mom?” I whispered furiously.
    “Manuela, I raised you better than that,” he chastised. “Who are we not to forgive when someone asks for forgiveness?”
    I blinked. “She apologized?”
    “Yes, she did.”
    “And you accepted it?”
    “Of course, I did. Just as you forgave your mother and me for our mistakes, I also forgive others for theirs. Look,” he gestured to Mrs. Marcelli, “she almost lost her son with her mistake. And if not for her son, I could’ve lost mine.”
    Tears welled in my eyes as I watched Mrs. Marcelli sit next to Nic. It was hard to stay mad at her. God knows I wanted to hate her, but she looked so pitiful. Her normally perfect hair was disheveled, and there wasn’t a trace of makeup on her tear stained cheeks. Her clothes were wrinkled. She hadn’t left Nic’s side since she’d arrived. It was like she was a totally different person.
    “Find it in your heart to forgive her,” he whispered. “After all, she is the mother of the man you love.”
    After Dad left, I sank back down in my spot next to Nic, taking his hand in mine. Mrs. Marcelli’s green eyes looked up at me.
    “Is everything alright with your brother?”
    “For now.”
    She nodded and turned her attention back to Nic.
    Nic looked so peaceful. It was as if he were asleep. I let out a breath and closed my eyes, thankful that we’d been given a second chance. I squeezed his warm hand, vowing that the moment he woke up, I was going to let him know that I was his forever.
    “Victoria, we have an issue to discuss.”
    I stiffened at the sound of Mr. Marcelli’s voice.
    “There’s nothing more to discuss, Frank,” she snapped.
    My jaw dropped. The woman has some backbone. I’d never once heard her raise her voice, and I definitely never expected her to do it to her own husband.
    Her green eyes blazed. He blinked, looking almost as shocked as I was. She turned away from him, running her manicured fingers through Nic’s hair as she spoke. “Whatever Dominic wants is what I want.”
    She gave me a soft glance.
    I almost fell out of my seat. I was so not expecting that.
    “Dominic’s too young to know what’s good for him or his future. I’m sure even Ms. Ruiz can see that it’s better for him to attend Princeton. He’ll meet people who can help his career, not destroy it.” He glared at me. “An incident like this would’ve never happened if he was around...well, when he’s around people who have some restraint.”
    My eyes darted to him, glaring at the insult. He could say anything he wanted to about me. I didn’t care anymore. What really pissed me off was that he didn’t really care about Nic. All he cared about was his own stupid reputation.
    I lifted Nic’s hand, kissing it before placing it gently by his side. Standing, I marched over to give him a piece of my mind.
    “I don’t give a shit if you are Nic’s father. Don’t you ever talk about me like that ever again!” I jabbed his chest with my finger. “And you had better get used to seeing me because if you want Nic in your life, I’m going to be there. Where he goes, I go. Got that?” I poked him in the chest even harder this time. “And if he wants to spend family holidays or dinners with you, well, bring out the tamales because I’m gonna be there. And they better be fresh ones too because the stuff that comes out of the canned ones are nasty.”
    “Now, look here, Ms. Ruiz—”
    “No, Frank, I have had enough of