Sara Ikari Rodriguez:
Inside the Mansion, he stopped in the middle of the living room.
Shoulders rising and falling.
Like he was trying to fight something off his skin.
I hesitated before stepping closer.
“Matio—”
He turned sharply.
“Don’t.” His voice came out lower, rougher than usual.
I froze.
His eyes weren’t cold.
They were worse—
Stormy, conflicted, dark with things he wasn’t saying.
He dragged a hand through his hair and started pacing.
Back and forth.
Back and forth.
He stopped dead.
For a moment he didn’t move.
Didn’t breathe.
Then—slowly—he walked toward me.
Each step heavy, almost reluctant, until he stood right in front of me.
His breath brushed my forehead when he spoke.
“I can’t do this,” he muttered, almost to himself. “I can’t want you.”
My heartbeat st
