AGE EIGHTEEN
‘Are we really going to keep doing this, Noelle?’ Cisco asked in a weary tone as he escorted her out of the police station.
With only a few weeks until she turned eighteen, Noelle was running out of options just as she was becoming increasingly more desperate.
She might have been struck down momentarily in the past, but she was not going to submit to her fate without fighting back.
Unfortunately, Cisco always found ways to combat her ideas.
She’d just stolen his car, heading to the city when she’d been pulled over by the police. Despite the fact that she didn’t really fancy getting into conflict with the law, she supposed that if she was behind bars she couldn’t get married, could she?
Yet even that fact had been disproved when Cisco had been called to the station, and using his connection, he’d ensured that both of them walked away with only a slap on the wrist.
‘Prison is better than the alternative,’ she huffed.
‘Don’t tell me this is still about that boy?’ Cisco narrowed his eyes at her. ‘I thought we convened you’re not to contact him again.’
Noelle didn’t reply, averting her gaze.
‘Answer me, Noelle.’
‘What do you want me to say, Cisco?’ She finally turned, narrowing her eyes at him. ‘It seems only some of us get to live their happily ever afters, isn’t that right?’ she added shakily.
‘Noelle…’
‘Deny it. I want to see you deny it! I told you I loved him, that I’d give everything up for him. But it seems only you’re allowed to choose your spouse. Us, mere mortals don’t get the same consideration.’
‘And you think he loves you so much he would risk jail for you?’ Cisco suddenly asked, his expression thunderous.
‘Yes,’ Noelle answered without thinking.
She was confident in their connection just as she was confident in the fact that he shared her feelings.
‘If he loves you so much, then why the hell is he marrying another woman?’
Noelle came to a halt. She blinked, took a deep breath, then turned to face her brother.
‘What did you say?’ she asked in a whisper that echoed the pain in her breast.
‘He’s getting married,’ Cisco rolled his eyes. And to pour salt over the wound, he took out his phone, scrolling through some news articles before shoving it in her face.
There it was.
Right in front of her.
Rafaelo Guerra was getting married to a certain Assisi Lastra in two days’ time. It would be a private event with only friends and family despite the elevated status the Guerras had in NYC society.
‘No,’ Noelle whispered.
A sliver of pain developed in her chest before her entire heart simply shattered into a myriad of pieces.
‘No,’ she repeated. ‘He can’t marry someone else. It’s a lie.’
‘Noelle,’ Cisco took a deep breath. ‘I have it on good authority that the wedding is happening. It’s not a lie.’
‘No,’ she continued to shake her head. ‘He wouldn’t… He didn’t love anyone,’ she muttered. They’d talked about crushes and first loves before and she was sure he’d never been in love before.
‘You have no way of knowing. You only knew an online version of him. He could have lied to you,’ Cisco explained, but Noelle wasn’t hearing anymore.
All she could see was the picture accompanying the article where both Rafaelo and Assisi had been photographed on an outing.
Her hand tightened around the phone.
That woman… His fiancé… She was beautiful. So beautiful it hurt to look at her.
Blonde hair, dark skin and the lightest eyes Noelle had ever seen. She was the perfect counterpart to Blue’s stunning looks.
‘No,’ she whispered like a broken record, yet the pain was too much—too raw. She could only stare at them and find herself drowning in the magnitude of her feelings.
‘You need to let it go,’ Cisco sighed. ‘It’s done. You need to take care of yourself now.’
‘You mean I need to play along with your plans,’ Noelle spat out, giving him a deadly glare. ‘It’s only about that—playing by your rules so your business succeeds. But what about me? What about my life and what I want? What about my feelings Cisco?’
‘Do you think I wanted this?’ his voice rang out, so loud and crisp and so damn frightening Noelle straightened her spine and stopped moving. ‘Do you think this is what I would have fucking chosen? For my barely legal sister to be given away to a man three times her age?’
‘Then why do it?’ Noelle asked in a small voice. ‘Why do it at all?’
‘Because I have no choice,’ he closed his eyes, his fists clenched. ‘There is no other option but to fulfill this goddamn marriage contract.’
Noelle stared at her brother, seeing him display more emotion than ever before and wondering what exactly was going on. Based on what she was witnessing, she was certain there were many things she was not privy to—things both Cisco and Yuyu were hiding from her.
‘Just… Marry the man to fulfill the contract and Yuyu and I will find a way to get you out of it. Just for a time,’ he took a deep breath. ‘I know it’s unfair to ask this of you, but there’s no other option, Noelle.’
Why was it that the only option was for her to be sacrificed? When had she been number one for anyone in her life? Always an after-thought; always the one who only mattered as a scapegoat.
For the last few years, she would have sworn she’d found someone who cared for her in Blue—who maybe saw her differently.
Yet staring at the article once more, she had to admit that maybe it had all been in her head. Otherwise how could he marry another when it had only been months since their missed encounter? How could he want another when they’d bared their souls to one another.
Was she so foolish, so delusional that she’d seen signs where there had been none?
Maybe she was…
She didn’t speak as they headed back home.
Alone in her room, Noelle simply picked up her used copy of The Plumed Serpent—the one she’d bought at a flea market months prior. She hugged it to her chest for a moment, reliving all the memories that surrounded the context of it, before she opened it again, losing herself in its pages.
It was hard of her to admit to herself that for the first time in forever…she had nothing.
Nothing to look forward to in life and no one to keep her tethered to the ground.
She had absolutely nothing but herself.
And by God… She wouldn’t go down without a fight.
Tears coursed down her cheeks as she tried to read the words through misted lashes.
People might see her as expandable—as someone so unimportant it didn’t matter if she lived or died as long as she served a purpose—but she didn’t see herself that way.
Even if she didn’t matter for anyone else in the world, she mattered for herself. And that meant she would fight for herself. To the death. To hell and beyond.
If someone sought to bring her down, she would take everyone else with her too.
‘They will all regret it,’ she whispered as she swallowed a sob. ‘One way or another, I’ll make everyone regret this.’
Blue’s wedding came and went and Noelle was more of a prisoner than ever.
Intuiting that she wouldn’t just give up at the news of her friend’s marriage, Cisco ensured that the house was guarded twenty-four seven. And during the critical days of his marriage, there were even guards stationed outside of Noelle’s room.
All in all, it was impossible for her to make one step without being monitored.
That meant that no matter how much she would have liked to crash the wedding—and she’d made plenty of plans to that effect—she couldn’t leave her room.
After the day of the wedding, reality crashed on her and she became increasingly more withdrawn. If before she’d at least dined with the family, now she was taking all her meals in her room, refusing to talk to anyone and simply wallowing in her misery.
Still, somewhere deep within her, she refused to believe that her Blue would have married another. Maybe she didn’t have any claim on him previously, but she knew him. As such, she was sure that if there had been anyone in his life, he would have told her. More than anything, he wouldn’t have let her have the impression that their meeting would be a romantic date. Her Blue would never do something like that.
So how could things have changed so drastically in the span of a few months?
The answer was simple.
They couldn’t have.
Maybe in the beginning she’d despaired at the news and had spiraled out of control with hopelessness. But as time passed, she had more time to think logically about it.
Blue wasn’t the type to marry someone so fast unless there was some other variable at play.
Then what could have happened?
Had he been coerced into the marriage?
Or had Cisco simply lied about it, manufacturing the article so he would crush Noelle’s hopes once and for all?
Noelle was sure her brother was capable of that, and so much more. And that was why she kept all her suspicions to herself until she could verify them. And verify them she would. She refused to give it all up based on third party information.
Yet the days passed and Noelle’s hopes were, indeed, dashed, as she realized she could not take a step outside her room without being followed at all times.
With no access to any device, she couldn’t do anything.
One day melted into another, until there was only one week until her birthday—and her wedding.
‘What do you mean we’re going to Mexico?’ she asked, incensed, as her brother deigned to come to her room to inform her how the festivities would proceed.
‘Villanueva doesn’t agree with our weather so he’s decided to host everything at his hacienda. We’re going to take a private plane for the ceremony,’ he explained, and Noelle could hear the unspoken.
They were going to stay there for the duration of the ceremony after which they would leave her behind while they returned to their perfect lives.
‘You’re really fine just throwing me to the wolves?’ she uttered in a low voice.
‘You’ll survive,’ he replied, his lips pursed. ‘The alternative is much, much worse, Noelle.’
She frowned at him, but she didn’t want to look further into his words. It would just confuse her further. Nothing was simple with her brother, just as nothing was ever straightforward. For every one word that he said, he probably meant a thousand different things at the same time. He liked to use ambiguity to play the system.
Cisco’s words were final, however, and as the day before the wedding arrived, she became increasingly more desperate. Every attempt to get in touch with the outside world had been in vain. Here she was, hours away from the flight that would take her to a completely different world, and she didn’t know what to do.
She wanted to escape but there was no escape in sight.
She was simply…trapped.
‘You haven’t tried the dress on,’ Yuyu noted as she came to Noelle’s room that evening.
The clock was ticking until they were supposed to leave.
Cisco had allowed Noelle to pack a small suitcase to take with her, and Noelle had chosen some of her most prized possessions at the expense of her clothing. After all, if she was to live in eternal torment, at least those little memories could help her hang on.
‘I don’t want to,’ Noelle shrugged, barely sparing a glance at the wedding dress—more aptly called her funeral dress.
‘Noelle,’ Yuyu took a deep breath.
‘Don’t,’ Noelle shook her head. ‘Spare me your platitudes, Yuyu. You’re not the one traveling to a foreign country to marry a man three times your age. You’re not the one forced to do anything you don’t want to.’
Yuyu pursed her lips, her features stricken.
‘If we could have avoided it, this would have never happened.’
‘I know the speech,’ Noelle smirked. ‘It’s getting old, isn’t it? At least have the decency to take responsibility for your actions. This wasn’t my fate to suffer, yet here I am. All because of your choices. So don’t tell me how I should feel, or should not.’
‘You’re right,’ she nodded, her lips flattened into a pained line. ‘It would be disingenuous of us to claim otherwise. I just…’ she trailed off, her eyes glossy. ‘I truly didn’t want things to degenerate this badly.’
‘We can’t all have what we want. I think that’s the most important lesson, isn’t it?’ Noelle looked her straight in the eye.
‘Maybe in the future… Maybe you might learn to forgive us.’
Noelle kept her features blank at Yuyu’s words.
Yes, that was a good question. How had things degenerated so badly? How had she ever seen her brother and his wife as anything but the mercenary people that they were? How had she ever held any affection for them?
‘It’s your right to hope so,’ she simply stated. ‘Just as it is my right not to do it.’
Those words promptly shut Yuyu up. She looked on the verge of crying, but the sight of it could no longer move Noelle. How could anything move her when she was simply…hopeless?
‘Mrs. DeVille. Mr. Val is calling for you. I think he hurt himself.’
The voice of the housekeeper echoed into the room. Yuyu spared Noelle another glance before she hurried out of the room.
‘I’m coming!’
Noelle released a deep, relieved breath at being alone once more. Putting on a strong front was too draining, especially when she felt anything but strong on the inside.
Sighing, she looked at the wedding dress laid on the bed.
How could this happen to her?
It was the twenty-first century, for God’s sake. How could she be coerced like this into an unwanted marriage?
Yet it happened…
Her brows furrowed as her gaze stopped on Yuyu’s bag, still resting on her bed.
Maybe…
She didn’t stop to think. She simply dashed to the door, locking it, before rummaging through the bag.
Surely enough, her phone was there, too.
Though it was password protected, it didn’t take long for Noelle to guess it. After all, Yuyu’s life revolved around her brother. It stood to reason her password would be his birthday.
Successfully unlocking the device, she was quick at work as she scoured the internet for a phone number. Since she knew his last name was Guerra and his family was something of a local celebrity, it wasn’t hard to find a number.
Dialing the number, Noelle bit her nails in anxiety.
‘This is the Guerra residence,’ a voice answered on the second ring.
‘Hello, I am looking for Rafaelo Guerra. I am a classmate from university,’ she said glibly.
‘I’m so sorry. He isn’t here.’
Noelle’s face fell.
‘Is he still on his honeymoon?’ She bluffed.
‘Honeymoon? No, no. You didn’t hear? He didn’t get married.’
‘He…didn’t?’ Noelle repeated, her entire body relaxing for the first time in forever.
‘No. It was all over the news. I’m surprised you didn’t see that.’
‘Oh, I don’t follow the news,’ she made up an excuse. ‘Do you know where I could reach him? It’s very important that I talk to him.’
There was a pause as the woman sighed deeply.
‘No. We haven’t heard from him in over a week.’
‘What do you mean in over a week?’
‘He’s missing,’ the woman replied.
Noelle didn’t get to ask more questions as a loud crash resounded in the room, her door falling to the ground.
Her eyes widened in shock as she turned, coming face to face with her brother.
Cisco looked murderous as his gaze swung from her to the phone in her hand.
He dusted his suit off, walking towards her as if he hadn’t just kicked the door open with sheer physical strength.
Noelle’s body started trembling, true fear claiming her at what she saw in her brother’s gaze. It was the first time she’d seen him so out of control, so…dangerous.
‘Cisco, I…’
She didn’t get to say anything. He snatched the phone from her hand, looking at the number before snarling at her and throwing it across the floor, smashing it to pieces.
‘What did I tell you, Noelle?’ he gritted out, his voice low and even but frightening, nonetheless.
Noelle didn’t know what came over her, or where her bravery was coming from, but she couldn’t stop herself from blurting out.
‘He didn’t get married. You lied to me.’
‘Is that so?’ His cheek twitched dangerously. ‘And where is he now?’
Noelle blinked.
‘What…’
‘I asked you. Where is he now? You couldn’t speak with him, could you?’
‘How did you…’ she trailed off as awareness entered her features. ‘You?’ she asked in a small voice.
At the same time, Yuyu ran up the stairs, stopping when she saw the state of the door and the tension rolling off her husband.
‘What did you do, Cisco?’
‘Let me put it this way, Noelle. You will marry Villanueva and you won’t try any of your tricks. If you behave, I might behave, too.’
‘You had something to do with his disappearance, didn’t you?’ she whispered, hurt radiating from her voice.
‘Will you behave?’ he fired back, neither denying nor confirming. But to Noelle, that was confirmation enough.
‘Yes,’ she uttered in a desolate voice. ‘I will behave.’
‘Good. He will be alright, too.’
With that, he turned around and left.
Noelle’s eyes connected with Yuyu’s before she averted her gaze, not wanting to see the pity reflected there. Instead, she mechanically did as told, getting ready for her wedding.
She might never know for sure if her brother had anything to do with Rafaelo’s disappearance, but he knew he was well capable of doing such a thing. And as long as there was even a one percent possibility that he did it, Noelle wouldn’t take any chances with Blue’s safety.
When everything was packed for the departure, the entire family went to a private landing strip where a jet was waiting to take them to Mexico.
Sergio Villanueva was the owner of a vast strip of land in the northeastern part of Mexico, in the state of Tamaulipas. Though he wasn’t officially the governor of the region, from what Noelle had understood, he was the unofficial leader.
The flight took some five hours until they touched down in Mexico.
An entire entourage was waiting for them when they landed, yet the groom was nowhere to be seen.
‘Señor Villanueva will be greeting you at the wedding. It is not good luck for the groom to see the bride before, is that not so?’ the man who’d introduced himself as Fernando said politely as he greeted them.
Six Jeeps waited for them. Two to accommodate everyone and another four to act as security.
Noelle trailed behind Cisco and Yuyu, not deigning a reply even when Fernando directly addressed her, which earned her a harsh look from her brother. Still, she couldn’t find it in her to care if she was polite or not. She’d already agreed to go through with the wedding without a fight, and that was the most she could do considering in her mind she’d already killed everyone in sight, making sure they suffered just as she was suffering on the inside.
‘Noelle, are you alright?’ Yuyu asked her as they got into the Jeep.
The terrain was arid and dry, the weather warm even though it was the end of December.
Noelle shrugged, turning her head to glance out the window of the Jeep.
The journey to the hacienda was long. On the way, Noelle made sure to memorize all landmarks, thinking that information might be useful in the future. Though it looked like a desert, there were a few buildings around, including some pyramid-like formations they passed by, as well as what looked to be tiny villages, all scattered along the way to the hacienda.
‘This all belongs to Señor Villanueva.’
‘Including the villages?’ Noelle suddenly spoke.
Fernando gave her a nod.
‘Everything within a hundred and fifty miles radius belongs to him,’ Fernando explained. ‘He is the master here and everyone worships him for it.’
Noelle frowned. She could have understood if people loved him for it, but worship seemed to be quite an unusual term to use.
‘What business is he in?’
‘Noelle!’ Cisco reprimanded her.
Fernando merely laughed.
‘She is to be the wife of the master. It is alright if she is curious.’
Noelle gave him a tentative smile.
‘You will find out soon enough,’ he continued, giving her a non-answer. ‘The region is prosperous because of the master. Everyone owes their lives to him.’
Another odd thing to say, but one that Noelle took note of. If everyone was so loyal to her future husband, that might prove more difficult if she were to try to escape.
Not impossible. Merely more difficult.
As they neared the main area of the hacienda, Noelle noted that a crowd of people had formed two rows on each side of the road. There must have been at least a hundred if not more people as the lines were extending as far as Noelle could see. Every person, young or old, male or female, was holding a candle in their hands while chanting something in a language that was not Spanish. Even more peculiar was the fact that everyone was wearing colorful traditional clothing.
‘What are they saying?’
‘Oh, don’t pay too much attention. It’s our custom. This is how we welcome the new bride,’ Fernando replied.
After almost an hour on the road, they finally made it to the hacienda.
Based on what she’d seen so far, Noelle had expected something luxurious, but she’d never in her wildest dreams imagined something of this magnitude.
It was the biggest house she’d ever seen—though a palace was more appropriate in describing it. It was so grand, she couldn’t see where it ended.
The house had two floors and was built in a square style, and Noelle was sure it must house an inner courtyard based on the outer design.
All around, there were well tended fields and a few other smaller houses. Yet what struck Noelle the most was the fact that she noticed another pyramid-like structure. Unlike the ones they’d passed by, this one was under construction, with only the base laid on the ground.
‘What are those?’ She asked Fernando.
‘Temples.’
‘Temples?’ Noelle frowned.
‘We have our local religion,’ he smiled. ‘Sergio has graciously agreed to hold a Catholic ceremony as a sign of respect for your family,’ he explained.
‘So there will be another ceremony in your religion?’ Noelle couldn’t help but inquire further.
‘You’re already looking at it,’ Fernando said cryptically.
Noelle didn’t get to inquire further as the car drew to a halt.
Everyone got out of it, and a slew of servants rushed forwards to help them.
‘Please make yourselves at home. Señor Villanueva will meet you at the ceremony in two hours.’
With that, Fernando left them in the care of the servants, who led them to their rooms.
Yet even as they walked around the hacienda, Noelle couldn’t help but notice the odd looks that were being sent her way. Everyone was eyeing her suspiciously, and she could swear she heard a few of them curse her out too.
Good thing I learned Spanish!
She’d been right to account for all variables and prepare for the worst. And though she’d continuously hoped this wouldn’t be her fate, at least now she had a hidden asset—one she wouldn’t let anyone know she possessed.
Yuyu trailed behind Noelle, ready to help her dress and prepare for the ceremony.
‘It’s not so bad, is it?’ Yuyu added nervously as they entered the grand apartment Noelle had been assigned.
Noelle didn’t answer, merely surveying the area.
There was a big sitting room that led to a veranda with a private garden. In the back, the bedroom was separate, as was the bathroom, both extremely generous in size.
Noelle shrugged.
She didn’t care about riches. She would have preferred a small room as long as she was with the right groom.
‘Noelle…’
‘I should get dressed,’ she interrupted Yuyu.
She didn’t want to rehash the past.
It was done. There was no reason to argue again for a moot point. At least Noelle was smart enough to realize that there was no escape now.
Whether she wanted, or not, she would marry Sergio Villanueva.
And the last thing she needed was to hear more excuses.
Yuyu set about helping her unpack her dress and accessories. A few servants also came inside to offer a hand.
Noelle took a bath before changing into the dress.
It was a pretty dress, she supposed. But she hated what it symbolized.
The time passed quickly and it was time for the actual ceremony.
Cisco appeared in the doorway, dressed in a tuxedo as he offered her his arm, leading her to the altar.
Since it seemed that the locals were not Christians, the ceremony was to take place in one of the inner gardens of the house.
As they reached the location, Noelle noted there were quite a few guests present—all from Sergio’s side. From her side, only her family had come, for once the ceremony was done, they were to depart promptly. She didn’t know why, but she hadn’t probed. She was too sick of interacting with them and hearing their stupid excuses to care what they did, or if they left earlier or later. As far as she was concerned, they were already gone from her life—had been from the moment they’d sold her.
As soon as they stepped into the opening, music started playing. Noelle turned, startled, to see a band playing on the sidelines.
In the middle of the garden was a makeshift altar, a priest waiting on the other side with a book in his hand. But what captured her attention was the person standing in front of the altar.
It was him.
Sergio Villanueva.
Noelle opened her eyes wide to study him thoroughly—this man who would be her husband. This man who would wed a woman thirty years younger than him.
Cisco was tense as they slowly walked towards the altar, but that gave Noelle enough time to peruse her future husband.
He wasn’t much taller than her. Maybe a few inches, but definitely not as much as she had imagined considering the reverence with which people around the hacienda treated him.
When she’d seen how the locals worshiped him, she’d conjured up some type of bigger than life figure.
But he wasn’t.
He was just a man.
An old man.
There was absolutely no denying that his age was visible on his face, wrinkles marring his forehead and cheeks. His hair was almost completely white.
‘This is who you’re making me marry?’ she hissed under her breath at her brother.
‘Noelle, behave,’ the warning in his voice was clear.
She barely held her tongue, and only because she knew what was at stake.
‘I do this and nothing happens to him. You swear to me,’ she whispered, her eyes still oriented forward.
‘I swear. Nothing will happen to him by my hand,’ Cisco replied.
That was all Noelle needed to hear to push forward.
Finally, they reached Sergio’s side.
His lip curled as he gave her a one over, almost as if he didn’t find her that interesting.
To her surprise, he didn’t even introduce himself, didn’t say a word to her. He merely motioned to the priest that he could start.
Noelle was so shocked by his behavior that she was barely aware of the ceremony and what the priest was saying to them. It was only when he declared that the groom may kiss the bride that she was startled out of her reverie.
Sergio gave her an odd look as he leaned in to kiss her.
So disgusted she was by the prospect of having her first kiss with this man, that she instantly turned her face around so her lips merely brushed against her hair.
Someone cleared their throat.
Noelle didn’t care.
She’d accepted the marriage. What she did after didn’t concern her brother anymore.
Sergio pursed his lips, but he didn’t say anything, merely continuing with the ceremony.
They signed the marriage documents and finally, they were husband and wife.
Turning towards the guests, Sergio grabbed her hand in his, inclining his head to everyone present.
They walked like that to the entrance of the house, after which Sergio stopped to regard her.
He still had the same disapproving look on his face.
‘I’ll call on you tonight,’ he simply said as he took off in another direction.
Noelle was left staring at the place he’d just vacated, her mind in complete disarray.
It was done.
She was a married woman.
But why was it that she didn’t feel like one?
Why was it that this felt more like a fever dream than reality?
In no time, Cisco and Yuyu were by her side, offering to lead her back to her room. Her mother huffed loudly as she passed by Noelle—the first time she’d said anything to her since they’d left New York.
‘Don’t mind her. She’s had too much to drink,’ Yuyu whispered.
Truth to be told, Noelle had noticed her mother had started imbibing too much from the moment she’d stepped onto the private jet. At least she’d kept her comments to herself and hadn’t egged Noelle on as she was wont to do.
‘Why did she even come? To make sure I get married?’ she muttered dryly.
‘Ignore her.’
Yuyu steered her back to her lodgings, going inside the bedroom with her as she helped her take off her dress and put on something more comfortable.
When they were done, they went back to the living room area where Cisco was waiting for them, hand in his pockets, expression tight and tense.
‘We need to leave, Yuyu,’ he suddenly said.
‘Now? But it’s so early. They just finished the ceremony. Surely there will be a feast and…’
‘Sergio believes we’ve stayed enough. There will be a feast in a few days’ time according to their traditions, and it won’t include the family of the bride.’
‘But Cisco… We just got here.’
‘And now we’re leaving.’
Noelle was silent as she watched the exchange. She didn’t understand why Sergio wouldn’t allow Cisco and Yuyu to stay longer. It was odd, indeed, that they were instructed to leave as soon as the ceremony was over. All at once, Noelle saw the red flags. But she didn’t voice them out loud.
‘You should go,’ she nodded.
She was done begging her family for anything. She would deal with everything on her own from now on.
‘Noelle…’ Yuyu turned to her.
‘I don’t need you here. Your duty’s done, so you should return back to your home,’ she repeated in an emotionless tone.
‘I’m sorry. You’ll never know how sorry…’ Yuyu continued.
‘Spare me,’ Noelle rolled her eyes. ‘If you’d hurt me, just me, maybe I could have forgiven that in time,’ she said as she turned to her brother. ‘But you went after him. You went after my heart. That is not something I would forgive anyone. You are dead to me. Both of you. And from now on, stay dead. I will take care of myself.’
‘I didn’t do anything to Rafaelo,’ Cisco finally said.
Noelle narrowed her eyes at him before she released a deep sigh.
‘But you would have.’
‘To get you to the altar? Yes,’ he answered without qualms.
‘So it’s the same thing. It doesn’t matter if you actually harmed him. You would have and that is enough for me.’
‘You’re more important to us than a stranger, Noelle,’ Yuyu said.
‘Really?’ She mocked. ‘I hadn’t noticed.’
‘That’s enough, Noelle,’ Cisco snapped as he placed himself in front of his wife, his hand blanketing hers. Of course, when had Cisco not defended Yuyu?
‘At least tell me one thing,’ she swallowed hard. ‘Do you know where he is?’
Cisco shook his head.
‘No one knows.’
She nodded, worry eating at her. Turning, she didn’t even bother saying goodbye to her brother and her sister-in-law as she went back to the bedroom, closing the door and locking it.
It didn’t take long for Cisco and Yuyu to get the message and leave.
Only then did Noelle get out of her room again, her eyes moistened by tears, her heart heavy.
If Cisco hadn’t been behind Blue’s disappearance, then where was he? How was he?
Her entire body was trembling as she leaned against the wooden frame of the door.
Where are you, my Blue?
‘Give me strength, please. Give me strength to find you again,’ she whispered.
She was in a foreign country. A foreign house. A foreign man’s wife.
And she didn’t know how to deal with it.
Staring at the outdoor veranda, she told herself she would be fine. That she’d survived until then, and she would continue to survive. And because her goal was stronger than any hardship that could come her way, she could prevail.
If only to see him again…
Yet something told her that she would be clawing for her life. Because if she’d noticed anything since her arrival, it was that she wasn’t welcomed. Sergio, himself, didn’t seem to have much of an interest in her.
That made her question why he’d wanted her so much in the first place.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door.
‘Come in,’ she called out.
A young blonde girl walked slowly inside carrying a tray with her. She had a tentative smile on her face as she regarded Noelle.
‘My name is Lucero,’ she said in a thickly accented voice. ‘I’m to serve you from now on.’
‘Nice to meet you, Lucero,’ Noelle strained a smile.
‘The master instructed me to bring you dinner. He wants you to come to his room at ten sharp tonight.’
‘His room?’ Noelle licked her lips, a shiver going down her back.
If before she’d managed not to think too much about married life and what it would entail, now that she was actually married, she realized she would need to do her duty as a wife. And that meant…
Revulsion filled her to the brim, and the mere smell of the food threatened to make her ill.
‘Yes. There is a box under the bed and it contains the dress he wants you to wear tonight,’ she continued.
‘Of course,’ Noelle muttered.
Lucero placed the tray on a table, and inquiring if Noelle needed anything else, she eventually took her leave.
Curious, Noelle went to her room and found the dress in question. It wasn’t too scandalous. She supposed she could wear it, if only to make Sergio more agreeable to what she was going to propose. After all, marriage or no marriage, she had no intention of letting him touch her even with one finger.
Noelle could never let someone else touch her that wasn’t her Blue. He alone owned her—body and soul. She’d rather die than suffer that type of torture.
First, she would deal with her new husband. She needed to set boundaries between them. Based on what she’d seen of him at the wedding, she doubted he had much interest in her.
Maybe he’d insisted on the marriage to have a young wife on his arm. She knew plenty of men did that to make them feel better about themselves—younger, more virile. It was all about how others perceived them, and she’d already realized that Sergio Villanueva was a man who prized his image above all. It was in the unspoken way he interacted with his employees and the people living on his lands.
Worship.
She remembered the way Fernando had spoken about him, always referring to him as something beyond human. To Noelle, that suggested two things: his reputation was extremely important to him and his hubris was unparalleled.
After all, who but the definition of hubris saw himself as some type of messiah of these lands? Who but someone so wrapped up in his own self asked for other people to worship him?
But with these observations also came the realization that she needed to tread carefully with him. She would be able to reason with him as long as she didn’t injure his pride, as long as she didn’t embarrass him in front of his people.
Once she dealt with Sergio, she would focus her attention on the most important thing.
Blue.
She had to find out where her Blue was.
But how could she do that?
While Noelle was struggling with her new reality, Cisco and Yuyu had just gotten home after their flight.
Ignoring Elena and her inane chatter, Cisco went straight to his office, closing himself inside.
His fists met the furniture indiscriminately as he hit and punched until the skin off his knuckles peeled, blood pouring down his hands. He no longer felt the sting of pain, only the ache of his heart and the fact that he’d quite possibly made the biggest mistake of his life—one that he would forever regret.
He continued to wreak havoc on everything that got in his way, only stopping when the sound of the lock turning claimed his attention.
‘You’re not going to solve anything even if you tear the house down,’ Yuyu told her in that quiet manner of hers.
Her eyes were rimmed with tears, and he knew immediately that she felt the same pain that thundered in his chest.
‘Yuyu,’ he croaked, the sound harsh and full of despair.
She took a tentative step forward. Then another. Until she reached his side. Fitting her hand against his cheek, she brushed her thumb against his lips.
‘What have I done?’ he rasped.
‘What have we done? Don’t put this burden only on your shoulders. Not when I am equally at fault.’
‘She’ll never forgive us,’ he told her in a pained whisper.
‘I know. But she’ll live. That’s all that matters.’
‘Do you think he really would have killed her?’ The implication was clear. Had they done the correct thing to force this marriage against all odds?
‘Yes,’ Yuyu nodded reluctantly. ‘The thugs that attacked us were a prime example. So were the other dozen people who followed us everywhere we went that Noelle had no clue of. He was serious about this, Cisco. I don’t know why, but he was serious.’
And that was the least of it.
Every time Noelle would go out, Cisco would receive reports of her whereabouts from Sergio’s men. It was how he’d found out about her excursions to Rafaelo’s university in the first place. He wouldn’t have been as hard on her if he hadn’t known Sergio would be worse.
Pictures upon pictures of her going about her day, all captioned the same.
You decide whether she lives or dies.
Maybe Cisco could have protected her better. But he was smart enough to admit his limitations. Even he wouldn’t have been able to be with her at all times. And with Noelle’s rebellious streak, it was only a matter of time before she found herself unprotected. And…dead.
‘I don’t even think it was about her,’ Cisco pursed his lips. ‘I think it was his injured pride and the fact that we dared to plan an attack against him. It wasn’t that he wanted Noelle. He wanted the bride we didn’t want to give.’
‘How are we going to solve this?’ Yuyu asked, slowly caressing his cheek.
‘We’ll hurt him where it matters the most. Money. Power. We’ll go for his businesses until he has nothing left. I’ve already laid the foundation for this, but it’s a long game.’
‘We’ll do it. Together.’
‘I promised Noelle she wouldn’t have to be there for long and at least that promise, I aim to keep.’
‘I know you will, Cisco. I know you will,’ Yuyu gave him a tentative smile as she led him to his chair, seating him and proceeding to tend to his injuries.
He didn’t make a sound as she applied disinfectant and bandaged his wounds, merely staring out in the distance.
Her heart ached for him and for what he must be feeling but which he didn’t know how to show. She knew him too well not to see the pain and the hurt he was keeping at bay.
The fact that he’d acted violently towards the furniture was a small mercy, since he usually tended to keep everything inside until his pain became unbearable.
But she knew how to help him.
After she was done with her ministrations, she put everything aside, clearing his desk with one swipe of her arm.
Cisco’s attention snapped to her as he watched her intently, his chest rising and falling as tension rolled him in violent waves even in this quiet moment.
He was a ticking bomb, her husband.
He was the worst type of ticking bomb; the type that imploded when everything became too much.
With the desk cleared, she turned to face him once more.
Her hands went to the fastening of her dress as she slowly slid it off her body until she remained naked in front of him.
‘Take me,’ she whispered, beckoning him to her. ‘Let me be the vessel for your despair.’
She didn’t have to tell him twice. In the next second, he had her spread on the table, her legs locked around his hips as he drove into her in one powerful thrust.
They were both hurting, and they both needed to hurt.
Her nails were lodged in his back, tearing at his skin, just as his fingers were tangled in her hair, pulling roughly at her scalp as he brought her mouth to his for a searing kiss.
He took her hard and fast; pain, not pleasure, the main goal.
And as they both finished, their bodies sweaty, their breathing rough and uncontrolled, they finally allowed their emotions to reach the surface.
Yuyu wailed.
Cisco simply hugged her, a small, lone tear falling down his cheek.
