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“Noelle!” His firm voice resounded in the room.
“I’m surprised to see you without your wife.” She raised a brow. “Unusual that you two aren’t together.”
“Yuyu is waiting for me in the car,” he replied smoothly.
Of course he’d never go anywhere without her, what did she imagine.
“Then you shouldn’t keep her waiting.”
With that, she turned, ready to go back to her room and maybe destroy a table or two.
“Noelle,” he called after her. “What the hell is wrong with you?” he demanded angrily. “I’m here to…”
“Save me?” She pivoted, looking him right in the eye. “That’s what you’re going to say, no? That you’re here to save me. Well, I’m sorry to break it to you, Cisco. But you can’t save me anymore. I saved myself a long time ago.”
Confusion flashed across his face.
“You see, you fed me to the wolves. I had to learn how to behave like them, didn’t I?” She smirked. Coming closer to him, she whispered. “Woof.”
“Who are you?” His eyes widened as he uttered the words.
“Who am I? You ask as if you don’t know. I am whatyouand everyone else made me. Now if you’ll excuse me.” She turned once more.
Excitement flooded her body at finally standing up to her brother.
“Why? Why won’t you leave? Don’t tell me you like it here?” he asked with disgust.
“No. I hate it here actually.” She stopped, merely lifting her gaze to eye the intricate design hanging on top of the foyer’s entrance. “But myhomeis here.”
He wouldn’t realize that home for her wasn’t a place. It was a person. And where he went, she went. She would never willingly abandon Raf, even if it might be to her advantage.
They would both escape or not at all. And she doubted that Sergio would allow him to go too. Then, he would find out just how precious Raf was to Noelle and she had no doubt he would do everything in his power to hurt him.
Despite living on seemingly civilized terms, Noelle didn’t kid herself that Sergio didn’t hate her from the bottom of his heart. That meant he would one day strike. She just had to be ready so the fallout didn’t involve Raf.
“You can see yourself out,” she said before she left, going straight for her apartment.
Cisco was rooted to the spot as he stared at his sister, half in awe, half in confusion.
Who was she? She was unlike the Noelle he remembered—the sullen child who preferred her own company to that of people. She’d always been outspoken, but she’d never oozedthattype of confidence.
His phone buzzed in his pocket.
“Did you get her?”Yuyu asked breathlessly.
It had taken her everything to stay behind, but she’d suggested it was for the best since Noelle had decided Yuyu was the start of all of her problems. She hadn’t wanted to intervene between brother and sister, even though she loved Noelle as if she was her own sister—daughter, even, considering their age difference.
Since young, Cisco and Yuyu had been the only constant presence in Noelle’s life, and he supposed to an extent theyhadbeen more like parents to her than his own parents had. Unfortunately, they’d also betrayed her. He knew that, and it cost him everything in him to admit it.
He’d always thought himself indomitable. With his affinity for cold, rational decisions, he’d always been ten steps ahead of the game. Until his son had been kidnapped. Until his sister had been threatened. Slowly, the veil that had shielded his emotions all his life had shattered, and he’d simply lost it.
He’d made blunder after blunder out of fear, and in the end, he’d ruined everything.
Although he’d tried to protect everyone around him, he’d ended up disappointing everyone. But then there was disappointment and there was… his sister.
It was hard, but he was willing to admit that he’d done more thanjustdisappoint her. He’d… ruined her life. And there hadn'tt been one day since he’d handed her to Sergio that he hadn’t been haunted by that decision, regret eating at him, slowly festering into self-loathing.
Only with Yuyu by his side he’d managed to cope, and he felt sorry for his wife and what she’d had to put up with from him—from his constant mood changes to his periods of pure madness. Yuyu was one of a kind for sticking by his side when even he, himself, hadn’t wished to do so.
