Chapter Twenty One

                                    

                                          
Miranda

She waited for Renee and Lucia to come down before she said anything, she never really spoke unless she had to and after hearing what she just did she had nothing to say. Carla was getting impatient waiting for them, she wanted to hold her hand and cry but Antonio was next to her, so she did what she knew how to do best, she pretended to be okay.
 Earlier on Jose rushed into the house and said he had something to say concerning Ian's death and she panicked immediately, his dads looked confused so she assumed they didn't know what he was talking about. Miranda thought it was better if the girls came down before he spoke, but she was so anxious. Her face showed that she was unbothered, but she was struggling to hold back her tears. She couldn't take more bad news about Ian. She asked herself so many questions concerning what Jose was about to say but she just sat there quietly. 
 Renee and Lucia came down. Immediately she noticed the disgust on their faces when they saw Jose, they looked at him like he was dirt and he bowed his head in shame.
 "Now that we're all here can someone explain what's going on" Carlos broke the silence that was making her heart race
 "Tiago isn't here" Antonio replied "should we wait for him or"
 "His presence isn't necessary" she crossed her legs and shifted her eyes to Jose "what about Ian's death did you have to say ?"
 "And don't lie" Renee glared at him. Everyone faced Jose, they wanted to know what was actually going on and why the tension was so high.
 "Would you like to sit Jose?, you're just standing there" Carla asked him
 "No he wouldn't" Renee didn't shift her gaze from him "he should stand"
 "Jose speak! The tension is killing me for god's sake say something" Miguel snapped 
 "I gave Ian the drugs they overdosed on" Jose stood with his head bowed, Mirandas' expression didn't change but her heart beat faster and faster as he spoke 
 "What did you say?" Carlos sat up straight. Everyone in the room looked either appalled or shocked, everyone but Miranda, Lucia and Renee. They looked like they were numb of any expression
 "I said I-" 
 "Or better still the question is what did you give Ian?" Renee got up and walked slowly toward him "or how much did you give Ian?" Jose was tall but she managed to make eye contact with him as she kept coming close to him "or how long were you supplying Ian with drugs?".
 "I'm so sorry" he whispered 
 "LOUDER JOSE" Miguel shouted and everyone in the room got startled, they never heard Miguel raise his voice ever, Miranda was shocked but she kept her composure as usual
 "I said I'm sorry" he began to cry, Renee backed away from him, she looked so disgusted as she sat back beside Lucia and held her hand
 "Stop crying and answer the questions" Carlos was so angry, he looked like he wanted to pick up his son and throw him away. Aiden and Carmen sat there quietly, Miranda noticed the confusion on Aiden's face as he watched his brother. 
 "I don't know what I gave Ian, I don't know what it's fucking called I-"
 "Its called fentanyl" Miranda finally said something "you gave my baby fentanyl when they already had drugs in their system"
 Everyone went silent, a pin could drop and it would echo.
 "But don't let me stop you, go on" Miranda kept the same expression but she was dying on the inside
 "I gave them a lot, but they weren't to finish it right that second-"
 "Let me get this right Jose, you gave an addict excess drugs ?" Miranda cut him off "did you take it with Ian"
 "No ma'am"
 "I am not ma'am, I am Miranda" she stared at him, she sat upright. She had an amazing posture but an intimidating presence "so Ian went to the bathroom alone with the "excess drugs" you gave them and you sat there"
 "They went with Claudia"
 "You said Ian was alone Jose" Miguel had tears welling in his eyes "you said they died alone"
 Miranda was exhausted and quite frankly she was over it. The only person in the world she needed by her side was beside her husband. 
She picked up her bag, got up and walked out. She heard people calling her name, but she couldn't turn around; she just kept walking. Carla ran toward her and held her "Miranda talk to me" but when Miranda looked at her she couldn't say anything, she shrugged Carla off and called for her driver.
***
 All she wanted to do when she got home was take off her shoes, but Santiago was waiting for her.
 "We need to talk now" Tiago was drinking 
 "No, we do not" Miranda kept walking, she was too tired to speak or think but Santiago abruptly stood up and she turned to face him 
 "Yes we do" he was clearly drunk, he looked like he wanted to hit her and she wasn't in his mood 
 "What the fuck do you want Tiago?" 
 "What the fuck do you mean by a divorce?!" he was yelling "you're not going anywhere"
 "Or what, you'll shoot me" she laughed and came close enough to Santiago she could smell the alcohol "Ian is dead remember, you can't threaten me with your gun and if you want to shoot me you can go right ahead" She looked at Santiago with disgust and walked away from him
 "I know you're sleeping with Carla," he laughed. Miranda felt like she went into shock, like it wasn't bad enough that she just found out that Ian's best friends watched them die and her husband found out what she was doing. 
 "What did you say ?" She sat on the sofa
 "You heard me Miranda" he sat down "so do I have your attention now"
 "You sleep with children" she snapped at him
 "And for over ten years you've been aware" Santiago paused before speaking" we both have the ability to destroy each other"
 "You're a monster" 
 "And you're my wife," Tiago smiled. "What do you think Antonio will say?"
 "This is ridiculous"
 "No, what is ridiculous is that I married a lesbian but you know what Miranda" he was so drunk but somehow still composed, she hated him, she hated how much power he had "the night you slept with me I had a plan, that worked perfectly well for me"
She was so confused, "what the hell is he talking about" she kept asking herself and then it hit her and tears began to blur her vision 
 "You drugged me" She felt like the ground beneath her was shaking, she wanted to scream but she couldn't find her voice, she tried to stop herself from crying
 "You've always been smart," Santiago got up. "Tell whoever you want I don't care but if you destroy me you're going down with me" he walked away from her and went upstairs.
 Miranda was so tired mentally and physically, she couldn't stand the pain she had been carrying for years, all she knew was pain. She needed to breathe, it felt like the walls were closing in on her, she wanted to call Carla but she couldn't find her phone through her tears.