(I’ll) leave forever when the morning comes again

Arman looked down at his phone. Five missed calls from Nadia. Something told Arman that it wasn't just to check in on him. Hesitantly, he called her back. His mind was admittedly still on the night before, back outside with the bonfire, Thony swaying in his arms…

He shook his head, willing that memory away. What was he doing? His wife had called, likely worried about him, and he was thinking about another woman?

The phone didn't ring for long.

"¿Dónde estás, Armando?" she asked, not just worried but also very angry.

He did his best to keep his cool even though the guilt about lying to her was threatening to make his dinner come back up again. "You know where I am, I told you-"

"Don't." The word was harsh. It told him that she already suspected he was lying. "What you told me was that you were going to Mexico to meet with Noah away from the Feds!"

Arman didn't know what to say. He wouldn't cover lies with more lies. At the same time, he was too much of a coward to admit the real reason he was here. So he stayed quiet.

"Hayak came to our house!" she continued, and Arman knew nothing good could have come from that visit. "He knows your aunt isn't dead. But that's not even the biggest lie you've told: I had to find out from an FBI agent that you're there with her!"

That was a huge problem. He could deal with Hayak but not the FBI. He was an idiot. Being on the FBI's radar was not what they needed. A Fed, likely Thony's, knew where he was, and that should ring alarm bells for him, especially since he wasn't close to Nadia to protect her. But he was clinging to whatever sense of justification he had, desperate to assure Nadia that everything was fine even though it absolutely wasn't.

"It's not like that, Nadia-" he protested but she wouldn't have it.

"Tell me she's just a cover," she dared him, "an excuse in case Hayak had you followed, to make him think you only left to screw the help so he doesn't suspect anything else." Arman wanted to protest that then and there. He was many things, but he was not unfaithful to her. However, he hesitated because he could no longer deny it. Nothing had happened, but he knew there was nothing innocent in how he acted around her.

"No more lies. Please." Nadia insisted.

"She is a good cover, you have to admit that," he countered weakly. "But that's not why I'm here with her, and I haven't contacted Noah."

There was a pause. "You bastard. This is another favour for her, isn't it? You don't even care that I'm alone with Hayak while you're off in Mexico, because you're only thinking about her."

Before he could try to explain, she spoke again, and what she said next really made him realise how much he had left her in the dark. "Is it all a cover, or is Hayak right? Are you sleeping with her, too? Is that what's going on? Because I swear to God, Arman-"

"It's her son," he stated, hoping that it would make her sympathetic but feeling cruel for using Luca as his scapegoat. "He needed surgery, and clinics south of the border are cheaper."

Nadia took a deep breath. "Did he get it? Is he okay?" she asked, and the little concern in her voice sounded genuine, which he appreciated, but he knew Nadia would not let this go.

"Yes, it looks like he'll be okay to leave in a few days. Maybe a week."

"You don't have a week. You have to make a decision now," Nadia demanded very clearly. "You can come home and promise you will never let her into our life again now that she got what she wanted from you, or you can stay there with your cleaning lady and come home to an empty house."

Before he could even attempt to rebuke her or call her bluff and say she didn't mean it – she never said anything she didn't mean – she was one step ahead, yet again. "And don't think I wouldn't do it, Armando. If you don't get your ass over the border right now, then you can forget about me being here for you when you get home."

The warning was very real and felt like a cold splash of water to the face. She was right. He had gone way too far this time. It was one thing if Hayak knew that he had lied to him. He could simply explain he was having an affair and that he had wanted to spend time alone with Thony. Then Hayak would understand why he had lied: to keep it from his wife. Hayak wouldn't care about that, he'd probably laugh it off. But it wasn't Hayak's reaction that had him so worried. No, Nadia knew he had lied to her, and she did not fuck around. She didn't say things unless she meant them. So if Nadia was threatening to leave because a Fed had exposed his lie to her… what the hell was he still doing in Mexico?

Of course, he couldn't just leave. He needed to tell Thony it was over. He owed her that much. Knowing that Luca was okay made it that much easier. Thony had very slim hopes of getting over the border, they would check her and Luca's paperwork, and all of this would have been for nothing, but at least knowing he had helped Luca made him feel better about what he was now set on doing.

"A-Alright," he said, trying to sound convicted but Nadia was one for actions, not just words. She would not believe him or accept any kind of apology until he was in front of her. "I'll take care of things and I'll leave. I'll be home in a couple of hours. I'll make dinner and then we can go out, maybe to that new club you really like." He hoped she wouldn't be offended and think that he was trying to buy her love. He just liked doing nice things for her and hadn't done nearly enough of them lately.

"Fine," she agreed, not sounding like she believed him all that much, "I'll see you soon."

She then hung up, and Arman sighed. He had to fix this. He desperately tried to think of the cleanest and quickest way to get out of here. He was so in his head that he hadn't heard the quiet footsteps pad behind him.

"Arman?" Thony's voice called, and he jumped a little, not having heard her come down the hall. It was late so none of the doctors were around, leaving just the two of them in this section of the clinic. Even the janitors were gone, making the place feel almost eerie compared to the warm, inviting space outside. "Is everything alright?"

He didn't hide how stressed he was when he looked at her, wanting her to realise that this had not just been an 'easy' trip for him, that he was not some kind of untouchable man who could grant any favour, whenever she liked. He had priorities. She could not be one of them anymore.

"No, it's not alright. I need to get back to Vegas right away."

Even though she seemed a little concerned, he realised it was more about how this impacted her, not about why he had to leave so urgently in the first place. She went to speak, but he was not going to even give her the chance to try to win him over. This had gone on far enough.

"I can't wait for Luca to be discharged. I'm sorry. I need to leave."

"Well, I need your help with the passports."

Even then, it was apparent that she was more concerned with covering her ass than how any of this impacted him. It wasn't enough that he had gone all this way for her, she expected his help from start to finish like she had contracted him. But there was no paperwork, there was nothing binding other than his word. And now he realised how foolish it had been to give it so easily. For this one time, he'd have to take it back.

She couldn't know what he was about to tell her, but she still looked very worried. Self-absorbed as she was, Arman attributed that to a worry someone might overhear their conversation. This clinic might operate in a legal grey area but talking about fake passports and crossing the border, even if they seemed to be alone, was not a great idea. A nearby OR was apparently closed for renovations. She motioned with her head towards it, and he followed.

"When will you come back?" she asked in a way that sounded like she was entirely expecting him to return to her like some loyal servant.

He shook his head. "I'm not coming back, Thony, alright? We're done here. The second I walk out of this clinic, this thing going on between us is over. I've done a lot for you, and I can't keep committing to this when it jeopardises everything for me and Nadia."

Thony looked at him pleadingly. "Is it because I have a husband?"

God, he really had led her on. She was in love with him. He'd kissed her, he'd danced with her, he'd given her every indication that he was interested in her. But he wasn't, not really, and for one simple reason; she wasn't Nadia. She wasn't the one he married. She wasn't the one he wanted to be with. What had happened had been a mistake. All of it.

"No, it's because I have a wife, Thony. I've risked more than enough for you and I'm done."

But it didn't seem to matter to her. The look on her face made it clear she held the belief that Luca's problems were more important than anything else and that he should be everyone's priority, including Arman's. He could understand her shock because he really had gone far out of his way to do everything for her, and now he was abruptly deciding to stop.

"What? You're leaving just because your wife wants you home? You can't just abandon me, Arman," she insisted, her tone harsher, colder. "And you know you need me as much as I need you. If you leave now…" There was a slight arrogance to her demeanour, and she sounded almost menacing. "I will go to Garrett with everything. Every name I've heard you utter. Every little thing you've done."

That was what did it. How could she go from a meek little cleaning lady who just wanted to keep her son safe, to threatening him with so much malice and having him wrapped around her finger so quickly? He knew the answer. Lately, he'd become spineless. He'd done so much for her and now she knew how to press his buttons and get what she wanted from him. He recognised that his voice of newfound confidence and realisation was Nadia's.

Nadia was so good to him. She cared about him so much, even when he didn't deserve it. She was his wife, and he loved her; Thony was just using him and he was an idiot to think that she would ever sacrifice anything for him in return. If he gave in now, it would never end. He would forever be her lackey, and he couldn't let that happen. He wouldn't let her ruin his life or his marriage.

Arman took out his gun with a surge of courage. He'd faced armed men twice his size but here he was, shaking as he pointed the gun at Thony. She was completely unfazed; she just scoffed at him like he was a small child with a BB gun.

"I gave you my word and I'll keep it; I'll make sure Luca gets home safe and that he'll have whatever money he needs for the recovery meds. But I can't let you run my life anymore, Thony."

But Thony wasn't even listening to his words, she just looked at him, unimpressed. "Come on, Arman. We both know-"

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, firing a silenced bullet into her chest. She fell against the wall and slid down, leaving a smear of blood behind. Her eyes were wide and still. He could have shot her in the forehead or the stomach, and he still would have broken her heart. But this was his own fault. There had been multiple times when he should have killed Thony to protect himself and Nadia. It would have been so much easier the first time to just let Mateo shoot her after what she'd seen or to just let Hayak blow her up in that explosion. By delaying the inevitable, he'd only made it worse. He had brought this on himself, and now he had to live with the guilt.

He knew the clinic staff here were quite vigilant and checked on their patients often, so it wouldn't be long before someone came by to check on Luca and realized she was nowhere to be found. But it was okay. He had a contact nearby who could, ironically, clean this up and make it look like a suicide. She was a master forger. She could manipulate the evidence and assign the most corrupt cops around to the cas, to look like Thony had been alone.

Arman dialled the number quickly, giving the necessary code words, while Greyson gave him a quote. They had associated long enough that Arman believed the price was fair. He explained as many details as possible over the phone so she could prepare, and she assured him it would be taken care of before his plane even touched down in Vegas.

There was just one last thing to do. It was one thing to cut Thony out of his life, but he wouldn't let an innocent child suffer – especially not one who had been through enough already. The liver donor, Tara, could pass for his mother. Arman messaged photos of Luca they had prepared earlier to his passport contact. There were three dots. The man never slept, it seemed.

I thought you said there were two?

Change of plan, Arman responded.

The guy responded with a thumbs-up emoji. Arman gave him further directions about having Tara's name as the mother on Luca's passport.

After that, Arman nervously paced as he waited in the abandoned OR, praying that nobody would even think to come in. He also really wanted to get packing so he could leave as soon as possible, driven by his desire to return to Nadia. But this had to be dealt with. He couldn't leave any loose ends.

"Arman?" a voice called quietly, and he recognised it as Greyson.

He quickly came to the door and ushered her in. She seemed to notice how on edge he was.

"I'll take care of it, Arman. Certainly not the biggest mess you've had me fix. Just get out of here."

The assurance in her voice gave Arman comfort, and he left, thanking her again.

When he finally got on his jet, his body relaxed into the seat like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He didn't feel good about what he had just done. But at the same time, he knew it had been the right thing to do. Moreover, the fact that Luca would likely be safe made him feel better. As the absence of stress about Thony – at least, the stress from her being alive – faded, Nadia came into prominence. God, he missed her. She had dealt with so much lately, a lot of which had been unnecessary. But he would make it up to her now.

By the time he got home, it was very dark. He wasn't sure if Nadia was awake or even at home. It had taken longer than anticipated. Perhaps she had gotten upset and decided to go out without him. He wouldn't have blamed her for that. But, to his surprise, there was a light on upstairs, and within a minute, she was at the front door. She was clearly dressed to go out. He wondered how long she had been waiting up for him.

Before she could speak, he took her into his arms, feeling elated to have her in front of him. He hugged her so fiercely that her feet came off the ground. He didn't want to let go. Not now, not ever again.

She seemed a little surprised by his intense affection but hugged him back just as much before he set her down, and she led him inside.

"Is everything okay?" she asked.

"It's done, alright?" he informed her, slightly snappier than he intended. He was exhausted, but he shouldn't take it out on her. "She's dead."

Her eyebrows rose. "What?"

"I killed Thony," he clarified, but his voice broke, making her expression soften. "She didn't like that I planned to come home sooner than expected, and she blackmailed me about telling the FBI, so I shot her."

No matter how angry and indifferent he was trying to act, it was clear that Nadia saw through it. Because he wasn't indifferent about it. He felt a terrible, gnawing guilt in the pit of his stomach. He knew why he had done it, and he didn't regret it. But that didn't change the fact that he had torn a family apart irrevocably.

"Armando… yo nunca te pide eso." Nadia pointed out.

"I know, but it needed to be done. She was a threat to us, and I don't just mean our marriage. She would have destroyed everything we've ever worked for. Thony… She was threatening to go to the FBI. I couldn't risk it." He looked at the floor, ashamed that it had taken such a brutal lesson for him to realise that he had neglected his wife. "You were right. I never should have trusted her. I'm sorry I didn't listen to you."

"It's okay. What matters is that we don't have to worry about her doing that now. We're free from her," Nadia reassured him with a smile.

He asked himself, not for the first time tonight, what he had done to deserve her. Her understanding and compassion here just reminded him why he loved her so much.

Arman looked down then. "Can I just… Can I just do one more thing?" he asked, his voice still laden with guilt. "Then I promise you I'll have nothing to do with her ever again."

Nadia looked at him suspiciously, her shoulders tensing. His tone promised nothing good. "What is it?"

"Someone needs to tell her family."

She blinked at him a few times. "The truth?"

Arman couldn't help but smile at her baffled expression. "No, of course not. I'll tell them a staff member at the clinic found her body, but I was already here in Vegas."

"They'll hate you." She was still confused by his desire to make this even more complicated. "What makes you think they won't go to the police?"

"A family of undocumented immigrants?" he pointed out. "Besides, they still need me to make sure Luca gets back across the border."

"Armando…" Nadia chided, but he was quick to reassure her.

"It would be the last thing I do for her, Nadia. I promise. That and, well, once he's back... I want to send Thony's sister-in-law some money for his medicine. Once we can afford it and everything is okay."

To his relief, she didn't get angry at him for pushing the boundary. "Alright," she conceded, her voice a little softer. "That's fair enough."

Arman sighed with relief, and his eyes started to well with tears. She noticed this immediately and took a few steps towards him to snake her arms around his waist. He leaned into her touch, needing to feel grounded.

"Thank you," he said gratefully. "Te quiero, Nadia. De verdad te quiero." He assured her. "I… I'm so sorry for lying to you. I never should have let it get to that point."

"No, you shouldn't have." She sighed, the faintest smile creeping across her face. "A pesar de todo eso, yo también te quiero."

He held her tighter. He knew he didn't deserve her love but welcomed it gladly anyway.

When they pulled away, she cupped his face, her thumb wiping away one of his tears.

"You know what? Maybe we'll stay in. We haven't had a quiet night to ourselves in a long time."

He shook his head. "But you were looking forward to it. You're all dressed and ready. Just give me a few-"

Her hands came to his shoulders. "I like spending time with you," she corrected. "It doesn't matter where it is. We've barely seen each other lately, and now I really could have lost you. I've missed you so much."

A wry smile formed on his face. "How much?"

She smiled back at him, a complicity on her face that he hadn't seen in too long. "Take me to bed, and I'll show you."