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“You don’t have to worry about anything, princesa,” he cooed, completely ignoring the fact that he had inflicted the pain he was attempting to soothe. “I’ll sort everything out with Adrián soon, and then the wedding can move forward as planned. You won’t have to be trapped with that animal for much longer.”
“Don’t call him that!” I snapped.
How dare Daddy speak about Mateo as though he was sub-human? The old man standing before me was far more of a monster than I’d ever realized. He possessed less humanity than the man who’d been holding me hostage.
Daddy’s slate gray brows rose. “You can’t possibly like Ignazio.” He uttered the words as though they were distasteful. He shook his head, hardening his resolve. “This just proves how important it is for me to take care of you. If you think Ignazio is anything more than an animal, then you’re a poor judge of character. The life Ronaldo will provide for you is what you need.”
“Why aren’t you listening to me?” I shrieked, feeling like a little girl screaming futilely at my locked bedroom door. “I don’t want to marry Ronaldo!”
“Sofia, you’re being very disrespectful,” Mom scolded. “Apologize to your father.”
Suddenly, Mateo came barreling down the stairs, his black eyes wild. He was laser focused on me, and he didn’t even seem to notice that my father was an impediment to his path. When Daddy tried to stand his ground, Mateo simply shoved him aside.
Daddy shouted in pain when he slammed into the wall, but Mateo didn’t notice that, either. He came straight for me, and Mom darted into the safety of the bathroom.
“I heard you scream,” he said, his voice rumbling with unspent aggression.
I flung myself at him, closing the short distance between us. His corded arms enfolded me, and I leaned into his warmth and strength.
“Take me home,” I whispered, tucking my face against his chest, breathing in his intoxicating scent.
“All right, dulzura.” He dropped a kiss on my forehead. “We’ll go home. I’ve got you.”Chapter 21MateoAdrián would be annoyed that I’d skipped out on his wedding reception, but Sofia needed me. She cried softly the whole way home, and I was anxious to park my BMW so I could soothe her. She responded to my touch far more powerfully than any words of comfort I could offer.
As soon as I picked her up out of the passenger seat, she tucked her face against me and clung on tight. Her tears wet my shirt as I carried her into the house and settled us both down on the couch. I tried to position her beside me, but she cuddled closer, indicating that she needed me to hold her.
I hated her tears, but her willingness to turn to me for support made warmth pulse in my chest.
Ever since I’d ushered her out of Adrián’s kinky club, I’d been tormented by the very real prospect that she would leave me, now that I’d pushed her away for her own good. Letting her go was the right thing to do, because it was what was best for her happiness, not mine.
But her emotional distance over the last two days had shredded me.
“You were right,” she sniffled against me, speaking for the first time since we’d left the chapel. “Daddy doesn’t care whether or not I want to marry Ronaldo.”
“I’m sorry, florecita.”
My touch on her soft skin remained gentle despite the anger that surged. I loathed her piece of shit father, but she still had enough love left for him that he was able to wound her deeply with his betrayal.
I regretted that I hadn’t taken the time to hurt him more. He’d stood in my way when she was in distress, so I’d resolved that little issue by shoving him aside. If I’d stopped long enough to register that he had been the one to make Sofia scream in anguish, I would’ve done a lot worse.
“You’re not an animal,” she said quietly, her dainty fingers catching my shirt to hold me impossibly closer. “You told me my father was right to call you that. He’s not.” She looked up at me, her emerald eyes wide and shining. “You’re a good man, Mateo.”
Her words were a knife to my heart. More than anything, I wished they were true. I wanted to be the man she thought I was, but I never would be.
“I know you want to believe that, dulzura.” I rubbed my thumb over her pretty, plump lips, memorizing their softness. “But it’s not true. You say you want to be with me, but you’re making excuses for who I really am so that you can justify your decision. That’s why I took you to Adrián’s club. I need you to understand that I’m not a good man. And being with me isn’t good for you. Once Ronaldo is dead, I’m going to make sure you can go back to your old life.”
