Silent love

Chapter 29

On the previous chapter...

The more I thought about it, the more it started to make sense. Federico had always given me hints, little comments, words that I had brushed off as arrogance or manipulation. But now, looking back, they felt different.

"You don't know as much as you think you do, Yaqueline"

"There are things at play that you were never told"

"We don't have a choice in this world"

I had ignored them. Dismissed them. I thought he was just trying to get under my skin, trying to remind me that in his world, I had no control. But he wasn't just being cryptic.

He knew.

He had known from the start.

And that meant he had been forced into this just like I had.

I swallowed hard, my fingers gripping the railing as the weight of it all settled in. This wasn't just a contract that had been drawn up when I came of age. It had been decided when I wasn't even a thought, when Federico was just a child himself.

I felt sick.

All this time, I had believed I was just another piece in a game that started when I was old enough to play. But the truth was, I had been on the board before I even existed.

                                                  ʚ FEDERICO'S POV ɞ

I looked up from my desk, setting my glass filled with water down as the familiar sound of heels clicked against the marble floors.

So soon?

I stood as Yaqueline and Divine entered. Their expressions were unreadable, but there was something different about Yaqueline, it was in the way she carried herself, in the tightness of her jaw, the rage behind her eyes. Divine slightly smiled at me before the went up to her room and I just nodded at her.

She stopped in front of me, arms crossed, her posture rigid. "You knew, didn't you?"
I raised a brow. "What?"

Why is it so hard for these snail eaters to talk in full sentences?

"The contract". Her voice was sharp, accusing.
I let out a slow breath, my gaze steady on hers. "So, you found out".

Finally.

It's about time.

Her eyes narrowed, frustration simmering beneath the surface. "Why didn't you tell me?"
I leaned back slightly. "It wasn't my place".

She let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head. "Not your place? You let me stand there like a fool while everyone else knew the truth?"

I exhaled through my nose, feeling the weight of this conversation settle between us. "I told you there were things you didn't know".

"That's not the same, Federico". She snapped. "You could have told me. You should have told me".
I clenched my jaw. "It wouldn't have changed anything".

"Then why didn't you try to stop it?"

I met her gaze, but I didn't answer. Instead, I clenched my jaw tighter.

The memories surfaced before I could push them down. My father's cold, disappointed stare, the sharp crack of his palm against my face, the way my protests had been silenced before they even fully formed.

The way his belt felt against my skin.

Yaqueline took a step closer, her voice quieter now. "Federico?"
I exhaled sharply, running a hand through my hair. "I tried".