Maria.
My chest was still rising and falling unevenly as I stord away, anger burning through like wildfire.
Aidan’s words, his touch, the way he had looked at ...It all lingered, refusing to fade.
"Mate..." I scoffed under my breath, quickening my steps.
None of it made sense, none of them made sense and yet... they all kept saying the sa thing.
My head was spinning with it when...I collided into sothing solid or rather...Soone. I stumbled slightly before steadying myself, my breath hitching as I looked up.
"Daniel..."
His na slipped out before I could stop it and for a split second, sothing flashed across his face, surprise, then it was gone, replaced with that sa calm expression he always wore.
"You’re here," he said, his voice smooth, almost casual. "I was just about to co look for you."
My heart skipped.
I forced my expression to stay neutral, even as unease curled tightly in my stomach.
"Really?" I asked, tilting my head slightly.
He nodded.
"I want to speak to you about sothing..." he added, studying carefully. "... But Naoh didn’t let then. Are you okay? Is anything bothering you?"
I swallowed slowly.
So he noticed.
Of course he did.
"I’m fine," I replied quickly, offering a small smile that didn’t quite reach my eyes.
His gaze lingered on , searching as if trying to read through .
"You don’t look fine," he said quietly.
I let out a soft breath, pretending to hesitate. "I just...I don’t know... but I really am fine," I murmured.
His expression softened slightly.
"Co," he said, gesturing toward his room. "You can stay with for a while...I have sothing to explain to you.."
For a mont, I hesitated, my mind scread at to walk away, to leave, to not follow him back into his room, to not step back into that room.
But another part of ...the curious part, the part that needed answers...Won.
"Okay," I said softly, following him back towards his room.
The door closed behind us with a quiet click.
I moved toward the bed, sitting down slowly, my movents careful, controlled. My heart, however, was anything but steady.
Daniel stayed standing for a mont, watching and after what took like eternity, he finally spoke.
"You didn’t see anything strange, did you?"
My fingers tightened slightly against the fabric of the bed.
There it was, what I have been avoiding.
Was this "the" sothing important? He caught already?
Was he going to hurt if I said yes? What if I say no will he try to torture ?
I looked up at him, feigning confusion.
"See what?" I asked.
His gaze sharpened slightly, then, just as quickly as it ca, it softened again.
"Nothing," he said after a brief pause. "Just making sure you’re okay."
I nodded slowly.
"Yeah... I’m okay," I replied.
A beat of silence passed.
Then I stood up.
"Well... I should probably go," I said, forcing a small smile.
He didn’t respond imdiately, instead, his hand shot out, grabbing my wrist.
My breath caught.
The air seed to vanish from my lungs in an instant, leaving frozen in place, suspended in a mont I hadn’t been prepared for.
Before I could react—before I could even think—his hand tightened around and he pulled back, straight into him.
"Daniel..."
His na barely left my lips, soft and uncertain, but I didn’t get the chance to say anything more.
His lips crashed against mine, hard, sudden and possessive. The impact of it sent a jolt through my entire body, my eyes widening in shock as everything inside seed to freeze at once. My mind went blank, unable to catch up with what was happening.
For a second...Just a second...I couldn’t move, then instinct kicked in.
I pushed lightly against his chest, my hands pressing against him as I tried to create space between us, to break free from the unexpected closeness.
But his arm wrapped tightly around my waist, pulling closer instead of letting go, holding firmly in place as the kiss deepened, demanding and unyielding, like he wasn’t asking, like he wasn’t going to stop.
"Daniel... stop..." I tried to speak, the words muffled and uneven, slipping weakly between us.
But they didn’t reach him.
Or maybe he just chose not to hear them.
Because the next second, his lips found mine again, silencing whatever I had tried to say.
My heart pounded violently against my chest, each beat loud and chaotic, drowning out every clear thought. Confusion swirled through , mixing with shock.
His grip tightened slightly, his arm secure around my waist as he pulled closer, as though he was afraid I might slip away if he loosened even a little.
"Maria..." he murmured against my lips, his voice low yet rough and almost desperate.
And at that...I stilled.
"Listen to ..." he continued, his forehead pressing lightly against mine for a brief second before his lips brushed against mine again. "I want you."
The words sent a shiver down my spine.
"No matter what you think you saw... no matter what you hear..." he added, his voice rougher now, more intense. "It doesn’t change anything."
I stared at him, my breath uneven.
"Daniel, I..."
He didn’t let finish as his lips claid mine again, cutting off, totally silencing .
"I love you," he said in between the kisses, the words slipping through like sothing he couldn’t hold back anymore. "And I’ll take care of you... no matter what."
My mind spun.
"Just... co with ," he whispered against my lips. "Trust ."
I opened my mouth to respond, to question him, to ask if this was all part of their play, to use as bait. I needed to demand answers.
But once again, he didn’t let .
His lips crashed onto mine again, swallowing every word before it could leave my mouth.
And this ti...I couldn’t even find the strength to push him away.
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