Sin & Salvation

Chapter 24

We're still looking at each other when she knocks again. "I know Silas is in there with you sweetie, just open up, I'm not here to embarrass either of you."

As soon as she mentions Silas, I come back to reality and realize I'm naked in a room with a man who is not my fiancé.

How could I have been so worried about who Brett was texting earlier when I literally just let a guy make me come through my fucking underwear? Surprisingly, I'm not feeling as much guilt as I thought I would and it's worrying me. Maybe it's because everything with Silas feels so right.

"Honey, I'm going to unlock the door, I hope you're both decent. Just want to make sure everything's okay, that's all," she says, sliding a key into the lock.

I curse under my breath as Silas helps pull my dress over my body to cover me up. She slightly opens the door as I begin trying to tighten my corset while Silas throws his undershirt on. His back is turned to me and I get a good look at the massive angel wings spreading across his shoulder blades. In between them in the center of his spine are the numbers '111'. Yet another tattoo I'll have to ask about.

"Is it alright for me to come in?" She hasn't peeked her head fully in yet, but I know that the second she does, my entire world is going to come crashing down.

I take a deep breath, prepared to face whatever comes next. "Yeah, it's okay."

The door creaks open and she steps in, slowly closing it behind her. All three of us look at each other for what feels like forever, unsure of what to say. I'm beginning to panic from the situation I've just caught myself in and my inability to tighten the corset, which has now become a tangled mess. I'm still flushed and sweating from what just happened with Silas and it's becoming worse as I stand here trying to put my dress on.

Frustration, with myself and this situation, takes over and I can't help but start crying. A person whose opinion I value most is watching me desperately try to redress myself after getting caught cheating on my fiancé.

My knees buckle and I drop to the floor in a heap, covering my face with my hands. Silas rushes over and as much as I appreciate it, he's part of the reason I'm in this mess and I can't find comfort in his arms right now.

"Why don't you let me handle this one dear," Evelyn says, placing a gentle hand on Silas' shoulder. I look up and see in his face that he doesn't want to leave, torn between listening to Evelyn and respecting my boundaries. He nods, grabbing his jacket and walking to the door before looking back one last time, as if to say, 'Will you be okay?'

I nod my head yes and he leaves quietly, shutting the door behind him. I turn to Evelyn as she carefully sits on the floor next to me. She grunts as she does, joking, "Gosh, this body isn't like it used to be, don't mind my creaky bones." This makes me giggle amidst the tears, watching as she seats herself in front of me and grabs both of my hands.

"How did you know we were in here?" I ask, wondering how she knew he was with me.

She gestures to the corner of the room and I see a small red light blinking from a hidden security camera. "I keep it for security reasons— some very old and valuable collectibles are in here."

My skin flushes when I realize she probably just watched Silas and I as he had his hands around my throat and made me finish. I look down, avoiding her eyes.

"Oh don't worry, I stopped watching as soon as he started undoing your dress. I noticed you had left before dessert and wanted to check on you and make sure you were okay. I figured you were up here, but then I saw the two of you. Decided it wasn't my business and I'd leave it be until I felt it was safe to come up."