Lahat ng Kabanata ng Engaged to the Devil, Loved by His Shadow : Kabanata 31 - Kabanata 40

I woke up to sunlight on my face and Matteo’s arm heavy around my waist like he was scared I would disappear in the night.For a second, I did not move.The room was warm. The sheets were soft. The world was quiet in a good way this time, not the loud quiet that makes your head hurt.Then Matteo’s fingers moved slightly on my hip.“You’re staring at me,” he said, eyes still closed.“I am not.”He opened one eye. “You are.”I rolled onto my back. “You snore.”“I do not.”“You do.”He pulled me closer without warning, his arm tightening around me. “Careful,” he murmured, his voice deep from sleep. “I can still change my mind about being nice.”I felt heat crawl up my neck. “You’re never nice.”He leaned over me suddenly, one hand braced beside my head on the pillow. His hair fell forward a little. His eyes were warm but sharp at the same time.“Last night,” he said softly, “I was very nice.”My stomach flipped.“Yes,” I said, trying to sound calm. “You were.”He studied my face like he

“I’m here,” I answered, and I meant it.His weight pressed gently into me as he leaned over me on the bed, careful, like I was something fragile but wanted.His lips moved from my mouth to my jaw, then lower to my neck. He paused there, his breath warm against my skin.My hands slid up into his hair without thinking.He let out a quiet sound when I pulled slightly.“Serafina,” he said my name like it meant something heavy and sweet at the same time.I arched toward him, not asking, just responding. The room felt smaller and more warm.The world outside faded until there was nothing but the sound of our breathing.Slow at first.Then uneven.He lifted his head to look at me, like he needed to see my face.“Tell me if you want me to stop,” he said, serious even now.I shook my head and pulled him back down.“Don’t stop.”That was all he needed.He kissed me like he had been holding back since forever.His hands moved over me carefully, slowly, as if memorizing every reaction.Every smal

“This road is evil,” I declared.“It is famous,” he corrected.“It should be arrested.”He laughed again, fuller this time, and that sound did something warm inside my chest even though I was still slightly convinced we might roll into the sea at any moment.The window beside me showed the cliff dropping down into blue water that looked peaceful and innocent, which felt very suspicious because nothing that calm should sit at the bottom of such dangerous curves.“Do not look down,” Matteo said softly.“I was not,” I lied immediately, even though I absolutely was.He gently turned my face toward him with two fingers under my chin, forcing me to look at his calm expression instead of the dramatic cliff of possible doom.“Look at me,” he said.“That does not help,” I told him, even though it did.“It helps me,” he replied, which made absolutely no sense but somehow made my heartbeat slow down.The driver slowed slightly behind a tiny yellow car that looked like it had been built in 1982 a

He watched me carefully.“They will look for the soft place,” I finished while pressing my hand lightly against his chest.He took my wrist gently in his hand and lowered it from his chest.“You are not a soft place,” he said firmly while holding my hand between both of his.“I am human,” I replied while meeting his eyes. “And humans are weak.”His grip tightened slightly, not in anger, but in certainty.“I break people who try,” he said calmly while stepping closer until there was no space between us.I felt his breath against my forehead as he leaned down slightly.“I have lived in danger my whole life,” he continued while brushing his thumb slowly over the inside of my wrist. “You did not create it.”“But I could make it easier,” I whispered while closing my eyes for a second.He lifted my chin again so I would look at him.“You make me stronger,” he said while holding my face gently in both hands. “That is the only change you brought.”The way he said it made my throat burn.“I do

“What is it?” I asked while stepping closer and studying his face carefully.He inhaled once through his nose and then looked at me slowly.“Alessia has been released,” he said while lowering the phone slightly but not locking the screen yet.The words hit me like air rushing back into my lungs.“She is alive?” I asked while gripping his arm tightly because my knees suddenly felt weak.“Yes,” he replied while nodding once and keeping his voice steady in a way that made me trust it.Relief flooded me so fast that I had to close my eyes for a moment just to steady myself.“Where is she?” I asked while opening my eyes again and searching his expression.“She is back in Italy,” he answered while glancing down at the screen again like he was rereading something.I let out a shaky breath and pressed my palm against my chest.“Thank God,” I whispered while turning slightly toward the sea because I needed to look at something bigger than my own thoughts.But Matteo did not move.He was still