Hailey's POV
I was almost done when the sound of yelling made me jump. It was Mami; the familiar over dramatic scream told me so, pulling me from the kitchen. As I rounded the corner into the entryway, I saw Ian punching the shit out of someone cowering on the floor. My jaw dropped and my eyes widened like little saucers at the sight. Never have I ever seen Ian be violent. I've never even heard him speak any words of violence. I ran, trying to see who could elicit such a reaction from him, only to find Juan beneath him.
My feet came to a stuttering halt as fear quickly overtook my body. The thundering of my heart was all I could hear as the world came to a stop around me. It was as if time stood still, making way for this terrible moment to pass. I wanted to help, but I wasn't sure who. In no way did I want to help Juan, yet the thought of Ian beating Juan to death didn't sit well with me either. He needed to stop before he got into trouble.
"Quitate! {Get off him!}" Mami yelled, crazily slapping Ian on the back with her slender, long hands. It was as if a telenovela was happening before my eyes, making it almost comical.
"Ian." I whispered his name, feeling my voice shake with uncertainty. Somehow he still managed to hear me, turning to look at me. I was worried I would find anger in those beautiful blue eyes, but all I saw was a deep concern for me. He was worried about me, not thinking about himself for a moment.
"¿Qué te pasa? {What's wrong with you?} Are you crazy?" Mami asked, still slapping Ian even though he had stopped punching Juan.
"Mami!" I scolded her. "Why is he with you?"
"Ay, Hailey. Don't be dramatic. I brought him so you guys could work things out. I don't like the way things ended between you two." She pointed her finger at me as if I were to blame. How dare she call me overly dramatic? It's she who had me drive her to the emergency room because she thought she was having a heart attack when she had a mild case of heartburn.
"The way things ended?!" I almost yelled in her face. I contained myself, having been taught to mind my manners and respect my parents all my life, no matter how ridiculous they were. "Do you even know what happened?"
Ian was at my side in an instant, wrapping his arm around my waist and holding me tight to his side. He could tell I needed the support- both physically and emotionally. Mami's light brown eyes narrowed on his hand, which was now tightly gripping my hip, as if she disapproved of the action. I placed my hand over his, only to show her that his touch was accepted by me, unlike Juan's. Ian's knuckles were bleeding, but I hadn't realized until my palm scraped them.
"Of course I know what happened. That's why I brought him here. You guys need to make up," she said, causing a deep anger to surface in me. "You were finally letting him in and then freaked out. Hailey, you can't just yell rape. I know you, Muñeca {doll}. You're still scared of being in a serious relationship. Juan is willing to forgive you for it if you'd just sit down and listen to him."
I couldn't speak. Her words not only shocked me into silence, they ripped my heart apart. She didn't believe me over Juan. She's been so focused on finding me someone to be serious with that she no longer cares what I have to say. Every word that left my mouth was an excuse for her. My vision began to blur as I fought the tears, refusing to let them spill. It would only give her another excuse to say it was my fault. Someone would make my tears an admission of guilt. I gripped Ian's hand tightly, needing him more than I ever had before. He seemed to understand what I was feeling, as he stepped forward a bit, never letting me go.
"I think it's best you leave," he said, telling her something I could never say. "You just hurt her more than anything. How dare you believe this man over your own daughter? Why do you think she was so scared of being in a serious relationship? Who do you think made her that way?"
Ian was saying more than I ever could, more than I ever dared to say. Every secret feeling I ever had about my mother, he was now telling straight to her face. A tear slowly streamed down my face as Mami's eyes met mine. It was clear she was going to make herself the victim of this. God forbid she ever takes responsibility for her actions. She never took responsibility for her affair, blaming Papi for her actions. Mami's always been this way. Not even the passing of time can change her.
"¡Cómo te atreves! {How dare you!} Who do you think you are to speak this way to me about my own daughter?" Mami became defensive quickly, knowing full well she could very easily be portrayed to be in the wrong here. Which she was, despite her flawed logic.
"I am the man who treasures your daughter just the way she is. It's I who will love her till the day I die. My life is hers. My heart is hers." Ian's words only brought more tears to my eyes, feeling so grateful for a man like him. "She is precious, and if you paid an iota of attention to her instead of yourself, you would see she has already fallen in love. She invited you here to show you how much she had grown. Not only was she cooking you a fabulous and well-made meal, she was going to break the news about our relationship to you."
"The news?" She pulled her head back as if Ian were speaking a language she couldn't understand.
"She loves me too, and we've started a serious relationship. Juan is the last man she wants to see. He is the one haunting her nightmares, and you just brought him to her front door. You should go and take that piece of shit with you on the way out." Ian was beyond furious as he pointed towards the elevator. Mami stared at Ian with all the hate she could show.
"You're just going to let him talk to me like that? I'm your mother, Hailey!"
"Please go, Mami," I whispered, barely managing to get a word out.
I knew this would be the moment that she would never let go. She would throw this in my face for years to come, retelling it as me choosing a man over her. Even though she did the same thing when she showed up here with Juan, she believed him over me- over my own sexual assault. It hurt knowing she thought I was a woman who would do such a thing. A woman who would fabricate a lie about being sexually assaulted because I didn't want to be with someone.
"I can't believe you, Muñeca. I thought I taught you better than this." The look on her face would have normally made me cave and let her have her way, but today was different. With Ian by my side, I felt stronger, willing to do what I hadn't before. "I am so disappointed in you."
"Me too, Mami."
Mami stared at me wide eyed, hearing what I had to say. She wasn't expecting it, truthfully, I am sure she thought I would tell her to come in. I am sure she thought that I would send Ian away. My mother, the narcissist, thinks of no one but herself. Only she matters. Only she is the victim. Everything is everyone else's fault and never her own. This moment, for example, when she tells it, I will be the one to blame. My only hope is that my sisters know me better and believe me over her. I hadn't gotten through telling them all, and I was still missing Hortensia. Her fondness for Juan and her more rigid character made me wary of telling her. I was worried she wouldn't believe me since nothing really came of it. I never filed a police report and certainly didn't make a big deal about it. The only consequence Juan faced was Papi's being fired, and now Ian's fist. The last thing I very much enjoyed watching happen.
"I'll be waiting for your apology," she said before walking off towards the elevator. Juan hung back for a second, looking at me. I felt small beneath his eyes, degraded and ashamed.
"You better leave before I finish what I started," Ian threatened him through clenched teeth as he pushed me behind him.
Thank you, Ian.