Chapter 191

I swallowed, my body reacting before my mind could catch up. I took a step forward and then took another.
The urge to touch her, to reach out, to feel the warmth of my mark on her skin… was overwhelming.
I needed to. I needed to.
I could see it in my mind; the way my fingers would brush over her pulse point, the way her skin would feel beneath my touch, the way her breath would hitch…
My heart pounded. I stepped closer…
And suddenly, she moved fast.
She shoved at the door, trying to slam it shut before I could get in.
“Wait… María José!”
BAM.
The wooden door smacked into my face before I could stop it. I staggered back, cursing under my breath.
“María José!” I growled, pressing a hand to my forehead. “Are you serious?”
I heard her sharp inhale from the other side of the door.
“I she started, then hesitated.
I could practically feel her debating whether or not to open it again.
“That was an accident,” she finally muttered.
I scoffed, rubbing my forehead. “Was it? Because that was suspiciously fast for an accident, Señorita Reflexes. ”
She was silent. Then, very, very softly…
Are you okay?”
I paused. It was such a simple question, and yet…
Damn it.
I exhaled slowly, leaning against the door, my hand still pressed against my forehead. “No,” I admitted. “No, María José. I am not okay.”
The door didn’t open, but she didn’t tell me to leave, either.
Progress.
“Will you come check for yourself whether I’m okay or not?” I smirked.
At first, there was no movement from her end. I gulped, waiting, because I knew my MJ. She was the kindest soul, and even if she was vengeful, she could never be cruel.
She made to open the door just a little bit to peek, but that was my chance; I lunged, one hand shooting out to grip the edge of the door before it could close completely.
Her eyes widened, and she shoved harder, but I wasn’t letting go.
Not now. Not after this.
I met her gaze through the small opening, our breathing sharp and unsteady.
“Don’t do this. Don’t shut me out.”
Her jaw clenched and her fingers tightened around the wood.
“Just go, Axel,” she snapped.
I gritted my teeth.
No. That wasn’t happening.
“Not until you let me prove the truth to you.”
I pushed against the door just a little harder, forcing it open an inch more. She let out a sharp breath, her muscles tensing, and her body coiled and defensive like a cornered animal.
Her scar caught the dim light which was a cruel contrast against the softness of her skin.
It made me furious all over again. But right now, my priority wasn’t my anger. It was her.
Her pain. Her belief was that I had betrayed her. Her refusal to believe anything I said. I had to fix this.
I would fix this.
Even if it took every ounce of strength I had. Even if I had to stand here all damn night, fighting against this door and against her stubbornness.
I wasn’t leaving. And she was going to listen to me. Even if it killed me.
I forced my way inside.
The second my foot crossed the threshold, I slammed the door shut behind me, sealing us inside. My breath was ragged, my pulse pounding, and every muscle in my body was locked tight.
María José stumbled back with her chest rising and falling rapidly. Her dark eyes were wide with shock. She wasn’t expecting me to actually get in.
But I had.
And I wasn’t leaving.
The dim light twinkled above us. The air was thick, so thick, I could taste it. I could taste the mix of her scent, her fear, and something else. Something charged and electric.
I turned to her fully, and… holy shit.
My brain flew out the window.
I had seen María José a hundred times before. I had stared at her, memorized her, and burned the image of her into my skull so many times that I could have described her blindfolded.
But now?
Now, she stood in front of me in that ridiculously tiny skirt, the hem barely reaching mid-thigh, the top hugging her frame, making her look younger, fragile, and breakable. Like something I needed to shield. Something I needed to claim.
My jaw clenched and my nostrils flared.
The scar on her face was there, but I didn’t just see that. I saw her. The original beauty beneath. The kind of beauty that was haunting, relentless, and meant to destroy men.
And I was already destroyed.
We stared at each other unwaveringly, the air pulling tight between us. A minute passed.
A minute of silence, of heat, of the slow realization that whatever was happening here, it was irreversible.
Her throat bobbed as she swallowed. She took a step back. I took a step forward.
Her breath got louder.
“Don’t run from me,” I murmured, voice rougher than I intended.
“Leave me alone, Axel.”
My hands curled into fists. “I don’t know how deep the damage is. I don’t know what was done to my identity, how far someone went to make you think I betrayed you. But this… this is the real me. The real me who wants you, who has chosen you. And I will do whatever it takes to make you believe that.”
Her lips parted and a shuddering breath escaped it.
I had never said this before. Never claimed her so completely because I hadn’t known it myself. I had been a fool for a long time. Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on
And for the first time, she didn’t immediately push back. That was all the opportunity I needed. I pressed forward, closing the space between us.
She was startled and her hands fidgeted at her side, like she wasn’t sure whether to push me away or pull me closer.
But then, she suddenly scratched at the mark on her shoulder like it was damn itching.
My stomach dropped at that one single innocent movement.
I moved fast, grabbing her wrist. “What are you doing?”
Her eyes darted up to mine, wide, guilty, and defensive. “Nothing.”
Liar.
I didn’t give her the chance to fight me.