A Twin’s Wound
♚ Angel ♚
We lay in the darkness of our bedroom, the chill of the air conditioner held at bay by the warm cocoon of blankets draped over us.
Raul's head rested on my thighs, his dark curls soft under my fingers as I played with them.
There was something so childlike about the way he rested on me, something so raw in his silence.
The silence between us was heavy, not with tension but with the weight of truths about to spill.
Then he began to speak—low, heavy, like a man finally letting old ghosts crawl out of his chest.
"Nikolai and I were inseparable growing up," he started, his voice low, raw, carrying a nostalgia tinged with pain.
"As twins, we were two halves of a whole in high school—heartthrobs, they called us, always together, untouchable. Then I met Alfreda. She was the girl every guy wanted, the kind who turned heads and fueled fantasies. But I didn't want her like that. I thought I'd found the love of my life."
A lump rose in my throat as I stroked his hair in silence.
"I was clueless about my feelings, so I confided in Nikolai, my best friend, my only friend. He warned me she was only after sex, but he helped me anyway—told me how to win her over, to be careful. I followed his advice, and we became the school's power couple."
His words trembled with a vulnerability I rarely heard, and my heart ached as I traced circles through his hair, urging him to continue.
"I made it clear I wasn't in it for her body. I took her on dates, did all the cheesy high school stuff—picnics, locker notes, movie nights. I thought it was real."
He paused, his breath hitching, and I felt a pang in my chest, sensing the wound he was about to uncover.
"It didn't last. I caught Nikolai sleeping with her, just to be another guy who'd 'had a taste.' It shattered me. It took a year, but I forgave him—or tried to."
My fingers stilled in his hair, my throat tightening.
"Then college happened," he continued, his tone darker.
"I met Claretta. We got serious, got engaged, but history repeated itself. Nikolai slept with her too. I found out they'd been together even before the engagement, and I think she got pregnant, but lost the child."
His voice cracked, and my heart splintered. I wanted to hold him, to erase the pain, but I let him speak, my fingers resuming their gentle strokes.
"I nearly flunked my exams, Angel. I was spiraling—drinking, trying to sleep around to numb it, but I couldn't. Every time I got close to someone, something in me stopped. I'd leave before it went too far. I wasn't that guy, no matter how much I hurt."
My chest ached listening to him.
"With Mamá's help, I managed to finish school. Graduated with honors. She begged me to forgive Nikolai again. And I did, or at least pretended to. But deep down, I knew—I'd never forget. I'd never trust him again."
I swallowed hard, tears pricking my eyes as I imagined a younger Raul, broken by his brother's actions.
"Mamá didn't want me to lose myself, so she arranged my marriage to Catalina. To keep me grounded. To make me 'move on.' And I went along with it, because at that point...I was just numb."
He laughed, but there was no humor in it.
"I thought Catalina would be different. She was beautiful, accomplished, a model at twenty-two from a wealthy family. I expected a brat, but at first, she wasn't. I hoped I could love her, build something real."
He shifted, his cheek warm against my thigh, his vulnerability stripping him bare.
"Our first night together? It told me everything. The moment we had sex, I realized—I couldn't do this. She didn't excite me. Not emotionally. Not sexually. She was the complete opposite of everything I wanted in a woman."
My heart clenched, his pain seeping into me.
"I gave her space the first year. Tried to make it work. But she was entitled. She wanted everything her way, always. And her smile... there was something off, something fake that gnawed at me."
There was a moment of silence, one that held nothing but pain and sadness.
I stroked his cheek softly.
"I never worried about Nikolai sleeping with her. He's not even into blondes."
He paused for a moment, jaw tightening.
"He's always been the one to sleep around, and I didn't care—until he went after the women I loved. I knew when he started seeing Catalina. But I stayed quiet... waited for the right time to use it."
He let out a humorless laugh.
"Then right before I went to inspect the strip club in Malibu, I got a confirmation message—he crossed the line again. And he didn't even end things with Claretta until recently."
His hand found mine, his fingers intertwining tightly.
"Then you came into my life."
His voice softened, and something in the way he said it made my chest tighten.
"When I realized I was falling for you, Angel," he continued, his thumb tracing idle circles on my thigh, "I saw Nikolai eyeing you—ready to charm you like he did them. I couldn't let it happen again."
I remembered the way Nikolai had looked at me in the early days—charming, magnetic, dangerous. But I never knew Raul had seen it too. That he'd felt threatened. Protective. Jealous.
"I had to fight for you," he confessed, his voice deeper now, edged with a quiet kind of desperation, "even if it meant becoming the villain. Even if it meant cheating on Catalina."
I swallowed hard.
"Because being with you wasn't cheating—it was saving myself."
Tears spilled down my cheeks, his story a garden of wilted roses and stubborn blooms
I knew how much loyalty meant to him. How much he hated betrayal. And still, he'd broken his own rules—for me.
I slid down, wrapping my arms around him, pulling him close until his head rested against my chest, my heartbeat a steady rhythm against his cheek.
"Raul," I whispered, my voice thick with emotion, "you've been through so much. I'm so sorry."
His arms tightened around me, his breath warm against my skin.
"You're my role model, Raul," I admitted, my voice trembling.
"Why's that?" he asked, his voice soft and curious.
"Because you're brave, Raul. You're strong. You've survived betrayal, heartbreak, and disappointment—and yet, here you are, still capable of loving me. That's not just strength... it's inspiring."
A smile ghosted across his lips as he slowly sat up.
His gaze held mine with a warmth that melted every ounce of fear I didn't realize I still carried.
"I couldn't help falling for you, Tesoro," he murmured, brushing his fingers against my cheek.
"You came into my life like a savior—like an angel I didn't know I needed."
His words cracked something open inside me.
Without a word, I reached for his hand and guided it to the left side of my chest, pressing it gently over my heart. I didn't care that his palm grazed the curve of my breast—what mattered was that he felt what I felt.
"This heart beats only for you, Raul," I whispered.
"I'll never hurt you. I'll never cheat on you. I'll never make you feel that kind of pain again. All I want is to love you... to give you peace, and happiness. That's my promise to you."
"You're something else, Caramella," he murmured, his voice husky with gratitude and amusement.
He pressed his forehead to mine, his breath mingling with mine.
"I don't deserve you," I sobbed, my voice raw, "but I'll spend every day proving I do. You're my heart."
"You don't have to try so hard, Tesoro," he mumbled, his lips brushing my temple. "I know you'd never betray me. And as for happiness... just smile for me, Angel. That's enough to keep me breathing."
He pulled me tighter into his chest, and I melted into the safety of his arms.
His chin rested on my head, and his fingers tangled gently in my curls, lulling me into a calm I hadn't felt in years.
Catalina was a fool, I thought silently. She didn't know the god she had by her side.
Raul wasn't perfect—but to me, he was everything. Flawed, yes, but real. Honest. Mine.
"I love you, Raul," I breathed against his chest.
He tilted my face up, holding my chin in his hand like I was something delicate he feared breaking.
"I love you more, Angel," he rasped, and then he kissed me—deep, slow, and full of promise.