Chapter 3 3

No matter how much I yelled and cried, no matter how many times I hit the wall, my pain didn't go away; it hurt a lot. I wasn't sure how I made it through the night because I thought about joining him many times. He left me all alone in this cold and lonely world. My eyes wouldn't close, even for a few seconds. I just stared at the ceiling, feeling like I couldn't move. It seemed like I would wake up and find out it was just a bad dream – the kind you wake up from, and everything is normal. But, unfortunately, the nightmare was real.

I woke up in the morning with the sun shining into my room through the curtains. I struggled to get out of bed, made myself get dressed, and drove all the way to where the funeral was.

Lots of people filled the room, and it was really noisy, but I couldn't hear anything. The funeral made me really sad. In times like these, when you feel so much pain and it's like you're silently screaming, good memories come up like a beautiful meadow in spring. Those moments mix tears with smiles, and the pain is because there's no happiness anymore. I had to look at where my dad lay, thinking he might open his eyes any moment and rescue me from this terrible real-life nightmare. Good memories hurt so much that I tried to find a bad one just to ease my pain a bit, but my brain wouldn't let me. It was like all the bad memories disappeared, and all I could remember were the best times with him.

I lost track of time, and I didn't realize my cheeks were wet until the whispers around me got louder. It brought me back to the painful reality. I looked around and saw everyone staring at the door behind me, whispering more. I furrowed my brow and turned to see what caught everyone's attention. A group of men in black stood in a perfect triangle right by the door. I looked back at the people in the room, wondering who they were and why everyone was acting so strangely. I pushed these thoughts aside and stood up to thank them for coming.

"Hello, I am Brad's daughter, E-..." I offered my hand and started to introduce myself to the centre of their triangle, but one of the men cut me short.

"Elena Fernandez." He continued my name for me. I raised my eyebrow but brushed it off.

"How do you know my father?"

"We work with him in his company." He coldly replied. I nodded and looked away. I started wondering about the future of the company, but the men standing in front of me interrupted, "I am not sure if he ever mentioned my name, but I am Huncho."

My heart dropped. I stared into his ocean blue eyes for a few seconds before being interrupted by the man behind him: "And I'm Fred, short for Fredrick. He smiled and offered me his hand, but my full focus was on Huncho. Huncho gave him a warning look, making Fredrick's smile disappear and making him put his hands back.

"Nice to meet you. My father told me to find you on his last breath." I wasn't sure if I was telling him or reminding myself.

He nodded as if he expected what I just told him.

"Why did he do that? Why did he tell me to find you?" i thought

"I am the one who will protect you." He simply said that, confusing me even more.

"Protect me? from what?"

He nodded once. He was so strange, so cold and so silent. Even his expressions weren't welcoming to me. He dug his hand into his long black coat and stared across the room. I looked to where he was looking and his eyes were focused on my father.

"Protect me from what?"

He didn't answer me for a few seconds. His blue eyes collected tears but refused to let them down.

"Your father told me if anything happens to him, you're my responsibility." He spoke, with his deep and cold voice with his eyes still fixed on my father.

So many questions arose in my head after what he said. "As much as I am flattered, but I don't need to be your responsibility."

He looked down at me and shook his head.

"I'm saying I will protect you, why did you get offended." He scanned the room.

"I'm not offended. I just don't need your protection." I shrugged. I looked behind me and shook my head. "I can't think of that right now. I need to say goodbye to my father." I said and took my place again in the room.

The next hour was the longest and most painful hour of my entire life. I felt that my heart slowly found its way out of my body and went to lay next to my father. I wasn't sure how I got through the whole thing. When the reception was done, I knew that there was only one step left. Bury him. Right when I stepped out of the reception, a tall figure appeared in front of me. I gasped.

"Didn't mean to scare you." Huncho. Huncho again. "Give me your car keys." He opened his hand avoiding my eyes.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

"Why?"

"Because you're coming with me."

"Coming with you, where?"

"I already explained it inside."

I blinked a couple of times. His pride was getting on my nerves.

"Excuse me. I need to go bury my father." I tried to step away from him, but he followed my steps, blocking my way again.

"I won't say it again. You're coming with me." He hissed.

"Why are you talking to me like that? No, I am not." My voice rose. Before my next action, his hand formed around my forearm and tightened his grip. I winced, trying to break his grip. "What are you doing?" I yelled.