Chapter 152 - Let's Go Home

"Miss Persephone, Mr V won't be very pleased if I try to touch him," Romeo said with apparent helplessness in his voice. He wasn't very close with Santiago, to begin with. When Persephone asked him to pick up Santiago, he wanted to send Emmanuel in his place as it didn't matter to her who followed her as long as they did. However, his sloth of the boyfriend refused to stir in his sleep. And in the end, he was stuck with taking his drunk boss home. 

Sigh, what a trouble! 

"You are saying as if my touch would make him happy," Persephone retorted, sarcasm dripping from his voice. 

Perhaps, Persephone didn't know how right she was at this moment. 

However, she still walked ahead and stopped near the stool he was sitting on. 

Taking a deep breath, she lightly touched his shoulder and softly called out his name," Santiago?"

As if even in his intoxicated state, he could hear her. His head that was lying on his folded arms on the counter moved and he looked up to find a very concerned Persephone peering at her with those warm green eyes of hers. 

"My Red?" Santiago murmured with a silly smile. "You came…" 

A rush of jealousy ran through her bloodstream all the way from the shiver down her spine. He was calling her by the name of another woman. A woman who was capable of making his lips arc into this beautiful smile. 

It was at this moment she understood that the man she married, she didn't know anything about him at all. She didn't even know if he had someone inside his heart already. 

What about her? 

Yes, what about her? 

No, what about her. 

It didn't matter to her. She didn't even want to stay with him. Why was the thought of another woman with him piercing the high fortress that she had created around her heart? Anything related to him shouldn't affect him at all. Yes, it shouldn't not. But what the hell was it affecting her so much? And why did her eyes start tearing up at this thought? She felt as if she couldn't breathe at this moment. 

As if even heaven started mocking her, a song started playing in the bar in the voice of Harry Styles… 

????I'm selfish, I know

But I don't ever want to see you with him

I'm selfish, I know

I told you, but I know you never listen????

"Red? You came for me?" Santiago asked once again. He could see a blurry figure resembling his Red staring at him. 

"Let's go home," Persephone said in a cracked voice. One of her hands caught him and with another, she wiped the stupid tear that was making his way down her cheek. 

No, she had absolutely no idea why she was behaving the way she was. 

"No," Santiago said in a loud voice and yanked her hand from hers. By the intensity of the pull, Persephone would have fallen on the floor but fortunately, Romeo quickly appeared and prevented her from falling. 

Thanks to Romeo's help or else she didn't know what the consequences might be. 

"Miss Persephone, are you fine?" Romeo asked with naked concern. 

Persephone nodded, still deep in shock. 

Santiago turned his head at this time to find Persephone embraced in Romeo's arms or this was what Santiago saw in his drunken state. He pointed his finger at Romeo and spoke, "You. Stop touching my Red." 

Hearing his command, Romeo took several steps back. Even in his drunken state, he knew that he was no match for Santiago. So, it was better to back off now. 

It was only when he carefully glanced at Persephone, he found tears in her beautiful eyes. He tried to stand up but failed and was about to fall down but she immediately caught him by his waist. 

"You have tears in your beautiful eyes," Santiago murmured while staring at her eyes in sheer regret. He was reeking of alcohol but at this moment, Persephone who even found the fragrance of her favourite perfume nauseous didn't find his scent mingled with the foul smell of alcohol nauseous at all, if not comforting. 

"Did I make you cry again?" He asked her with furrowed brows. He was looking so small and ashamed now that Persephone found her heart squeezing. Her brain was warning her to not let him get under her skin. But she knew that he had gotten under her skin a long time ago. Perhaps, the first time she met him. Or maybe, the collision at the mall. 

"You didn't," Persephone answered, shaking her head. "And I'm not crying." 

"You are," Santiago said with the same shattered look. He wiped the tear that leaked from the corner of his eye with the pad of his thumb softly. 

Persephone closed her eyes as his thumb touched her skin and broke into a fit of sobs. Heartbreaking sobs. 

"Hush," Santiago consoled her while wrapping his arms around her thin and tiny frame. He was rubbing her back softly but instead of stopping, she was now crying endlessly. She didn't know why her heart was crying and what for? But her soul wanted to weep today in his embrace. What her mind doesn't remember, her heart remembers everything all too well. 

"I'm sorry," Santiago was murmuring again and again. "I caused you all the hurt. I'm the reason for all your tears. I brought you to this mess. I promise you baby that I will set you free. I'd never force you for something you don't want anymore. I know I am selfish but trust me, I never wanted to hurt you." 

Persephone wanted him to stop saying all those things as she wasn't the woman he was thinking of her. But she didn't have the heart to. She wanted to hear all these words. She wouldn't refuse that he had not hurt her. Yes, he has hurt her. He forced her into this marriage. But something inside of her was telling that she needed it too. She couldn't breathe at the Marino residence. She never thought of that place like home but a week at his house made her feel at home. She didn't know why but she felt at home and at peace there. 

And all the words that he was saying, she needed to hear them even if they weren't meant for him. She wanted him to apologise to her once and then forgive him. She didn't know why once again but she just felt like it. It was the cry of her heart and it seemed to know things that her mind didn't. 

"You shouldn't forgive me, Red," Santiago whispered as if he was aching. Maybe, he was. His conscience was hurting and so was the heart that never beat before except for reminding him that he still was breathing. 

Maybe, Persephone didn't even know what kind of shape he was in but it was clear to her that he was hurting too. 

"Santiago, let's go home," Persephone spoke, this time holding his hand. "You are not in your senses. You don't know what you are talking about. Let's go home." 

Santiago shook his head. "I know I am drunk. I also know that I'm not in my senses. So, Red let me speak all the words that I can while I'm still intoxicated. I'm afraid that once I come to my senses, reality will sink in and all these voices inside my head won't ever let me confess." 

He doesn't know what his words were doing to her. These words of his were her undoing. She was all ready to believe those words for her. She so badly wanted to believe him. 

As if what he said was not enough, he held her delicate face in his big rough hands and caressed it softly, with all the pouring love and affection. 

"You need to know how sorry I am for all those things I have done," He added. "But love, I am not sorry for meeting you, finding you and making you mine. I can never be sorry for this. However, I still wish that we wouldn't have met the way we did once again." 

He let out a peal of self-deprecating laughter and added, "One day, one of us has to stop meeting in all the wrong places. But you see, I don't mind it now that I think that I met the most right person at the most wrong place. Not just once or twice but several times. And every time, it's you." 

"Santiago, Let's go home, "Persephone once again said in an unsteady voice. She couldn't bear to hear him anymore. 

They say, fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. 

She had let the people she loved fool her so many times that even if she wanted she could not let him play with her emotions. She knew her condition too well to create love castles in her head. 

And so, she said," I'm not Red, Santiago. And we are going home."