Bryce's P.O.V.

Considering today was the day of the wedding, waking up with a hammering headache, missing clothes, and a sore body wasn't the perfect way to start the morning. I drank so much last night that I felt as if I had to promise myself to never drink again. However, that oath was useless. I had gotten stuck in my old ways the last two days, trapped back into the cycle of addiction to hide my own woes.

"...he's here, but he's not awake." Conner said into a cordless phone, pacing the kitchen. The drapes didn't resemble the ones at my place. They were black whereas mine were blue. This had to be his apartment. I must've passed out on his couch last night. "Oh, wait, I think he's waking up."

I shook my head, hugging my abdominal area as a new shudder coursed through me, trembling at the mere feeling of the fan across the room. I was either having a migraine or on the verge of throwing up - or possibly a mixture of them both. The small stream of light pouring into the living room caused me to squint in pain, groaning louder each time I opened my eyes.

I hate alcohol.

"I don't want to talk to anyone." I cried out. "Give me fifteen minutes. Or an hour."

"It's Sophia on the phone." He shifted the phone into his other hand, gaiting to me. "She sounds really sad."

"What is she saying?" Was what I wanted to ask him. I couldn't get the first part of my question out though. The urge to vomit overpowered me and I began running for the bathroom, falling in front of the toilet with my body giving up on itself.

. . .

"Hey. Are you alright in there?" Time flew by. I didn't know how long I had spent in the bathroom. I must've gotten food poisoning last night. In the past, I had got nasty hangovers, but it was never this bad. "I can call the ambulance for you."

"I don't need the ambulance." I shouted, splashing cold water on my flushed cheeks. I stuck my head underneath the faucet, eagerly gulping and lapping up the tap water. "I need the keys to my apartment. Is Sophia there?"

"About that..." he cleared his throat. "She's at her dad's house."

Taking one of the towels in the cabinet – etched with Conner and Kelsey's initials with gold thread – I wiped my face and unlocked the door, glaring at my friend. "Why do you say it like that? She'll be at the chapel at 6:00pm."

"No, she's not."

"Yes, she is." I spat. "She knows what today is and how important it is."

"That was what I was trying to tell you, Bryce." He bit the inside of his cheek, slowly releasing it. "She's not going to be at the chapel."

"Why the hell not?"

"Maybe if you would've picked up the phone when I told you to take it, then you would've cleared this entire Trenton thing out."

I exited the bathroom, snatching the phone out of his hand "Who is Trenton?"

"Me." Skipping out of the kitchen, a young boy with curly red hair entered the room, holding a cookie in his hand. Kelsey wasn't far behind him, holding a juice box and a bowl of grapes.

"Is that your cousin or something?" I asked Conner. Kelsey and Conner winced at my words as though I had said the wrong thing. "What's up with you? Tell me what's going on. Tell me why Sophia isn't going to be at the chapel."

"You should sit down first." Kelsey advised. "This isn't going to be simple."

"I don't need to sit down." I clenched the towel and threw it over my shoulder. "Tell me."

"You should sit down, brother." A new voice said, emerging from the kitchen, coming from around the corner that separate the two rooms. Carter strolled in, wheeling in a suitcase. "There's a lot I...I mean, there's a lot we need to tell you."

A second shadow approached. My towel fell to the floor, seeing my father for the first time in years. "Get out." I yelled. "All of you, get out of here! I told you I never wanted to see you ever again. I meant it!"

"Stop screaming in front of you kid." Kelsey kneeled to the boy who was frowning at me, pouting into his palms. "It's okay, Trenton."

What did she say?

No...She didn't...She couldn't have possibly said that.

"My kid?" I echoed, feeling a lump form in my throat. "I don't...I don't have a kid."

"You do." My father corrected. "Kelsey dear, can you please take Trenton into a different room so the adults can speak?"

"Sure." Kelsey took Trenton's hand and walked with him upstairs. On his way there, he flashed his emerald eyes, identical to my own. His red curls bounced in the same way Julia's had, a matching replica to hers.

My knees buckled, weakening once the realization settled in my thoughts. I crashed to the floor with my hands in my lap and my eyes slammed shut. "That-that can't be true. Julia—"

"Lost her life shortly after giving birth to Trenton. It was a premature birth, but it was needed in order to save his life. I went with the name Trenton because—"

"Julia was born in Trenton, New Jersey." I finished, still mind boggled. "This sounds too far-fetched to be true."

"If you don't believe me, ask the boy when's his birthday. It's the exact same day Julia went missing. He doesn't know that, of course."

"She didn't go missing. She was kidnapped and killed by your men." I roared, replacing my disorientation with rage. "You killed her." I stormed at him, ready to meet my fist with his chin, but Carter jumped in the way. "Move."

"You don't know the full story!" Carter waved her hands, blocking me. "Hear us out."

"Why should I? He's the reason Trenton doesn't have a mother."

"Her death was entirely her fault." My father noted. "You know that's the truth, but you're lying to yourself to believe I'd send hitmen to kill the woman baring my grandson simply because of what you stole from me. It didn't happen that way. She was starting to get back into drug use while she was pregnant with Trenton. A man I'm well acquainted with informed me that you were here in Los Angeles with her."

"So, you killed her for that?" I boomed.

"Heavens no. I got an arrangement done. She wasn't able to pay them back so I created a plan so we could both get what we wanted. I gave them the money and they gave me the child. Since you became failure in my eyes, I needed someone to take the business from me. The girls aren't cut out for this work. And you're far too disloyal to be trusted."

"This doesn't justify what you did." I barked. "You could've spared her life."

"Why? She was some druggie from New Jersey. She would only end up in the streets or cause you both to end up homeless."

"That's not true at all. She was changing." I snapped. "She was going to get help."

"No, she was going to drain you of all your money and then leave you the second she got a chance. She robbed from you in the past, didn't she?"

"That was when we were younger." I said, refraining from pushing Carter aside so I could punch the gleeful look off his face. "You didn't know Julia like I did."

"Once a thief, always a thief." He countered. "You have so much sadness still brewing for this dead girl. Why? You already harmed the men who got to her."

"I never got to you. You were behind it just as much as they were." I seethed. "And I am going to get you back for that."

His face wrinkled, laughing wide enough for me to see the gold cap tooth near his molars. His laughed progressed into coughing. He wiped out a handkerchief and heaved into it, hacking up a storm. A brush of blood was left on the cloth. He patted his chin.

"God already has plans to kill me." He wheezed, stuffing the bloody cloth into his pocket. "You killing me will not bring back Julia."

"I'd do the world a favor if I ended you now." I said with a tight-lipped frown.

"His guards are standing outside." Carter revealed. "You're strong, but you're not strong enough to go against seven armed men."

"He won't always have his men." I stated, which even I knew wasn't correct. He had his men around him at all times. He was, after all, the biggest dealer out of all the five boroughs in New York. He needed that protection.

Carter ushered dad out of the living room, gazing over at me occasionally as she walked to the exit. "I'll be back for Trenton in two days. His suitcase has everything he needs until then."

. . .

How was I supposed to comprehend my topsy-turvy world? In the matter of a few minutes, my entire universe had been flipped on its head. I had a son now...and for all I knew, I didn't have a fiancée anymore.

I called Sophia fifteen times and left numerous messages, but she was silent on her end. She didn't pick up once. I called her five more times before three pm, pondering what she was thinking.

Kelsey said she knew about Trenton, but expressed that wasn't why Sophia was ignoring me. She said when she drove her to her father's house, she saw her brother Rio there and a girl she didn't know. I remembered the LAPD told Rio and Audrey were on their way to Los Angeles, but I didn't consider the thought of them going to Sophia's parents' house.

I picked the phone up again, dialing Sophia's number. Kelsey took it out of my hands. "You've called her over twenty times."

"Because she hasn't answered."

"Give her some space."

"This news should be more of a big deal to me than to her."

She ended the call and placed it on the table. "You don't know that. This was a bombshell to everyone."

I sighed. "Why can't I just talk to her? We were fine a few days ago."

Kelsey façade of coyness broke apart. She was quiet for most of the day –which wasn't like her at all, acting shy and reserved. "You guys will be fine soon. Let her have her moment. When she's ready, she'll come around. I'll talk to her tonight if that'll help."

"It would." I rubbed my tired eyes. "Thank you, Kels."

"No problem. Let's go talk to Trenton. I'm sure he'd love to officially meet you." She grinned and I agreed, heading up to the stairs to cordially introduce myself to the son I didn't know I had a few minutes ago. Right before entering the room, Kelsey embraced me.

"What's that for?" I mused with a smile.

"Nothing." She said. "I'm sorry you're going through this. That's all. I hate seeing you so distraught."

"I'll be fine." I said, partly trying to convince myself.

. . .

The silence from Sophia's end was killing me. I couldn't be patient any longer. I was someone who was in my head a lot, thinking things over and worrying over the tiniest of things. Patience was my enemy. I had to see her. There was no way around it. I couldn't wait till the morning.

After jumping the gate outside Sophia's father's home, I managed to get on the property without running into security. I knew where the surveillance cameras were, meaning I knew when to duck and crawl. I kept my body low enough to the ground as I hurried through the front lawn, scanning the premises.

I didn't know which room she was in, but I was crossing my fingers that she wasn't on any of the upper levels. I peered through the windows, staying in stealth mode. Caught in the wind, I heard Sophia's voice, echoing from a room on the first floor. Relieved, I snuck closer to the open window, peaking from the bushes.

This was a bad idea...You should've stayed home. You're acting like a psycho.

Ready to backpedaled and head back to my car, my mobile phone began to vibrate. Hissing in irritation, I scooted further from the window, deeper into the shrubs, and took Conner's call. "What?"

"Where are you?"

"I'm at Mr. de la Torres house."

"Shit." He huffed. "You need to leave."

"I'm only here to see how Sophia is doing."

"You're at the front door!?"

"No, I'm...I'm outside of it." Technically, I wasn't lying. I was outside. "Why does it even matter?"

"Because. I got a call from Ernie. He said some of de la Torres' men were at your uncle's bar, looking for you."

"And? What's that got to do with anything?"

"The big deal is that they beat the living crap out of Roy. They dislocated his jaw and fractured his ankle. He's on the way to the hospital now."

"What?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "Why would they do that?"

"Because he wouldn't tell them where you were." Conner responded. "Ernie was lucky enough to not get spotted. He said they were talking about a rat and how they knew you snitched on their boss. He's looking for you. That's probably why Sophia isn't answer your calls...she knows about it. Unless you already told her about this."

"I...I tried to." I grimaced, falling to the grass. "The only reason I snitched on him to the cops was because they told me they'd put Sophia and I both in jail. So, to get her out of the mess, I told them about her father."

"It doesn't matter. Your life is on the line. You need to get out of there. You're walking into the lion's den."

Now knowing this, that meant there was no way Sophia would forgive me for what I did. Ending up dead didn't sound so bad now that I knew there was a no point in living at all. I had survived the loss of Julia, but losing Sophia was a reality far harsher to come to terms with.

A figure was lurking on the opposite end the house, standing at the corner. Foolishly, I'd left my pistol in my glove compartment.

I ended the call and slipped it into my pocket, praying that the new arrival hadn't heard me speaking.

Staring into the bushes, the figure leered forward. With the light from the back porch pervading some clarity as to who was walking near me, I recognized Brooklyn, looking in my direction.

"Bryce?" she whispered.

"Shh..." I hushed at her.

She got closer, hunch into the bushes. "Why are you creeping around like some perv?"

"It's a long, long story." I whispered back at her. "Please don't tell anyone I was here."

"I won't." She promised. "But why are you in the bushes exactly? You could've knocked on the front door."

"No, no I couldn't have." I assured her. "Sophia's mad at me."

"Oh, right about the kid." She snapped her fingers. "I know."

"You do?"

"Yeah. Nicolas and I have been talking to her all night. She isn't doing too well. But I'm only getting half the story. I've never seen her this sad before."

My heart sank. "It's my fault. You'll find out sooner than later."

"You mean about the kid? No, it's not your fault. It's Kelsey's fault. She's the one who called your sister in the first place."

"Huh?" I blinked.

"She's the one who called your sister." Brooklyn confessed. "She got really, really drunk last night and started telling Nicolas and I about what she did at your birthday party. When you and Sophia were on the rooftop, she said she snuck into your bedroom and saw a ticket to New York and a note from your sister in a drawer. She was looking for more booze, but she found that instead. She said, on a whim, she dialed her up and told her about the party and how she should come see you. She sounded regretful while telling us, but that could've been the tequila speaking."

Kelsey's bashful attitude made more sense, knowing that she was the one behind it. Her somber "I'm sorry" had more of a reason, too.

"I've got to go." I sprang to my feet, still hunching. "Can you please promise you won't tell Sophia I was here?"

"I won't." Brooklyn nodded. "She looks miserable right now and you look pathetic. The last thing she needs to hear about is this."

"I look pathetic?" I asked.

"You're hiding inside the bushes outside Sophia's house...If that doesn't scream 'pathetic' times a million, then I don't know what else." She shooed at me. "Go now. Before she sees you. I'll go distract the guy standing near the front gate. I think he's a guard. Whenever you hear me whistle, make your move."

Dumbfounded at her kind gesture, I thanked her. She shrugged and walked off to the gate, lightly jogging. In five minutes, I heard the whistle and started my way down the path I had used to get on to the property.

Safely on the other side, I ducked once more until I was out of the bushes and on to the quiet street. I took a glimpse at my watch, seeing the time change from 11:59 to midnight.

Anxiety riddled my body, awakening my senses as I walked to my car. I didn't feel alone yet. The paranoia I had tried so desperately to run away from during my bachelor party plagued my thoughts once more.

And I wasn't wrong...I wasn't alone.

I had company.

The sound of boots clicking on the cement raised the hairs on the back of my neck. My keys were in my left hand and my car was mere meters away, so close that I could see my reflection on the car window...I could also see the reflection of the person standing behind me, holding a baseball bat in one hand. One step forward, and the bat struck me.

My bones cracked, taking in the impact of the first blow to back of my head. Stars aligned on the inside of my eyelids as my temple met the hard concrete. I was conscious as they pulled me, holding my ankles and dragging me across the black top and into the trunk of a car.

"I almost didn't see him." One of them said. "Sophia's friend had me distracted."

"Don't blame her on the fact that you've got the hots for her." Another one snickered. "Are we taking him to the warehouse?"

"Where else would we take him, doofus?" the first one barked. "Get in already. I want to finish him soon. Gotta start chopping early."

Sophia's P.O.V.

A knock on my door startled me. I rose up from the comfy spot on the floor, sitting with Brooklyn and Nicolas while we devoured a pizza on our own. This day couldn't get any more complicating. I was glad I had them with me to sooth me at every turn.

"Princesa?" Dad called out.

"Oh, papa." I wiped the bread crumbs off my hands by brushing them on my jeans and went to hug him. "What is it?"

"I wanted to be the one who told you." Dad's grim features hardened. "Bryce is dead. I sent two of my men after him and they did the job."

My chest ached. "No. You didn't do that. You didn't kill him."

When his facial expressions didn't soften or change, I banged my hands against him, refusing to hear him any further. "He's dead, mi hija."

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Please remember to vote & comment. There's only 1 more chapter (and also the epilogue) !😭

I was going to post episode 69 & 70 tonight but honestly, I'm not ready to let go of this story just yet...I'll try my best to get it finished soon.