AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Is that all?" I asked, my voice distant. "Have you any other demands?"
"Only that you remember your place," Canciller Duarte replied, his tone dripping with disdain. "You exist to serve the Commonwealth, not to question its authority."
I clenched my fists, struggling to contain the anger that surged like wildfire. But beneath it all lay a quiet determination, a promise that one day, I would break free of these chains and take back control of my life.
"Very well," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "I accept your terms."
"Excellent," the Canciller replied, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "I told you I'd been looking for a new daughter. Come to dinner next week. I'm sure my wife would also love to see you."
I nodded, my throat burning as I sat in my chair. My heart was heavy with betrayal and longing.
I had been right all along.
Love wasn't real, and it only ruined lives.
We were escorted out of the room, but I didn't have the strength to roll. Antonio pushed my chair, but I wanted him away from me. All my dreams of independence and freedom seemed to shatter like fragile glass at that moment.
Antonio's hand found mine, his strong fingers intertwining with my trembling ones. As much as I wanted to pull away, to free myself from the touch of the person who had hurt me so profoundly, I couldn't bring myself to do it. His warmth was the only thing anchoring me to reality amidst a storm of raging emotions.
I hated how much I relied on him.
When we reached the car, the ayudante de cámara stepped out and opened the door for me. Antonio slipped his arms under me and helped me into the front seat. It was awkward.
As soon as the door closed, I turned to him. He paused just as he was about to shift gears.
"Antonio," I said, my voice strained as I fought back the tears threatening to spill over my cheeks. "How could you? How could you agree to this without telling me?"
"I didn't have a choice," he answered, his eyes flickering with pain and shame. "It was the only way to save your life.”
"By binding me to a life I never wanted?" I countered, my anger flaring despite the crushing despair that threatened to swallow me whole.
"You know I would never willingly put you in harm's way," he insisted, his grip on my hand tightening as if to emphasize his sincerity. "But the stakes were too high. I couldn't risk losing you."
"Maybe I'd rather take that risk than live like this. You told me that Omar Gálvez would pay for what he did to me, but it seems like he almost killed me twice,” I spat, finally ripping my hand away from his grasp. My heart ached as I saw the hurt in his eyes, but it was quickly overshadowed by the anger and betrayal that burned within me. “You were supposed to protect me!”
"Please understand, you only just woke up. Give this time, and you’ll feel better,” he pleaded, touching my arm. "I did what I thought was best for you—for us."
"Best for us?" I scoffed, scooting back to put more distance between our bodies. "There is no 'us,' Antonio. There's only the Canciller's twisted version of what our lives should be.”
"Shut up," he snapped, and the car stopped moving.
"Did you really think this would work?" I demanded, my voice rising. "That we'd just live happily ever after under the Canciller's thumb? Did you ever consider what I wanted? What I needed?"
His voice cracked, and I could see the pain etched on his face. "I asked you to trust me, Carmen."
“You are a liar!” I exclaimed, tears streaming down my cheeks despite my best efforts to hold them back. "You made decisions for me, hid things from me. You don’t deserve my trust.“
"Carmen, I—" Antonio started, but I cut him off.
"No," I said firmly, my heart aching as I stared into his eyes. "I can't do this, Antonio."
"Please don't say that," he whispered, his voice wavering with emotion. "I love you, Carmen. And I know we can get through this."
"Love?" I choked out, the word feeling like a dagger in my chest.
"Yes! Love," he shouted at me.
I froze.
