Chapter 17

The first rays of sunlight filtered through the gauzy curtains, casting golden stripes across the marble floor. A soft breeze drifted in from the half-open balcony door, carrying the distant scent of fresh bread and coffee from a café down the street. The atmosphere was so silent, but not like the one she used to love in. This silence was calming, peaceful and relaxing. Everything felt soothing as well as comfortable.

Innara stirred gently.

For the first time in what felt like forever, she hadn’t woken in a panic. No cold sweat. No pounding heart. Just quiet. Stillness. She turned on the other side trying to block away the golden light coming on her face, her face scrunched up slightly not used to waking up in such light but darkness. Suddenly realisation started to dawn upon her that she wasn't in that hell hole anymore.

She blinked against the morning light, momentarily confused by the soft sheets, the warm duvet. Her hand instinctively moved to her belly—her little one was calm too, tucked peacefully inside her. That alone felt like a miracle. She couldn't believe she had brought this life to seven months even after living in danger and starving for days. It was so overwhelming for her that she'll bring life to this world.

She sat up slowly, legs swinging over the edge of the bed. Her feet touched the cold marble floor, grounding her. Her dress from last night had shifted, but she didn’t care. There was something new in the air—an unfamiliar but welcome peace. She was still in her thoughts of her unborn baby, how will she raise it because she knows nothing, nothing about a family, how does a parent work because she never had one.

Her feet automatically moved towards the door of her room. She opened it slightly peeking out for any danger as per the habit but then her hand froze knowing she wasn't at that place anymore. She composed her posture and walked out of her room closing the door behind herself.

Soft voices came from the other side of the apartment. She followed them.

As she padded barefoot toward the kitchen, the smell of freshly brewed coffee hit her first—warm and rich. Then came the sight: Agustín, in a casual black shirt and joggers, sleeves pushed up, standing at the stove. He was flipping something in a pan with an ease she wouldn’t have expected from a man who looked like he belonged in a boardroom or on the cover of a magazine.

He looked up when he heard her footsteps and offered a relaxed, easy smile.

"Morning. I was just about to wake you." he said looking at her.

"You cook?" She asked and blinked in confusion. He gave a shrug.

"I don’t trust hotel breakfasts. Years of travel trauma. This is my survival instinct." He replied coolly earning a nod from her.

The edges of her lips lifted. A nearly-smile.

"Sit. You must be hungry." He pointed toward the island counter.

"A little." She said in hesitation and nodded.

"That’s progress." he said with a wink which suddenly made her nervous and she looked down on her hands finding them the most beautiful thing in the world.

He placed a plate in front of her—soft scrambled eggs, a slice of sourdough toast, and grilled tomatoes. A glass of fresh orange juice stood beside it, and he added a folded napkin, like it was second nature to take care of someone. Innara looked at the breakfast as if it was something fancy and expensive and she is a kid restricted to touch it. Agustín noticed her staring at the plate blankly.

"By staring it won't get inside your tummy on your own. You have to eat it." He said with a gentle chuckle pulling her out of her daze. Her mind at ease a little.

She took the fork in silence, eyes lingering on the food for a second too long.

"I wasn’t sure what you liked but we can get anything else if this isn’t right." he said gently thinking she doesn't like the food.

"No, it’s perfect." She said and shook her head quietly because little did he know this would be the first proper meal of her entire life. Slowly she started picking up on the food and ate silently.

A few minutes passed with only the quiet sound of cutlery and the occasional clink of ceramic. He didn’t press her to talk, didn’t pry. He just sipped his coffee across from her and let her exist—safe, fed, seen.

After a while, she looked up at him, truly looked, and spoke because something in her mind was too loud and she wanted to let it out. So she decided to ask him about it.

"Do you always do this? Save people and make breakfast the next morning?" She asked and in that moment she was looking for nothing but pure innocence.

A low chuckle left him. "No. Just you."

That made her blush, the warmth rising unexpectedly in her cheeks. She never felt something like this but a man around before, she felt as if her body was on fire, as if she had a fever. She looked down on the plate which was empty now. Then he spoke in his softened tone.

"We’ll take it slow. You and the baby. You don’t owe anyone your past, not even me. But I want you to know… you have a future here, Innara. One that’s yours to write." She looked up at him and held his gaze, this time, it didn’t hurt to believe him.

As the sunlight bathed the room in gold and the hum of the city whispered through the windows, it felt like—maybe, just maybe—a new chapter was beginning.

But there was a genuine question in her mind about what future she even had there. She didn't want to be a burden on him, she didn't want to become his unnecessary responsibility and bother him. She doesn't want him to look after her every now and then, even if she likes his presence because he wasn't someone who has to take care of her in the first place. She wasn't her responsibility to take care of.

"Innara? If you don't mind can we go out on a walk for a while?" Agustín asked gaining her attention and she looked at him.

"Walk?" She asked lowly confused by his sudden question.

"Yes actually, I know you are not used to it but the doctor strictly advised me to take you on a small walk as it will help your circulation to become better and the baby will be healthy there." He explained to her and at the mention of the healthy baby her ears perked up.

"Okay then, I'll come with you for a walk." She said earning a smile from him. He smiled at her innocence.

"Let me arrange some things first and then I'll let you know about it." He said softly earning a nod from her.

"Can I go to my room then?" She asked hesitantly feeling exhausted because she is too weak and malnourished and with the inside of her she gets tired too soon.

"You don't have to ask me for anything, it's your place too." He said assuredly making her nod slowly even if she didn't believe him.

She got down from the stool and slowly started walking back towards her room while his gaze followed her gentle steps and his eyes stuck to her moving figure. He felt something special with her which he hadn't felt with anyone before but maybe it can be also because he had never been with a girl before in his twenty seven years of life due to being busy with his tight schedules.

The only woman he has been around is his mother, Vanessa. Sometimes she even tried to set him up for dates but it never worked out for him and she also didn't force him ever again. Agustín also walked away from there to do some arrangements before taking Innara out for a walk because he knew Zavier's men must be looking for her just the way they followed them everywhere but he can't even keep her locked in the apartment for the whole day.

She also needs to get out for fresh air and explore the places around. She has to get familiar with the things and people around because her life will be here only and to survive she has to know about things around her. He instructed his men to check upon the market and streets for any suspicious people or things which should concern them and inform him with a solid report and then he will take her out for a walk later.

After breakfast, Agustín didn’t say much—he simply handed Innara a soft cream colored cardigan, a quiet gesture that said, You don’t need to dress up to be seen. She wrapped it around herself carefully over a long dress he’d placed in the wardrobe for her. The apartment had been fully stocked for comfort, but nothing flashy — just subtle luxury and quiet care. She spent her whole day in her room only.

It was evening time by now and he waited by the door, holding a pair of sunglasses and a scarf, offering them without a word. She felt so new and foreign as she was going out for a walk for the first time in her life. She took them, almost sheepishly, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. For a moment, it felt like they were pretending to be two normal people going for a walk.

But nothing about Innara’s world has ever been normal.

Agustín punched in the password and as soon as he entered it the door opened and they both stepped inside the elevator. Innara looked down at her feet not knowing what to do while Agustín typed something in his phone. When the elevator opened with a soft sound he pushed his phone back into his pants pocket and walked out behind her.

They both came out of the building and this time she looked around the surroundings of the building properly. It was a very quiet area with not many people around as if reserved for them. Agustín let her curious gaze wander everywhere they wanted. He walked beside her gently guiding her through the silent street ways and no one chose to speak at first.

"Where are we going?" Suddenly Innara asked him wanting to know where he was taking her.

"No where far, just to explore." He said earning a small nod from her and then no one of them spoke.

The silence between them wasn't awkward but comforting like peace in chaos. They were walking side by side lost in their own thoughts. Innara was busy admiring the beauty of Madrid around her because she never felt this much free ever before. While Agustín on the other hand, had his eyes everywhere, alerted not wanting any danger to loom over her just because she was with him.

The streets of Madrid bustled as usual, golden sunlight bouncing off old buildings with wrought iron balconies, children laughing as they chased pigeons around Plaza Mayor, and street musicians playing soft guitar ballads. The scent of fresh churros, roasted coffee, and blooming jasmine filled the warm air.

Agustín kept a small distance between them, never brushing against her, never pushing her to speak. Yet his eyes watched everything—not just the people around them, but her. Her flinches. Her hesitations. The way her hand was protectively curled around her belly each time a man walked past too closely.

When they passed a small shop window displaying delicate baby clothes, her steps slowed.

Agustín paused beside her, following her gaze. A pale blue onesie with tiny gold stars hung in the center of the display. Her eyes glistened for a second—wistful, uncertain. He could see the shine in her eyes like she was imagining her baby in it. He smiled at her motherly gesture and took a step close to her.

"You can go in. No one here knows you. No one here owns you." he said gently reminding her of her freedom.

She looked up at him, stunned by the simple truth of his words.

"I’ll be right here." he added with an assuring nod which made her look back at the onesie on the display as if it was calling her.

A minute later, she was inside. Not for long—but long enough to touch something that wasn’t survival. Something soft. Something hers. She doesn't want to own it but feels it with the bottom of her heart.

When she came out, her hands were empty but her expression was different. Lighter. Like she’d let herself breathe a little.

Agustín looked at her empty hands and then her face which had a calming expression on her face. She looked in his eyes and even if there wasn't a smile on her face, her eyes were reflecting the happiness in her heart. He didn't know something so small can give her this much happiness.

"Don't you want it?" He questioned her making her shake her head in denial.

"But you liked it." He resonated looking at that onesie too.

"Yes, but I just wanted to take a closer look at it. Nothing else." She explained content.

"Are you sure?" He asked gently.

"Yes." She replied and then he didn't push her more.

They started walking again taking a look at different things around and he could clearly observe the shine in her eyes whenever she used to look at something captivating. She was fascinated by almost everything and he was more than happy to bring her out and decided to do it more often. Even if her smile was almost invisible, it was still there indicating that she was happy to be out of the apartment.

Later, they sat at a small café under a canopy, sipping iced lemon water. She nibbled on a piece of warm olive bread, while Agustín checked something briefly on his phone, then set it down, fully attentive to her again. Today she walked a lot and felt her feet getting a little sore but it was all worth it. She curled her toes for a while and looked back at him.

"I didn’t think I’d ever see a day like this. Where the sky wasn’t grey." she said softly.

"In Spain, we live under the sun. Even when the clouds come." he said, leaning back in his chair.

She tilted her head, her eyes lingering on him. "Is this really your life?"

He shrugged. "Parts of it. But I’m realizing maybe it can be more. Something better."

"So- Do you have a girlfriend?" He asked with a pause as if hesitant to start the topic catching him off guard for a while.