Page 24

MIRELLA

I woke up to the warmth of sunlight streaming through the curtains. We had slept through the night on this couch.

For a moment, everything felt peaceful. My head rested against the arm of the couch, and I could hear the faint sound of Sergio’s steady breathing beside me. His arm was wrapped protectively around my waist, his warmth seeping into my skin. It was the first time in forever that I had woken up feeling safe.

Carefully, I slipped out of his hold, trying not to disturb him. I reached for my dress on the floor, pulling it on as quietly as I could. The sight of Sergio—his hair mussed, face relaxed—made me pause. How could a man like him, so guarded, look so at ease? It tugged at something in me, something I didn’t want to examine too closely.

I stepped closer to wake him, my hand hovering over his shoulder. As I leaned in, my eyes caught something on his arm. A tattoo, bold and unmistakable, peeked out from his arm. My breath hitched. It was the same tattoo—the intricate design, the name Jacqueline. My stomach plummeted as the pieces began to fall into place, each sharper than the last .

Jacqueline. Sergio’s mother.

I had seen this tattoo before. I knew it very well.

My heart raced, the blood roaring in my ears. I stumbled back, bumping into the edge of the coffee table with a thud. The noise startled Sergio awake. He blinked groggily, a lazy smile spreading across his face when he saw me.

“Mirella?” His voice was low, rough with sleep, but I barely registered it. My eyes were glued to his arm, and my chest tightened.

I pointed at the tattoo, my hand shaking. “Your... your tattoo.” The words tumbled out of me, barely coherent. “You’re... you…”

His smile vanished. His eyes followed my gaze to his arm, and in that split second, I saw it—the flicker of realization, the panic that flashed across his face.

“Let me explain—” He swung his legs off the couch, scrambling to sit up, but I took a step back, shaking my head.

“No.” My voice cracked, but I couldn’t stop the flood of words. “You—Sergio, you’re him. You’re the stranger. The mask, the voice, it was you all along!”

He stood, reaching for me, but I moved further away. My heart pounded, my thoughts spiraling out of control.

“You’ve been lying to me this whole time! Talking about secrets, about trust, when you’ve been keeping the biggest one of all!” I was rambling, pacing the room as if that could somehow help me process what was happening. “You saved me. You disappeared, you—” My voice broke, anger and confusion tangling together. “You let me believe you were dead!”

“It wasn’t like that,” he started, his hands raised in a calming gesture. He was still shirtless, his tattoo glaring at me like an accusation. “Mirella, you need to calm down.”

“Calm down?” I let out a bitter laugh, throwing my hands in the air. “You lied to me, Sergio. Do you have any idea what you put me through? You—” My voice rose, and I jabbed a finger in his direction. “You wore a mask. You slept with me, then died like some tragic hero. And now you’re here, acting like you’re just... just Sergio!”

“I am Sergio,” he said firmly, taking a cautious step toward me. “The stranger, the mask—yes, it was me. But I didn’t lie to hurt you. ”

“Oh, well, that makes it all better,” I snapped, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “You didn’t mean to hurt me. So it’s fine that you shattered my life and made me question everything I thought I knew! I fucking mourned you,” I was pacing again, my hands gesturing wildly as I tried to release the storm building inside me.

He ran a hand through his hair, clearly frustrated. “Mirella, listen to me. It wasn’t just some game. I—”

“Don’t you dare try to justify this!” I cut him off, spinning to face him. “You came here yesterday, all righteous, grilling me about secrets and honesty. And the whole time, you were sitting on this!” I gestured toward his arm, my voice shaking.

His jaw tightened, and he exhaled sharply. “I had reasons for what I did.”

“Reasons?” I laughed, but it sounded hollow. “What reasons could possibly justify this, Sergio? You manipulated me, you—” My voice cracked again, the weight of it all pressing down on me. “You made me feel like I could trust you. Like you were the one person I could rely on. And now…” I trailed off, my throat tightening.

“I never wanted to hurt you,” he said quietly, his voice pleading. He stepped closer, but I held up a hand to stop him.

“Don’t,” I warned, my voice trembling. “Don’t come any closer.”

He froze, his hands dropping to his sides. “Mirella, please. Let me explain.”

“I don’t want your explanations,” I shot back. “I want the truth. The whole truth, Sergio. No more half-truths, no more secrets. Who are you? What else are you hiding?”

“Mirella, I’ve always been real with you. The stranger, Sergio—both are me. I never lied about how I felt or about what you mean to me.”

“Don’t.” My voice broke, tears stinging my eyes. “Don’t say that. You don’t get to play the feelings card here.”

“I’m not playing anything,” he said, his tone sharp now. “You think this was easy for me? Watching you suffer, knowing I couldn’t tell you the truth without putting you in more danger?”

“Danger?” I echoed, my voice rising. “You’re the danger, Sergio! You lied. You faked a whole ass death. For what? For fucking what end— ”

“To save you!” he snapped, his voice cutting through mine. “Mirella. Again and again. And I’d do it all over if it meant keeping you safe.”

My chest ached, my mind racing as I tried to reconcile the man standing before me with the one I thought I knew.

I pointed at his arm again, my voice trembling. “That tattoo. Jacqueline. Your mother. You’ve always covered it up. Why didn’t you just tell me since?”

His gaze softened, but his jaw remained tense. “Because I knew this moment would come. And I knew you’d hate me for it.”

“Hate you?” I laughed bitterly, tears spilling over. “I don’t even know you, Sergio.”

“You know me,” he insisted, his voice fierce. “You know me better than anyone. And no matter how much you try to deny it, you know I’ve always been on your side.”

My mind raced back to that night, the stranger’s hands on me, his whispered words, and the way he made me feel alive when everything else was crumbling.

“I’ve always had feelings for you.” His voice was steady, but his expression was tight—like he was holding himself together by a thread.

The words hit me like a slap. I froze mid-step, turning to face him fully. “What?”

“Since we were kids,” he said, his tone softer now, almost hesitant. “I’ve always loved you. And when I heard…” He stopped, running a hand through his hair like he didn’t know how to continue.

“When you heard what?” My arms were crossed tightly over my chest, but my voice had lost some of its edge.

“When I heard my father was marrying you.”

That was it. My composure snapped like a twig. I let out a sharp laugh, though there was nothing funny about any of it. “So, you decided the best way to handle your lifelong feelings was to show up in a mask and seduce me?”

His jaw clenched, and he looked at me like he wanted to explain but didn’t know how. “It wasn’t about seduction,” he said finally. “I just… I wanted to remind you of what we had when we were younger. I wanted to make you feel something again—something real.”

“Something real?” I repeated, my voice dripping with disbelief. “You mean like the real fact that you didn’t tell me who you were? That you let me think you were some stranger?”

“I didn’t know how you’d react if I came as myself.” He took another step forward, and this time, I didn’t move back. I just stared at him, my arms still crossed, my nails digging into my skin. “We hadn’t spoken in years, Mirella. After the way I left, I wasn’t sure if you’d even want to see me. The mask… it was easier.”

I let out another laugh, this one even harsher than the first. “Easier. Easier than just showing up as you. So instead, you thought, ‘Hey, I’ll just show up as a masked stranger and hope she runs away with me.’”

He winced, but he didn’t deny it.

“How naive do you think I am, Sergio? Did you honestly think I’d just pack a bag and leave my life for some guy in a mask?”

“No,” he admitted, his voice low. “But I had to try. I couldn’t just let you marry him.”

I blinked at him, caught off guard. “So that’s why you saved me at the wedding? To stop me from marrying your father?”

His gaze met mine, steady and unflinching. “Yes. That morning, I heard what he was planning to do to you—how he wanted to disgrace you and humiliate you in front of everyone. I couldn’t let that happen. I came as fast as I could, but by the time I got there…”

“Then you were shot.” My voice was barely a whisper now, the memory flashing through my mind like a bad dream.

He nodded. “Afterward, I escaped. Ryan helped me. I tried to find you, but you were gone.”

I shook my head, trying to process everything. “You should’ve just stayed gone.”

“Mirella…” His voice was soft, pleading. “I don’t like my father any more than you do. Everything he does is for power and control. I came back because I wanted to bring him down. He’s hurt too many people, and I couldn’t let him hurt you again.”

I stared at him, my heart pounding. His words hung in the air between us, heavy and suffocating. I wanted to believe him. I wanted to believe that he’d done it all for me, that his intentions had been pure. But the weight of his lies pressed down on me, making it impossible to breathe.

“Why didn’t you tell me any of this when I came back?” My voice cracked, and I hated how vulnerable I sounded.

“I tried,” he said, his voice strained. “But you were engaged to him again, and the situation was… complicated.”

“Complicated?” I laughed bitterly. “You think that justifies any of this? You think that makes it okay to keep lying to me, to keep pretending?”

“I wasn’t pretending,” he said firmly, stepping closer. “Everything I’ve done, everything I’ve said—it was all real. My feelings for you are real, Mirella. They’ve always been real.”

I closed my eyes, shaking my head. “I don’t know if I can believe you. Who else knows what you’re hiding?”

He took another step closer, his hands reaching for mine. “Please. Don’t do this. I’ve made mistakes, but everything I’ve done was for you.”

I pulled my hands away, taking a step back. My chest felt like it was caving in, the weight of his words pressing down on me like a stone.

“I can’t do this, Sergio,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

“Mirella.” His voice was broken now, desperate. “Please. Don’t let him win. Don’t let him take you from me.”

“It’s not about him.” My voice wavered, but I forced myself to look him in the eye. “It’s about you. It’s about the fact that we both have been keeping secrets and can’t trust one another.”

“You can,” he said urgently, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. “You can trust me. I’ll prove it to you. Just give me a chance.”

I shook my head, tears streaming down my face. “I can’t, I have so much to lose.”

“I love you,” he said, his voice breaking.

The words cut through me like a knife, but they didn’t change anything. I wiped my tears, forcing myself to stand tall.

“I’m marrying your father,” I said, the words tasting like ash in my mouth.

His eyes widened, the shock evident. “You don’t mean that.”

“I do.” My voice was steady now, even as my heart shattered. “It’s over, Sergio.”

The look on his face was one I’d never forget—pain, betrayal, and disbelief all rolled into one. But I didn’t let myself dwell on it. I turned away, forcing myself to leave before I could change my mind.