Chapter 21
958 Words
From behind the glass door, I heard Elena’s voice.
“I will return home tomorrow, but before that, I will make sure that human girl is sent away from here.”
I pulled the blanket around my body tighter, trying not to make a sound.
“I already told you, she will move house, but tomorrow because it is already night,” Gabriel said.
“She has poisoned your mind.”
My heart pounded fast. I pressed myself deeper into the dark corner of the balcony.
“Go, Mother, I want to rest peacefully tonight,” Gabriel said.
“Tomorrow she must go.”
I heard her footsteps walk away, then the sound of a door opening and closing again. Then the balcony door opened slowly. Gabriel stood there, his body only in trousers still open at the front.
“You heard that?” he whispered, his voice hoarse.
I nodded, unable to speak.
He knelt, his warm hand reaching my cold cheek. “For now you move out so my mother will not make noise.”
“Yes, I understand,” I replied.
^^^
The next day, after a bland short breakfast, the staff began moving the belongings into the long black car. There were not many boxes, only what was truly necessary.
Gabriel stood near the car, hands in his pockets, making sure everything was loaded. Elena did not appear. Only Valeria watched from a distance, arms crossed, as if ready to intervene if anything happened. The clock had just struck eight when Gabriel opened the car door for me.
“Get in,” he said softly. I obeyed.
The drive took twelve minutes. The city was still quiet, only a few shops just opening. The house Gabriel had prepared was on a quiet small street, with neat trees on the left side. The walls were painted in warm color, the fence was not high, and there was a large window on the second floor.
The car stopped. The staff unloaded the boxes and carried them inside. Gabriel walked first, opening the door with the key already prepared.
Gabriel told the staff to place all the items in the main room. After they finished, he only said, “Leave.”
They bowed and left, leaving the two of us alone in the still empty house.
Gabriel closed the door. The sound of the lock was clear.
“Look around first,” he said. I nodded and started walking.
The living room was small but sufficient. There was a grey sofa and an empty bookshelf against the wall. A wooden desk stood near the window, exactly as he had described. Morning light fell directly on its surface. I went upstairs. The main bedroom was simple with a new mattress, a wooden wardrobe, and a window facing the small street outside. There was a small flamboyant tree in front, its branches still thin, not fully blooming.
I went down again. Gabriel stood in the middle of the room, not sitting.
“Water, electricity, security are already active. Valeria will check the surrounding area twice a day without being seen,” he said.
I only nodded. There was nothing to comment.
“The spare key is in the kitchen drawer. If there is a problem, you do not solve it yourself. You send a message. I will come.”
I looked at him for a moment. “I understand.”
Gabriel walked to the window and made sure the curtains worked. “These curtains are not transparent from outside. No one can see you even if the light is on.”
I sat on the sofa. For a moment, this house felt like a waiting room, not a place to live.
Gabriel turned. “You do not like it?”
“I am just not used to it,” I answered honestly.
“That is enough, get used to it slowly.”
“I am not angry at you, but it is still not easy.”
“I know, I do not expect you to find it easy,” he said.
I looked at the desk near the window. “After all this, what happens next?”
“You attend your lectures as usual,” Gabriel answered.
“And about the marriage with the Silvermoon daughter?” I asked.
“I already refused that arrangement.”
I looked at him for a long time. “And about me?”
Gabriel did not step away. “You remain my daughter in public and my secret lover who temporarily lives here.”
“How long is temporary?”
“As long as it takes until no one can use you against me.”
Gabriel then placed an envelope on the wooden table. “Inside are emergency numbers, an access card, and cash for situations that cannot wait for a bank.”
I looked at the envelope, then looked back at him. “So this is official.”
“Yes,” he said. “Starting today, this is your home.”
I stood. “Tonight I do not come back?”
“No, tonight you sleep here.”
That sentence was the end of one chapter, and the beginning of another whose shape I did not know.
Gabriel walked to the door. Before leaving, he paused a moment and spoke without turning:
“Whatever happens after this, you are not alone. I am the one who chose you, and I am the one who will be responsible.”
The door opened. Outside light entered briefly, then closed again when he left. I let out a long breath, I am exiled here for a while “he said”, but I am not sure he will bring me back to his house.
- Writer
