Chapter 35: My only wife

I slowly brought my hand to cup my mouth, my eyes widening. I couldn't take my eyes off the videos on the TV, and I could hardly move.

Larissa's husband is dead?

I turned to Sin, and he was watching too, but with the calmest expression ever. His eyes gave nothing away, not even the slightest bit of shock, and I blinked.

He had said he didn't do this to Aldo, but then, who would? I mean, if Aldo was out of the way, Larissa would probably come back to him.

But Sin didn't seem like the sort of person to do something like that. He already had enough power over Aldo, so if he had wanted Larissa back, I doubt he wouldn't have been able to take her from him without a fight.

"Sin..."

He gave a sigh, then turned the TV off and slowly turned to meet my eyes. "Yes?"

I swallowed. "What are we going to do?"

He raised a brow. "We are going to change Angel's wardrobe and get her the dollhouse she has always wanted. Why do you ask?"

I swallowed, then slowly sat next to him. "You know what I am talking about, Sin. What are we going to do about Aldo's death?"

"Why do we need to bother about it? Am I related to him? Or are you?"

"But Sin..."

"Shh," he said, bringing his hand over his lips, his brow raising. "My daughter is right here, and I do not want her hearing about this. Do me a favor, go take a shower because you will need a wardrobe too."

I took in a shaky breath, then stood up, my fists clenching. His eyes held mine till the very last second before I turned away, and I took in a deep breath, my lips sucked between my teeth.

I headed back upstairs the same way I had come down, then went to the room. I went into the shower, dumping the robe I was wearing away.

Maybe Sin was right. Maybe we didn't need to worry about Aldo. But would Larissa really sit still with Aldo now dead and with Sin's threat from last night?

I mean, Sin couldn't have ordered Aldo to be killed in such a short time. After all, I was with him in the car. I was with him when...

My thoughts took a standstill as that one moment filled my mind.

'Stop talking. What you did back there was already attractive enough.'

I closed my eyes, my lips parting. Did Sin really think I was attractive? Like, with all the stench of poverty and the crudeness and unrefined edges? Maybe he was just saying it to be polite? Maybe he just said it in the heat of the moment?

I sighed. Sin had looked anything but heated. He didn't seem like someone who knew how to lose his calm over anything at all. Or anyone.

That's what made it all the more unbelievable that he could have gone as far as killing Aldo just to get Larissa back. Even though, in retrospect, she probably deserved it for setting her child up like that.

I got out of the shower, my mind occupied as I fixed the towel around me. I also felt sort of guilty. For exposing the fake paintings. Not like it wasn't the right thing to do, but... maybe Larissa had gone off on Aldo and forced him to take the blame or something. Maybe it had been too much and...

"If you keep thinking of Aldo like that, I would be tempted to wonder on whose side you are on."

My head snapped up, my eyes meeting Sin's. I tried to move before I crashed into him, but I ended up losing my balance and falling backward, the towel slowly falling loose, my hands torn between reaching out to something to break my fall, and trying to keep the towel on me.

Suddenly, Sin's hand wrapped around the small of my waist, and his other hand slowly held the knot of my towel, keeping it in place and preventing it from falling away.

My lips parted as I looked up at his still-dazzling eyes. It didn't matter how many times I saw them. They were still as ethereal.

He didn't let his eyes fall lower than mine, and I let my eyes dart slowly across both of his, my breath hitching in my throat.

I expected him to say more, but he didn't, and he slowly moved, his hand helping me as he pulled me to stand on my own.

I bit down on my lips, my eyes closing as I immediately turned away from him, my eyes closing out of embarrassment.

I heard as he started to walk away, and I sighed, my chest heaving.

"The only person I am actually worried about is you, Sin. And Angel. I mean, Aldo's death could mean so much..."

"Like what?" He asked, his voice steely, yet soft.

I swallowed. "Larissa could come back to you. I mean, she could also file a case against you based on the threat from last night and..." I trailed off, then turned to him, my eyes meeting his.

He had an unreadable expression on his face, his eyes slightly wider than normal.

For a minute, silence fell between us, and for the thousandth time ever since I had come here, I felt it. The thick tension. The cackling electricity.

His eyes thinned a little as he let his eyes leave mine, his eyes skimming around my face like he was trying to memorize my features.

I sighed, then nodded. "I am sorry if it isn't my place. I just... your daughter is just so adorable that even as a stranger, I can't help but care about her. And... yes. I am sorry. I just... - "

"My daughter... or me?" He asked suddenly, causing my throat to go dry.

"What?"

Before I could take another breath, he covered the distance between us, his fingers cupping under my chin, his eyes so dark I could almost feel myself drowning inside them. His body was so close that it felt like I would smell like him once he moved away.

I sucked in a deep breath, my chest heaving, my eyes wide as I struggled to maintain composure.

"Are you worried about my daughter, or are you worried about Larissa coming back to her place so there will be none for you?"

I met his eyes now and swallowed. "Which am I allowed to do?"

He chuckled, his thumb dropping to my lips. He let them run around my upper lip, rubbing lightly, sending electricity coursing through my veins.

He leaned to my ear, his smile small as he let his lips run lightly across my face and ear. "You can do both, baby girl. You are, in the end, my only wife."

I swallowed, turning to him, my lips parting slowly.

He gave a small smile. "We signed a contract, Annalise. I am a man of my word. Five months it will be."

I nodded, and he turned away, his fingers raking through his hair as he walked away.

I turned to get dressed, but then stopped, my brows furrowed. Wait. Why do I feel relieved?