F I F T Y - F O U R | the first deceiver—

C A P R I C E

Barcelona was the same as ever. Dancers, tourists, and kids playing football littered the streets as the brilliant architecture of Antoni Gaudi surround them. Even the golden shoreline was as beautiful as I remembered.

A ridiculous thought. It wasn't like years had passed since I left.

My body begged to differ though. It might have only been months but it felt like years had descended on me. I couldn't sleep. All I could think about was the situation I was in. The life I had built without Abuela's influence was being threatened.

A house of cards that would collapse with the truth.

"Can't we go to Ibiza instead?"

Indy ignored me and proceeded to open the roof of his Porsche. He had been driving nonstop but we had to stop by his house just so he could drive his own car. "Were you saying something?" he asked as the wind whizzed past us.

I rolled my eyes at his obvious ploy and put my chaotic hair in a ponytail. A minute later, the hospital building came into view. The sight of the private institution made me lose my breath. My palms were clammy and the urge to hurl my dinner was quickly becoming a possibility. "Mierda!"

"Priz?" Indiana parked the car and turned to me. He placed his hands on mine. "Oye ¿Me estás escuchando?"

I nodded at him and squeezed his hand.

"Caprice, come on." Indy's worried voice brought me back to the present. His gray eyes brimmed with concern as he stroked the top of my head. "You get to have some answers today. That's a good thing."

"I know. I know."

Indy reached down and pulled out a cap from the paper bag he had earlier. He put it on me, adjusting the angle until my face was hidden. "Now, you're ready."

He tugged me forwards after locking his car. We used the side entrance and with Indy's guidance, we reached my grandmother's hospital room in no time. He raised his fist to knock but I stopped him. He raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Give me a minute, por favor."

"You have ten seconds," he said. "Diez, nueve, ocho--"

"Okay! Geez! I'm going in." I inhaled deeply and opened the door. I raised my cap to see the place.

The first thing I noticed was how bright the room was. Sunlight streamed from the wide glass walls, only partially hidden cream-colored curtains. Pale pillows and salmon shade sofa on light cherry wood furniture make up most of the room. It was spacious too with a dining table and a small kitchen on the right side.

To the left was the hospital bed. Abuela cleared her throat as she slowly got up, placing her feet flat on the tiled floor. The nurse moved to assist her but the old woman put her hand up. She sauntered towards the sofa, setting up the IV stand next to her before she sat down. Not a trace of pain was on her face despite her sickly pallor.

Moments like this make me truly admired her impenetrable aura.

I took my cap off and sat in front of her, crossing my legs. I had to match her confidence. "¿Cómo estás, Abuela?"

"Let us skip that and get to the point of your visit, Caprice," she stated. Abuela ran a hand on her lap, straightening the wrinkled fabric of her hospital gown. "Tell me."

I swallowed the lump in my throat. There were so many things I was desperate to ask but I settled on the most significant. "Abuela, you played me. You knew who my fiance was all along and you sent me where he was."

She set her lips into a grim line. "Did you made him fall madly in love with you?"

My mouth parted in shock with the blatant way she changed the conversation. I took a deep breath, calming my impending irritation. "Okay. I don't care how you set me up but I want to know why him."

She shook her head. "When are you going to get married?"

"I asked you a question!" I shouted.

"I will give you everything I have including the shares that Aeon's family had left once you marry him."

"Abuela! Por favor!"

"Deja de quejarte! Didn't I tell you that begging is pathetic?" She shot back, blue eyes gleaming with conviction. Rosaria del Fuego stood up, lips pressed tight as she glowered at me. "Do I have to spoonfeed everything to you? I didn't raise you to whine when you cannot get what you want, Caprice."

What?

I was on the receiving end of my grandmother's harsh comments for years and today, her words lacked their usual bite. It was more of a challenge than an insult.  Was it because she was sick?

"You said you wanted a marriage by love, Caprice. I gave you that," Rosaria said. Her gaze bored into mine, urging me to contradict her, to tear her words apart.

But I couldn't.

She was right.

"I see." I rose from the sofa, flicking my hair back as I stared at her. "Then, I will rise up to your expectations, Abuela. But I am doing this for myself. For him. Not for you."

I snatched my cap back and fixed it back on my head. I went out to see Indy and our family doctor talking. Their conversation halted when the doctor saw me.

"Señorita! You came to visit?"

"Sí." Back then, I didn't understand why Abuela suddenly brought up marriage. But if her illness was somehow related, then Samuel was the perfect person to ask. "Sam, when did my grandmother got diagnosed?"

Samuel Madera let out a sigh, running a hand through his gray hair. "A year ago. Her routine blood test showed elevated levels of lymphocytes so I ordered more tests. We found out that she has stage I chronic lymphocytic leukemia. The thing is... she refused treatment."

Indy's surprise was evident but I saw it coming. The iron hag deserved her nickname.

"Did she do something special or odd when you told her?" I asked. My best friend looked thoughtful while Sam frowned. 

"I cannot say it's special but Señora asked how much time she has left.  I urged her to get treatment but she said that finding someone was her priority."

Finding someone? Was that Colt?

"Señorita, your grandmother is in the fourth stage. Her body is on the verge of shutting down. The only thing we can do now is to ease her pain."

"Oh," I mumbled, shame coloring my face. I forgot that she was sick, that she was dying. I couldn't reconcile with the fact that something could hurt my Abuela, that she could die anytime.

So, she's also leaving me.

"Gracias, Samuel. We'll call you if we have more questions." Indy told the doctor with a wave of dismissal. He nudged me by the shoulder. "So?"

I licked my lips, taking a deep breath. I would examine my feeling towards Abuela's condition later. "She won't tell me anything."

"What?" Indy moved past me, stomping towards Abuela's room. "I am gonna make her spit it out!"

"No!" I cut off his angry burst and put myself between him and the door. "Don't be stupid!"

My best friend's eyes flashed in irritation as he clicked his tongue. "What are you going to do then?"

Before I could answer, a group emerged from the corner. A tall blonde woman flanked by two burly men was coming towards us.

"Who's that"

"That's Katya."