Chapter 24 — Home

(Natasha)

NAME: Cain Del Roman

Likes: Natasha Rivera

Dislikes: Not having Natasha by my side

I tried to hold back my tears after reading Cain’s entry on Fiona’s slum book. She was Miguel’s ten-year-old niece. I had met her many times during my mall shows and fan meetings. I remembered Fiona mentioning the slum book. The little girl was among my avid supporter. But since this party was strictly for adults, Fiona wasn’t here. The little girl had her uncle brought her slum book so I could still sign it. Miguel embarrassingly handed it to me in the name of his favorite niece.

Cain’s entry was the last one on the slum book that’s why I accidentally saw it. It seemed that even the mighty Cain wasn’t spared from Fiona’s earnestness. I knew it was wrong, still, I read his entry out of curiosity and was surprised to find my name as his favorite singer. My songs were listed as his favorites, too.

“You are truly a lucky woman, you know,” Agatha said. I was taken aback when I noticed that she was reading Cain’s entry, too. My entire staff was here, too. They warmly welcomed me a while ago. My bodyguards secretly followed me and they were currently enjoying the party. Even Silas’ family were here. All of Cain’s friends and trusted subordinates were present, too.

When I got here and searched for him, they were laughing when they confessed that they only set me up and that the pictures Frank sent me were just photoshopped.

“I’m sorry, Natasha. We are doing this for His Highness. We want him to be happy. And a little snoopy bird here told us how desperate you were in trying to find His Highness that you even asked for a sudden vacation and planned a press-con to call out to him,” I remembered Joshua saying before pointing Agatha. She was obviously the ‘little snoopy bird’. “All that must mean that you have feelings for him, right? We wanted him to break free from his past. The truth is, it is not Miguel’s birthday today.”

My eyes widened. “What?”

Frank butted in. “We just wanted to rile His Highness up so he would show up. He had done so much for us and we can’t let him live in the darkness now that he had finally found someone he wanted to be with. His Highness loves you, Natasha. We just happened to discover that before he did.” They burst in laughter. “He was so powerful, but he was still so innocent and so clueless when it comes to human emotions. Although he had his reasons for it. To be honest, we don’t know how this night would end up between the two of you. It’s up to the both of you. We wish you luck, Natasha.”

“For most women, His Highness was like an unattainable prize. They could only look at him but they cannot have him,” Agatha continued. “Do you know what he would do every time women would approach him? He would tell them your name and then he would say, ‘you see that woman over there? She’s the one who owns me. If you want to be with me, you have to ask for her permission first.’ And then like magic, those women would shy away.”

Something warm touched my heart. How could I not fall in love with a man like that? Even if Cain wasn’t here, I could still feel his presence through everyone’s stories about him. I rushed here to fight for my love. But it seemed like in the end, the ones I needed to fight were not the women who wanted to get him, but the demons in his head and his belief that he was not worthy to love and be loved.

I glanced at Cain’s subordinates who surrounded me after I arrived in this party. The men who tried approaching me to ask for a dance all went away after they saw the Vampires staring at them. I couldn’t believe that they organized a party like this for Cain. Even the famous personalities in the country were here, too. And it was not a pool party but a formal one. Mrs. Sinclair, the Night King’s cheerful wife, even helped me changed my dress into a red sleeveless, long gown. And I liked it. It was elegant, it fitted me, and it accentuated my curves.

Everything was beautifully and elegantly decorated. The theme of the party was silver, red, and gold. The flowers around were my favorites, too. In one corner of the huge garden, there was an international orchestra playing.

The party itself proved how everybody loved Cain. Contrast to what he thought about himself, he had been a good man that’s why so many people were helping him like this. And it made me really happy because I felt like this was also everyone’s way of telling me that they accepted me for Cain. Who am I anyway? There were many women out there who were a lot better than me. But I was the one he fell in love with.

In another circumstance, someone like me would not have been able to hold Cain in my arms. Had we met in another situation; I doubt if he would even notice me. He was a very amazing man and he was surrounded with amazing people, too. I wouldn’t have had a chance to be with him if I didn’t conquer my fears that night and wake him from his sleep.

More than two years had passed since that night, but it still felt like yesterday. The past years had brought me pain, tears, and agony. But in the middle of them all, there were promising days, too. And Cain had brought me those days. So how… how could he think he didn’t deserve me? I was actually the one who wasn’t supposed to have him.

A while ago, Joshua assured me that Cain would also come even if he disliked parties. They told me they used the same photoshopped trick on him to make him attend. And I had been filled with anticipation since then.

I excused myself for a while to go to the ladies’ room when the guards were summoned by the Night King. What a relief. I knew they were being protective, but it was not like something would happen to me while I was in their domain. I’m not comfortable in knowing that there were guards waiting for me even outside the ladies’ room. Those men ought to enjoy the night, too.

But before I could reach the hallway towards the ladies’ room, I already bumped into Brandon, a human like me and a well-known pianist in the country. He was very talented and a good person, too. I could feel it. In fact, he and I would be collaborating for my next album. I heard that his family was into textile business and he was their representative for tonight that’s why he was here, too.

“Your guards finally left your side. I thought we wouldn’t be able to talk for the entire night.”

“I’m sorry about those stubborn men. They’re Cain’s friends. They may have overreacted but they are nice people.”

He playfully smiled. “Cain... He’s the one, right? I watched some of your interviews. And whenever the hosts would talk about him, your eyes would shine.”

I blushed. “I… I didn’t know about that.” I didn’t know I was that obvious.

Brandon shrugged. “Well, I’m happy that you’re happy. You’ll be more inspired to create more beautiful songs. You look stunning as ever, by the way.”

I smiled back. “Thank you. You, too, Brandon. You look dashing.”

“Thanks. By the way, have you had dinner yet? ‘Wanna grab a bite together?”

Before I could answer, I already felt Cain’s presence. It was like I became extra sensitive lately. It was now easy for me to detect his presence. I don’t know if it was because we were always together or because he had fed me his energy a couple of times before. When he arrived, he possessively wrapped his arm around my waist. My heart pounded when I saw him. And there goes my fangirling heart again.

Until now, I still found it hard to believe that a face like his existed. Cain was wearing a light-blue tuxedo. His shoulder-length wavy hair was tied in a bun. The living room of Miguel’s mansion was huge. But all of a sudden, it seemed small because of him. In an instant, his presence filled the entire place. It was like he owned the place. This always happens whenever he arrives in a certain place. It was no wonder why others still regarded him as the Night King. Every bit of him screamed of how much of a royalty he was. He looked like he was born to rule.

“I haven’t eaten, too. The three of us can eat together,” Cain said. His expression hardened.

The atmosphere was way too tense for the three of us. Besides, Cain was the one I had wanted to talk to. I didn’t want to waste any more second. “I’m sorry, Bran. Let’s grab a bite next time.”

Brandon nodded as if he understood. “All right. I will see you again next time, Tash. Enjoy the rest of the night, Tash and Mr. Del Roman.”

When he walked away, Cain and I weren’t able to talk right away because of other people who approached us and called my name. The other one was holding a camera while the other one was holding a wine glass. But before they could even take a step towards me, Cain blocked them with his body.

“Touch her and you’ll lose your hand.”

“We are Miss Natasha’s fans. We just wanted to have a selfie with her and to offer her a drink—”

“Damn, I have no time for this,” Cain said. He snapped his finger and in a blink of an eye, the men disappeared.

“What did you do?” I asked, dumbfounded.

“I brought them somewhere else. They pissed me off.”

“You can’t make people disappear like that just because they piss you off!”

His jaw clenched. “You have no idea what terrible things are going on in their minds, Natasha. The drink that one of those bastards was holding was spiked! They’ve been planning to approach you and give you that glass! Don’t worry; I didn’t hurt them. They would probably be found by the police sleeping in the nearest park. And they would remember none of this. But next time they do that again, I will no longer spare them. I will feed them to the wolves.”

Cain took a deep breath and stared at me. “If this really turned out to be a pool party and you happened to be wearing a bikini while surrounded by men like those bastards who couldn’t wait to get their hands on you, I’d have lost it.”

I gulped. So that was why his friends had been guarding me so much a while ago. But even without him, I wouldn’t have accepted that drink. I had learned enough from Leon Ricaforte. Because of his victims’ stories, I don’t even drink wine anymore. I was never into drinking anyway.

“What about you? Why are you here? I know you. You never liked parties. These things bore you. Still, I heard you rushed here tonight. Why? Were you hoping that Joaquin would be here, too? Or were you hoping to get along with the male humans like that Brandon guy? Was it because you don’t find me useful anymore? Will you get rid of me now because you realized that humans are better than me?” Sadness became visible in his eyes. “Damn. I’ve never felt something like this before.” He pressed his forehead on my shoulder as if he suddenly felt weak. “I’m not like this. I don’t want to be like this. So, stop me, Natasha. Please. Stop me from being jealous and unreasonable.”

The pain in his eyes took my breath away. “I’m not here for Joaquin or for any other guy. Where did you even get that idea? I only came here for you. It’s because I thought you were seeing someone else,” I confessed in a low voice.

“What are you saying?” He stood properly and looked straight into my eyes. “Tash, I’ve only ever had eyes for you since the day I woke up more than two years ago.”

Hearing Cain say those things so bluntly made my cheeks flush. “I… I know that now. I was jealous. You were right. I’m not fond of parties. I’m only here to get you back. Because I… I can’t let other women snatch you away from me, too. I want to have you all for myself. I’m selfish like that.”

He looked away. “Don’t say that. Don’t say things I might misinterpret.”

“I’m sorry, Cain. I wasn’t aware that you were having a hard time, too. I thought it was just me. Cain, I’m in love with you, too. And this feeling had been eating me up inside because I want to be with you, too, even after the contract is over. But I couldn’t tell you that. I had no courage to ask you to stay because I wasn’t sure if you’d like that.”

He turned to me; amazement was visible in his eyes. “But last time we were together, you were calling Joaquin’s name in your sleep.”

“So that’s the reason why you left?” I asked, surprised. “I do remember dreaming about him, but that dream was about our childhood days. It was before he and I became a couple. We used to be friends when we were teenagers since both of us had volunteered to work in a home for the aged facility. I dreamt of our happy days in that facility, but that’s just it. I admit I had so many questions I wanted to ask him before. I wanted to know why he left me and if our relationship or years of friendship didn’t matter to him at all. But now, I’m no longer curious anymore. I’m no longer interested about the answers. Maybe he had his reasons but I no longer need to hear them because I’m okay now. And it’s because of you.”

“So, you really love me? You do? How come?”

I sweetly smiled as my tears began to fall. Cain’s friends were right. He was so clueless and adorable at times. “Do I need to have a reason? I love you. I just do.”

Uncertainty reached his eyes. Aside from the last time we saw each other, this was the first time that he had been open about his feelings. It felt like he was letting things out in the open now, that he was finally making me see him for the man he truly was. Looking at him now felt like seeing all of him, including all his wounds.

“Are you sure about that? I have blood in my hands, Natasha. I’m the Beast who has lived for hundreds of years. Can you really love me? I have done a lot of things in the past, things that I am not proud of, things that will make you leave my side once you find out.”

“Cain, you are not a beast to me. In my eyes, you are just you. And I love you. I love you so much. I wanted to tell you that the last time we met but you disappeared. So please, don’t do that again. I’m not like you. If you do that, I won’t be able to find you and embrace you when you’re in pain. Next time, I wish you’d tell me when it hurts. I can’t make the pain disappear, but I’ll be with you. We will face the pain together.” I stroke his cheeks. “I’m stronger now, you know. You can lean on me, too.

“Regarding your past, does that really matter? I don’t care what you did before we met. I’m in love with the present Cain, with the man in front of me now. Besides, I’m not as delicate as the princess that you thought I am. I’m just me, Cain. And you… you don’t have to be a prince to have a happy ending. You just have to be you. We just have to be ‘us’ and we’ll be fine. We’ll work on it.”

For the second time, I saw how his tears fell. But this was so unfair. How could a man still look so captivating even in tears? In fact, Cain was stronger in my eyes now because he was baring it all to me now.

“Thank you. Thank you for saying those things,” he said in a hoarse voice. “I love you. I love you so much, Natasha Rivera.”

I closed my eyes when Cain claimed my lips for a passionate kiss. Falling in love with Cain came naturally for me. He was so easy to love. I felt like he was the reward for enduring all the painful things from the past. Even when it came to love, he didn’t make it difficult for me.

I heard the crowd gave us a round of applause. I wasn’t even aware that there were now so many people around us but I didn’t mind. I embraced Cain instead and kissed him back.

I’m no longer a lost girl. I have a home now. And it was him.