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Whereas everything was black and white around here, he was that one spot of color that simply enriched people’s lives with his very presence. Noelle had recognized that in him from the beginning, so it wasn’t a surprise that others were seeing it now too.
Despite his soft demeanor, or maybe in spite of it, people took to him and followed his lead. And that was exactly what Sergio was missing—what Noelle was missing, too.
Sergio was buying his subjects’ adoration with false promises, while Noelle was doing the same with fear.
But Rafaelo… Rafaelo didn’t need to buy anything. His sincerity brought everyone to his side whether he wanted to or not.
Her hands balled in fists, Noelle took a deep breath to calm herself.
She couldn’t allow herself to succumb to insanity. Not when she knew her impulsivity would only get her into trouble.
Yet no matter how much she tried to tell herself that Lucero was, indeed, right—that it was just a crush, nothing more—she couldn’t help but see red in front of her eyes.
Rafaelo was hers—only hers.
seven
Raf monitored the courtyard,hoping he might spot Lucero.
It was something he did daily, and though weeks had passed, since he’d been trapped in that tunnel and she’d come to his rescue, he hadn’t seen her around again.
Somehow that… disappointed him.
He couldn’t say what about her had appealed so much to him considering he didn’t even know what she looked like. It must have been her voice and the fact that she’d put herself at risk to save two strangers.
He admired her bravery, and he would be lying if he said he wasn’t interested in knowing more about her.
So curious that he’d inquired around about her, and what he’d heard had made him even more intrigued by her.
Everyone had nothing but praises for her. She was known as something of an angel among the workers, and Charles had told him he believed it had been her who’d convinced the guards to increase their rations.
She’d been at the hacienda for years, and despite suffering at the hands of the master, she’d never turned bitter. On the contrary, she’d done her best, so others wouldn’t suffer the same. Some people had direct experiences with her, and they’d described her as a shy little thing, light-haired, but with dark eyes and strong cheekbones. Everyone had agreed she was pretty, not only because of her features, but because of the kindness that she emanated.
Rafaelo had been thrilled to hear about all the good things she’d done for the other slaves, and he was increasingly sure that he hadn’t conflated her behavior in his memory—which in turn made him more eager to see her again.
Yet despite actively looking for her, she hadn’t shown up, nor had she sought him out.
He didn’t know why he’d been so sure she would come to him. Maybe it had been his hope that she’d felt the same type of connection in the tunnels. He would have been happy even if she’d only come to check on him and his injuries, as she’d been quite worried when she patched him up.
But she’d done none of that. It was as if she’d simply forgotten about him.
Rafaelo pursed his lips as he trudged his way to the lunch line.
Maybe he should put it out of his mind. Clearly, it had been more one-sided than anything. Besides, the circumstances were all wrong for him to make a connection with someone when he wasn’t even in possession of his own freedom. For a moment, he wondered if he hadn’t felt such an affinity to her because for months—and the years past—he’d only known people’s scorn. She’d been the first to offer him a kind word in God knows how long. Perhaps that had been it…
“You deserve some kindness in your life, Raf.”
Her words rang in his head as they’d done since the moment she’d uttered them.
Somehow, they had struck something inside of him. Something that resembled… hope.
“I’m such a fool,” he groaned to himself.
Or, rather, he was so desperate for any type of kindness, that he’d mistaken it for something else. For the interest that had flared in his own heart.
Instead of chasing for the memory of someone he’d met only once, he needed to focus his resources on finding a way out of the hacienda.
Already, he’d managed to learn the layout of the land, as well as the major landmarks. But as he’d found out from other slaves, the hacienda was in a remote location, and the only way to access it was via a vehicle.
