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Similar fury had flashed in his eyes on the day of the coup, when he’d seen the imprint of Arturo’s hand on my cheek.
No matter how Sebastián’s punishment confused me, I believed him when he said he wouldn’t let another man hurt me ever again. He’d sworn that he’d disciplined me for my own protection, and while that was utterly twisted, I could understand him a little better now.
Maybe he truly did intend to keep me safe.
No one had ever protected me before. Not from my father’s casual slaps or my brother’s more sadistic treatment.
“Tell me what Daniel did to you.” His command was roughened by a growl. He must’ve read some of my thoughts in my crestfallen expression. “Tell me, and I swear I’ll never do the same. I’ll do whatever it takes to convince you. You are my wife, Isabel. I’ll kill anyone who tries to lay a hand on you.”
My vision blurred with tears, and something hot and bright swelled in my chest.
“Daniel didn’t just hit me,” I heard myself confessing. “He liked to hurt me. He killed my birds.” I traced the curving, cold iron lines of the empty aviary. “He knew this was where I would come when he hit me, so he poisoned them.” I drew in a shaky breath, trying to shove the lingering pain of loss from my heart. “We never got more after that. But maybe we shouldn’t have, anyway. Maybe it wasn’t right to cage them. They were trapped here, and he killed them. He would’ve done it again.”
I didn’t know why I was telling Sebastián about my darkest memories. I shouldn’t trust him. I shouldn’t let him see my deepest vulnerabilities.
But something about him called to me. He’d promised to protect me, and I wanted so desperately to believe him. I wasn’t ready to forgive him for belting me—I might never forgive him for that—but that stupid warmth in my chest was hope. I longed for a world where someone cared. Where someone kept me safe.
Calloused thumbs tenderly wiped the wetness from my cheeks. I blinked away the tears that clouded my vision and found Sebastián staring into my soul once again.
“I will never hurt you like that,” he swore. “I won’t let anyone hurt you like that ever again.” His jaw firmed. “If Daniel were still alive, I’d kill him.”
I released a watery, half-mad laugh as a strange thrill raced through my system. This was all too much: too much pain, too much hope. Maybe I could trust Sebastián, but I still didn’t like him. How could I, after what he’d done to me?
I drew in a deep breath, struggling to swallow my roiling emotions. “All right,” I said on a strained whisper. “I believe you, Sebastián.”
I didn’t want this marriage, but maybe I could live with it. If my fierce husband truly would protect me, it might not be so bad.
But who will protect me from him? A fearful little voice whispered at the back of my mind. I was completely at his mercy, and he’d proven how much stronger he was than me. He’d demonstrated just how helpless I was in his corded arms.
And that weakness wasn’t purely physical. There was something wrong deep inside me. Why else would I react to him with helpless lust when he held me so harshly?
I shook my head, trying to untangle my emotions. “I’d like to be alone, please,” I requested quietly.
He released a rumbling sigh and stood, striding away from me and leaving me alone in the aviary, just as I’d asked.
Alone was better. Alone was safe.
I hugged my arms around my middle, ignoring the chill that closed over me in his absence.
CHAPTER 15
ISABEL
THREE WEEKS LATER
I’d barely seen Sebastián in the weeks that’d passed since our intense encounter in the aviary. Since the day he’d belted me and made me orgasm on his hand.
My cheeks still heated every time the memory flashed across my mind. I shoved the thought away for the hundredth time and focused on the daunting task ahead: getting through this party with my pride intact. What was left of it, anyway. After long days having my every move monitored by guards, my pride had been worn down almost to nothing. I had to ask permission to use my laptop and phone, which were kept locked away when I didn’t actually need them to make arrangements for the party.
Planning the event in record time had helped keep me busy. It’d given me the excuse to keep my distance from my new husband, and he seemed satisfied with that arrangement too. Occasionally, we would see each other at mealtimes, but he always bolted down his food whenever that happened, excusing himself as quickly as possible.
It seemed that he’d been completely serious when he’d told me that he wanted us to live separate lives. He hadn’t told me why he didn’t want to be married, but I’d decided that it didn’t matter. As long as he left me alone, I was content. Being around Sebastián was confusing and more than a little embarrassing. And I didn’t have time to feel lonely if I kept myself busy with planning a lavish party in a mere matter of weeks.
