Chapter 24

Ignacio felt like he simply added more fuel to the flames. Camilo's fiery look as he stood in front of him, almost ready to throw hands at the slightly larger male. All Ignacio wanted was to clear things up between the two, but, uh, let's say things took quite a turn with him simply showing his presence to the curly haired male.

"How bold of you, to show your face in front of me right after throwing lovey-dovey eyes at my girlfriend."

"I wasn't—"

Camilo neared him, his arms crossed as an attempt to refrain himself from hurting the man. Jealousy had completely taken over his entire being the very moment Ignacio was nearing his vicinity, he hates how he's almost everything he's not.

"Just because you're good looking, confident, and have muscles and other stuff I'd rather not mention as it'll only make my blood pressure rise—"

"Doesn't mean you can just try and woo someone's girlfriend, okay?" Camilo tried to talk civilly as he could, the grip on his arms tightened significantly the longer he stared at the man in front of him.

"You have of personal issues you have to work on." Ignacio couldn't help but slightly bit back, he did not appreciate him just throwing false accusations on him when he didn't know what actually transpired.

Ignacio certainly did not like how slightly possessive he is at his girlfriend, like he's going to lose her a second time.

"Ya think? That's generational trauma for you."

I-

"Also before you go accusing me of ‘’ your girlfriend, how about you actually talk to her, like I don't know... Like any rational adult would do?"

Camilo bitterly laughed, eyes averting Ignacio's gaze. "I can't talk to her when you're basically coddling her."

"Excuse me? Listen here, . And I mean, ." He placed a hand on Camilo's shoulder, gripping it tightly. "You've been in a relationship longer than I could ever have, surely you know that communication is vital in every relationship?"

"And also, don't give me the excuse that you can't talk to her when she told me that she tried talking to you once and you refused to even face her, even shifted into Antonio mind you!"

"She... told you?"

Jealousy is such an ugly thing indeed, it festers and grows. An invasive weed in a garden of flowers, with thorns prickling your heart with every move you make.

It hurts.

What?

No, that's not true.

Shut up.

Shut up!

"What are you...?" His grip on Camilo loosened, he saw his fist tightly clenched, alarmed, he backed away slowly. He does not want to engage in any fight right now.

"I said, shut up already!"

The woman's body froze, panic-stricken as she saw the scene unfold before her eyes. "Stop it you two!"  She shouted, her heart beating fast as they still didn't cease their fighting.

She knew getting in-between the two in the middle of a fight is an incredibly horrible idea, but if it'll make them stop fighting, then so be it.

"Camilo, please!" Her calls are only left unheard of by him; a mere barbed wire fence, she fears if she ever comes close to even touching it, she'll only get hurt. And hurt she did.

His elbow hitting the side of her face, but a mere hairsbreadth away from hitting her eye. The force of the impact made her recoil back, stumbling slightly backwards.

"" Camilo shouted, or was it Ignacio? She couldn't will herself to know who. The two are just too immersed in fighting to even notice the woman.

Like a newly born doe, she stumbled away to get help. And right on cue, Félix and Agustin came rushing towards her, it seems as though Dolores had already informed the two fathers of what's going on. What a godsend.

"! Are you okay?" Félix worriedly asked, frantic as he saw her covering the side of her face. "Dios mio, who did that to you?" Agustin added, seeing the nasty red mark forming on the woman's face. Agustin cringed at the sight, that's certainly going to bruise.

"It doesn't matter, . Camilo, Camilo is, he got into a fight, and I tried to stop it but—"

", hija. We'll take it from here, just go to Julieta and get yourself all fixed up, ?"

With a heavy heart, she nodded. She wanted to go and follow them, but she also knew she'll only get in the way of things. Like she always do.

"What the hell did I even do to you, man?" Ignacio asked, heaving heavy breaths as he tries to dodge every punch Camilo throws at him.

Stop it.

Camilo used to think that he couldn't go a day without her presence, her eyes, her voice, her everything. And it's true, he still and does think like that.

So when the day arrived when he couldn't see her, talk to her everyday like he used to, it was so damn painful for him. Touch had always been his mode of affection, and to be deprived from it, it felt like hell.

So to see her, talking to Ignacio all happily like that, it flipped a switch within him. He thought, he told himself that, that should've been me. That be me, not him.

He didn't notice he was being held back by his own father, his angry voice booming in his ears was slightly muffled as he slowly returns back from reality.

"What in the world were you thinking, Camilo? Picking a fight with someone who clearly has no intention to fight you!" Félix scolded, his hands both on his son's shoulders to make him snap out of his trance.

"Not the smartest idea I tell you." Agustin added, helping Ignacio stand up from the ground. The man had a busted lip and a broken nose, he... Did that?

He stared at his hands, all red and bloody he was sure his knuckles are going to bruise so badly. "You're lucky your mother doesn't know of this or else we'll be in trouble."

"I know..."

The woman had just arrived in front of the door before being dragged in to the kitchen as quickly as the magical house could.

Julieta and Bruno's eyes widened at the sight of her red face, the mother hurriedly stuffed an arepa on the woman's mouth and made her sit down.

"You looked like crap, what in the world happened, ?" Bruno asked in a hushed tone, head turning left and right to see if Pepa is around, blocking the view on the doorway just in case. He knows how much Pepa loves her future daughter-in-law.

"Bruno!"

"What? Don't tell me she doesn't look like crap before you stuffed an on her face!"

Seeing the two banter for a bit, immediately calmed her nerves. "I, I was being stupid and tried to stop two men fighting and got caught in the crossfire instead."

"Two men fighting? Who?" Julieta inquired, fixing the woman's hair as clearly, it looked like she had walked through a hurricane.

"... Camilo and Ignacio.." she replied in a meek voice, eyes looking everywhere but the two people in front of her.

"That's... Certainly a surprise."

"What surprise?"

The three jumped at the sound of Pepa's voice. Who hurriedly engulfed the young woman into a hug, rainbow formed above her head, to which she gladly reciprocated. "! It's been so long since you visited the , we missed you!"

Brushing away stray strands of her hair as Pepa continued to speak, "And also, what's this surprise that I haven't heard about?" The young woman's eyes immediately darted to Bruno and Julieta asking, almost begging to help her.

"Well, you see this here found out that Camilo—"

"Is planning to propose to her! Yeah, yeah."

Julieta glared at Bruno, whisper shouting, "" To which the latter whispered back, ""

The young woman wanted to facepalm so hard at the two, but hey, at least Pepa looks jolly!

"Oh my! Another addition to the Madrigals! I'm so excited for you to be part of the family, !" Pepa beamed, her smile ever so radiant as ever. She can't help but go along with it.

"Shh, it's a secret . You mustn't tell anyone else, even Félix." The other two siblings behind her rapidly nodded in agreement.

"Okay, okay, I'll try, , I'm so excited!"

The three watched as Pepa walks out of earshot, before Julieta hit Bruno with her elbow, and pinched him on the sides.

"..."

", I've done goofed.."