Deception

Chapter 42 - You Will Fall

~Silas POV~

A year ago, if someone had told me that the woman I'd seen in her fathers wallet would have me wrapped around her finger, I would have laughed.

Catalina Alvarez was untouchable. Her father kept her away from the world like someone would keep gold in a safe...and then he handed her over to the worst man in the country. Me.

Someone who has no idea how to handle light.

Hell, the woman gets distracted by fish tanks and spends her time watching telenovelas at full volume. I'm the fucking opposite. I control everything around me, grew up with a gun pointed at my head until I learned to take it for myself.

My chest lowers with an exhale. I know I'm not good for her, but I don't care.

For someone else to have her means my death.

I run my eyes over inches of brown skin coming out the covers. My hand twitches trying not to reach out and feel her, stroke my fingers through
the silky hair sprawled over the pillow. Run them over her pink lips.

Her chest rises slow, falls fast. I've watched her enough times to know that she breathes hard in her sleep but today it was harder than usual. I shouldn't have, but I look at the mark on her cheek again and fire courses through my veins.

My father hit her. He hit her and she let him.

I thought living with me would teach her how to be a little rougher, to fuck people over but she's clueless.

Still, she doesn't need to be cynical like I am.

I'd protect her from everything. Everything but me.

Catalina shivers and huddles deeper into the sheets. I run my palms over her arms to feel her goosebumps, and pick up her cardigan from beside her, but theres a giant hole in it.

This is the same woman who goes shopping every week with my black card.

I stand and search the room, but there's nothing here, all her things are in my room.

Pulling the wardrobe open, I see a few cardigans. I grab the blue one and go to the bed, kneeling before her and sliding her arms into each sleeve. She doesn't realise what I'm doing and stirs a little, but then falls back asleep again, resting her cheek on her hand.

Cazzo. Startled by the warmth expanding in the chest, I straighten and step back to put some space between us.

Forget the finger. The Goddamn woman has me by the neck.

I turn to leave before she grabs my hand.

"Where are you going?" She quietly asks, peering up at me through heavy lidded eyes.

"Nowhere, go back to sleep."

She doesn't reply. Her hand slowly falls from mine, and fuck, I wanna go back to bed and hold her again. But there's someone I need to deal with.

——-

"What?! Has my life come to the point where my own son wants to kick me out of my house?!"