191
Emilia’s POV
The tension in the room was suffocating. Alaric stood by the window, his back to me, his hands braced against the frame as if he were holding himself together. His shoulders were taut, his jaw locked. We were at it again. I didn’t think he meant it literally when he said he wouldn’t let me out of his sight.
“I’m not asking for your permission, Alaric,” I said, my voice sharper than I intended. “I’m telling you what I need to do.”
He turned slowly, his dark eyes burning with barely restrained fury. “You’re telling me?” His tone was cold, cutting. “Do you have any idea what you’re walking into?”
“I’m walking into a conversation,” I said firmly. “A conversation that might give me answers about my mother, about my past. Why is that so hard for you to understand?”
“Because it’s not just a conversation, Emilia,” he snapped, his voice rising. “It’s Alonso Cruz. He doesn’t do anything without an agenda, and if you think for one second that he’s reaching out to you out of the goodness of his heart, you’re more naive than I thought.”
His words hit me like a slap, and I recoiled. “Naive?” I repeated, my voice trembling with anger. “You think I’m naive because I want to understand where I come from? Because I’m not content to just let you fight my battles for me?”
“This isn’t about fighting your battles,” he said, stepping closer, his presence overwhelming. “This is about keeping you safe. And I can’t do that if you’re running headfirst into danger.”
“I’m not a child, Alaric,” I shot back. “I don’t need you to protect me from every shadow. I need you to trust me.”
“Trust you?” He laughed bitterly, shaking his head. “Do you even trust yourself right now? Do you even know what you’re walking into?”
I clenched my fists, my nails biting into my palms. “I know that I can’t keep pretending this doesn’t matter to me. I can’t keep ignoring the fact that I have a father out there-”
“He’s not your father!” Alaric roared, his voice echoing through the room.
His words stunned me into silence, my heart pounding in my chest.
He took a step closer, his voice quieter but no less intense. “A father doesn’t kidnap his child. A father doesn’t keep her locked away like a prisoner. Whatever Alonso Cruz is, he’s not your father, Emilia.”
“And what if he is?” I asked, my voice trembling. “What if he’s the only person who can tell me the truth about my mother? About what happened to her? Are you so blinded by your hatred for him that you can’t see why this matters to me?”
His jaw tightened, his hands curling into fists. “This isn’t about hatred-”
“Yes, it is,” I interrupted. “You can’t stand the idea of me talking to him because you hate him. You hate what he’s done, what he represents. And I get that, Alaric, I do. But this isn’t about you. This is about me.”
His silence was deafening, his gaze locked on mine.
I took a shaky breath, trying to steady my voice. “I need to know who I am. I need to know what happened to my mother. And if Alonso Cruz is the only person who can give me those answers, then I have to take that chance.”
“And what if he lies to you?” Alaric asked quietly. “What if he twists the truth to suit his agenda? What then?”
“Then I’ll deal with it,” I said. “But I can’t live with myself if I don’t at least try.”
He turned away from me, his hands raking through his hair in frustration. “You don’t understand what you’re asking, Emilia. If you go to him, you’re playing right into his hands. He’ll use you against me. He’ll use this to hurt us both.”
“I’m not asking to go to him,” I said softly. “I’m asking to talk to him. To hear him out. That’s all.”
“And you think he’ll stop at talking?” Alaric asked, his voice filled with disbelief. “You think he won’t use this opportunity to manipulate you, to turn you against me?”
“Why would he do that?” I asked, genuinely confused.
“Because that’s what men like him do,” Alaric said, his voice hard. “They destroy everything they touch. And I won’t let him destroy you.”
“I’m not asking for your permission,” I said again, my voice trembling but firm. “I’m asking for your support. I’m asking you to stand by me, to trust me to handle this.”
His eyes met mine, dark and filled with turmoil. “And if I can’t?”
“Then maybe we’re not as strong as I thought,” I said quietly.
The words hung in the air between us, heavy and painful.
Alaric’s expression softened, the anger giving way to something more vulnerable. “Don’t say that.”
“I don’t want to,” I said, my voice breaking. “But I can’t ignore this, Alaric. I can’t pretend it doesn’t matter to me. And if you can’t see that, then I don’t know where we go from here.”
His shoulders slumped, and for the first time, he looked defeated. “You don’t understand what you’re asking me to do, Emilia. You’re asking me to stand by while you walk into the lion’s den. You’re asking me to risk losing you.”
“I’m not asking you to lose me,” I said, stepping closer. “I’m asking you to trust me. To trust that I know what I’m doing.”
He looked at me for a long moment, his gaze searching mine. And then he sighed, his hands dropping to his sides. “I don’t like this. I don’t agree with it. But if it’s what you need, I’ll support you.”
Relief washed over me, though it was tinged with sadness. “Thank you.”
“But,” he added, his tone firm, “I’m going with you. And if I even suspect that he’s up to something, we’re leaving. No arguments.”
I nodded, grateful that he was even going to come with me. Although that sounded like a really terrible idea, I wasn’t going to argue with him on it. “Okay.”
He stepped closer, his hand cupping my cheek as he looked into my eyes. “I love you, Emilia. And I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe. Even if it means going against my instincts.”
“I love you too,” I whispered, leaning into his touch.