Only concern

Only concern
"I disagree," Simon retorted, interlocking his fingers with hers. The smile disappeared from his lips. "I love your daughter and I assure you she'll be safe with me."
Paulina stared at him in shock. How far did Simon want to take this charade?
"Do you plan on keeping her as your housekeeper?" Paulo asked suspiciously. "Paying her to do household chores, even though she'll be your future wife?"
"While I don't see a problem with her being my employee, when she wants to, I'll hire someone to take care of our house under her orders." He continued to face off against Paulo, determined to make his will prevail even with lies.
"Paulo, let them enjoy their engagement!" Mirela intervened, making Perez shut up and, with visible displeasure, straighten himself up on the couch. "Anyway, I believe it will be a short engagement." Her hopeful gaze fixed on her son.
"I would like it to be in November, but it's up to Paulina."
Paulina took a deep breath. It was obvious that this time he wouldn't dictate a date and would shift the responsibility onto her. That way, when Mirela pushed for the wedding, it would be easy to blame the failed engagement on her shoulders.
"November is great," Mirela enthused. "I'll help with everything you need."
"And in a few months, you'll help with the baby shower," Alessandro added mockingly.
"Of course, I'll help!" Mirela quickly agreed, doubling Paulina's tension. "What do you think I am? A neglectful grandmother?"
When there was no wedding, and obviously no grandchildren, Mirela's joy would turn into sorrow and anger. The charade was going too far, but she didn't have the courage to tell the truth, especially with her father's gaze watching her as if he guessed that there was something wrong with that story.
"Relax, they're not even married yet," her husband Fabrício reminded them with humor.
"But they're already planning babies, aren't they?"
Heavens! The more Paulina listened, the more shocked she became, sweating at the thought of what would happen from then on. So, despite the question being directed at her, she remained silent.
"It's still early," Simon declared, and Paulina sniffed, unable to contain the thought that if it were Iolanda in her place, he would think differently. With that in mind, it was with surprise that she heard him say sweetly, "But if Paulina wants, I would never refuse to have a combination of our own. Hoping it's a child as beautiful as the mother."
Paulina noticed that he was once again shifting the responsibility onto her, but she couldn't help but imagine a child or two of theirs. It was so easy to fantasize about one or two black-haired, amber-eyed children running into their arms...
She quickly pushed away that thought. Besides the fact that children needed parents who loved each other, she knew that Simon would never want to have a child with her. If it were someone else... Her eyes drifted over to Iolanda with envy. She had a close-knit family, a baby on the way, a devoted husband... and Simon's love.
Her attention was drawn away when Salvatore's phone vibrated in his pocket. She watched as he tried to release his hand to answer it, but Simon ignored the call and pulled her closer to him, rubbing her hands between his, warming her and giving her a comforting feeling.
This gesture only increased her fear of falling into the same illusion as everyone else in that room.
~~
They walked side by side to Simon's car, he scrolling through his phone and Paulina in the same heavy silence that had descended since they had "communicated" their engagement. She had been waiting for a moment when they were away from all the relatives, from his mother's delirious joy and his father's undisguised displeasure. She thought she would have an opportunity when they got into the car and Simon put his phone aside, but before Paulina could demand an explanation about what had happened after Mirela caught them, a new notification made Salvatore reach for his device.
She saw him furrow his brow and grunt, his fingers typing rapidly before he put it aside and started the car. She realized that something had upset him, causing him to make jerky movements and a grim expression as he pulled the car out of the mansion's garage. Not wanting to cause an incident on the road, she decided to wait until they were in a safe place.
It was a good thing neither of them was much of a talker; the music Simon played filled the silence during the hours they had ahead of them. When they finally entered the apartment, Paulina couldn't hold back her indignation:
"You couldn't have said that we were together."
With his back to Perez, Simon carried his gifts to the center of the room.
"We are together, so I don't see any reason not to say so," he said calmly, placing the bags on the table before turning to face her with hostility. "And I thought saying that we're engaged is nicer than telling them that we fucked several times for you to learn how to steal Nathaniel from Cherry."
In the past, Simon's aggressiveness in his voice would make her retreat and keep her distance, but she no longer feared his bad mood. She knew it was something he used to avoid confrontation. He had taught her that if she wanted to assert her will, she had to stand up for herself, and that was what she would do.
"You've given false hopes to your mother's heart! She's already planning a wedding, grandchildren, and everything else you abhor," she recalled, finding it unbelievable that Simon couldn't foresee Mirela's excitement.
"I've never abhorred any of that!" he denied, to Perez's disbelief.
"And what about all the times you spoke badly about marriage?" she challenged, punctuating with irritation, "about how crazy it is to be tied to someone, have snotty babies, and so many other derogatory comments?"
Instead of answering, Simon retorted sharply:
"Admit it, your only concern is that Nathaniel finds out you're sleeping with me."
"That's not true!" she defended herself, not understanding how the situation had turned against her.
"No? Then why do you want to hide our relationship?" he questioned, adopting a combative stance, arms crossed, and sharp gaze fixed on her.
Paulina had many answers, but none seemed adequate. Exposing her feelings and doubts would never be an option. She decided to take the safe path.
"I don't want to hurt Mirela."
"My mother was happy with the news," he indicated, not accepting the justification.
"That happiness will end when we break up," she murmured, her throat choked with all the doubts and fears she held inside.