Chapter 17 – Look at Me

THERE. I finally said it, Mikaela thought while looking straight at Blaze’s eyes. He looked dumbfounded. She didn’t mean to say those words, but they naturally came out of her lips. And she had no regrets.

Falling in love with Blaze was the easiest thing she had ever done in her life. It was as easy as breathing. By the time she had realized she had fallen in love, it was already too late to stop.

She couldn’t forget the day she tripped at the staircase because she was busy looking at her camera. It was nine weeks ago. When she screamed thinking she would fall, Blaze came and caught her. His chest was pounding, and he looked more frantic and more terrified than her as he took her in his arms.

“Let’s move to a different house tomorrow morning. No, scratch that. Let’s do it tonight. I have other properties anyway. Let’s move in a house without stairs. You are a human. You could have gotten hurt. You could have died, damn it. You could have-“

“Hey, I’m fine. You caught me. You were right on time. You saved me again, Blaze. It was my fault. I wasn’t looking at where I’m going. Calm down-“

“How could I? I could have lost you,” he whispered, his voice was shaking.

“But you didn’t.”

“Please be careful next time, Mikaela. Call me when you’re heading down, all right? I will also tell the servants to stay near this house so they could attend to you whenever you need them. They have great senses. When I’m away and you scream for help, they would show up immediately.”

She smiled, amused this time. How could she not love this man?

“How could you still smile like that after what just happened?”

I love you. How she wished she could tell him those words now. Her tears suddenly fell. Danielle was so lucky for still having his heart through the years.

“And now, you’re crying. Fuck. Are you hurt anywhere?”

She nodded. Her chest hurts.

“Why didn’t you say it sooner? Let’s go to the hospital-“

“Will you just kiss me instead until the pain disappears?”

She didn’t have to say it twice. He pulled her close and gently claimed her lips.

Mikaela was supposed to be Blaze’s prisoner, but he treated her as some sort of a VIP that when she told him they didn’t have to move, the next morning, he had people built a glass elevator for her. And she appreciated it since the rooftop garden which was among her favorite places in his mansion was on the fourth floor.

Blaze had given her everything he thought she needed. From giving her the most luxurious dresses, shoes, jewelries, and the best food. His servants arrived along with the shopping bags during her first day there. He also gave her a camera which was exactly the same as the one she used as a photographer. His house had internet connection. She could still exchange messages with her friends and even her staff at the studio.

He also did not take her phone away that’s why she could still call her parents from time to time. And Blaze knew all that, but he had never tried stopping her as if he was contented just knowing that they were together.

Blaze had never made Mikaela do any house work. There were servants who would do it for them. There were also two Chefs who prepare her meals every day even if she knew that Blaze didn’t really need food to survive. What he needed was blood that’s why there were lots of blood bags in the fridge although he could still digest some human food. The Chefs even recreated fish balls, kikiams, and other Filipino street foods for her. His Chefs were the best. They feed her like she was a royalty.

She was in a stranger’s domain, but she felt freer and more at peace there. Blaze’s mansion had eight bedrooms, an Olympic pool, a library, a large cinema hall with fifty seats, a garage where you can park about eight to ten cars, and a landing site for helicopters. There was also a wine cellar, gym, tennis court, bowling, and stables. Every part of Blaze’s mansion was picture perfect. She could spend her day reading, gardening, bowling, or taking pictures.

Her camera was actually filled with photos of him.

“I’ve talked to lord Cain. He could help you come home, Mikaela,” she remembered her mother saying weeks ago in a desperate tone.

From the rooftop, Mikaela stared at the iron gate. It was several kilometers away from the mansion. She could always reach it, but she had never attempted going there. And it was not only because she knew there were hidden servants in every corner of the place watching out for her as part of Blaze’s order. She still had no idea where she was. She was waiting for Blaze to tell her about it himself.

“I made a promise to Blaze that I won’t leave this house until he tells me to, Mom.”

“What about your dream? If you come back, I will let you do what you want, honey. You want to travel the world and take pictures, right? Even if it’s hard for me to be apart from you, I will give you my permission to do it now. Just don’t stay there with him, Mikaela, please.”

She sighed. “I’m sorry, Mom. But I… I want to stay here. I’ve found my most beautiful subject here, Mom.”

And it was true. When she thought she could no longer revive her passion for photography, Blaze came home one night and handed her a camera. And when she saw him smiling as if to encourage her, her heart jumped with excitement as she took photos of him which had him laughing in the end that she had to stop so she could see more of him through her own eyes and not just through the camera lenses.

At the end of the day, whenever she would take a look at his photos, her heart would still jump. That was also the same emotion she wanted her viewers to feel when they look at her works.

But Blaze’s photos were the ones she had no intention of sharing to others. She wanted to keep them all to herself.

“You’re giving up your dream for him?”

“I’m not giving up my dream, Mom. I’m just… having another dream.”

Sylvia sobbed. “How can my baby grow so fast? How I wish we could go back to the time when all I had to do was read your favorite fairytale book to make you happy.”

“I’m happy, Mom, believe me. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy in my life before.”

“How can you say that when you’re imprisoned in God knows where-“

“I’m a happy prisoner.”

Her mother originally wanted to keep things hidden from her, but Mikaela kept pushing and asking because she wanted to understand where the latter was coming from. Eventually, Sylvia confessed and told her everything she needed to know. And recently, she also told her father everything. It was not easy on her father at first, but he accepted her mother’s past later on. That was how much he loved his wife.

Knowing the truth just made her fall in love with Blaze even more. Each time he would lay next to her and sleep, she would get to see glimpses of what he was up to the entire day through her dreams. Every day, Blaze was in a different country for the hunt because every day, he was assigned in different teams. And yet, no matter how busy he was, no matter where he was, whether he was on the other side of the world fulfilling his duty, he would still make sure to fulfill his promise to her.

When the night falls, he would rush home just to have dinner with her even if he looked tired, even if he didn’t have to, even if she wasn’t his obligation, even if… he didn’t feel the same way towards her, and even if he was supposed to treat her like an enemy. Besides, not only was Mikaela safe. Her parents were safe, too.

She couldn’t tell if those things were still a part of Blaze’s plan to make her fall deeper into him. Because if that was the case, then that meant he was a splendid actor because it was working so well. She also remembered the first time she had her period during their first month together. Blaze showed up with a paper bag full of tampons in his hand while his other hand was carrying a cup of hot chocolate.

“I’ve bought all the brands since I didn’t know which one you are using. I also prepared a hot chocolate for you. Do you need anything else? Just say it, Mikaela,” he said after he handed Mikaela the drink. He sat on her bed and softly wiped the sweat off her forehead using the back of his hand. “Does it hurt a lot?”

Mikaela nodded. She could still deal with the period cramps, but it felt so good to have him care for her on days like this, on days when she felt ugly and messy. She could almost picture how everyone looked at him while he was buying all those things. And Blaze didn’t seem to mind. He must have looked so adorable… so hot, and so stunning at the same time. The sales ladies’ hearts must have fluttered the ways hers was fluttering right now.

“Where does it hurt?”

“My stomach hurts. My back and my hips, too.”

“Can you bend over? Let me massage your back,” he said after she finished her drink.

Mikaela raised her brow. “Do you know how to do it? Have you done it before?”

“No. It will be my first time. But I will not let you down, don’t worry.”

When she bends over, he lifted her shirt, and started massaging her back with some fragrant oil. She closed her eyes. His hands on her felt so good that she could almost forget the pain.

“How was it? Feeling a little better?”

“Yeah. Thanks to you. How about you? How does it feel massaging someone for the first time?”

He chuckled. “I have lived my whole life never knowing that one day, I would serve a human like this. I never thought I would use my hands on massaging a human. This feels crazy, but it’s good.”

Mikaela would never forget that night. After massaging her, Blaze also cooked for the first time and made her chicken soup, and he remembered to do it often after seeing how much she liked it. He didn’t let her down that night and all of the nights they shared. The month after that, he already knew when her period would come. Blaze personally attended to her needs even if he had female servants, too. Looking back, he had actually spoiled her too much.

Tonight, for some reason, Mikaela remembered everything all at once.

Loving Blaze wasn’t all roses and butterflies. Every day as she opened the door of their room and see his wife’s portrait, it was as if the picture itself was taunting her. Every time she was tempted to feel like there was hope, that portrait would often bring Mikaela back to her place as if it was telling her to know where she stands. And each time Blaze would leave, she was worried he might never come back.

If this was all a trap like her mother told her, then she had no chances of winning from the very beginning since she had already fallen for his trap since the day she saw him at her birthday party.

And now that Mikaela had told Blaze her feelings, would this mean that the game was over now? She had tried stopping herself from saying those three words because she was afraid he would drop her now that he got what he wanted. She had fallen so deeply that there was no way out of it now.

And if he would leave, it would really crush her.

But whatever choice he would make, she would understand him. Because she knew that once upon a time, Blaze wasn’t always like this. He wasn’t always the villain that he aimed to be now. He was a Prince Charming. And in her eyes, maybe he would always be her Prince Charming because during the time they were together, she believed it wasn’t just all about sex. He had become everything she looked for in a man. He was thoughtful, affectionate, and sweet. She wanted to believe they had fun, too, that he was happy with her, too.

And now, at least, she had memories she would keep in her heart no matter what happens next. She had given her best in this. She had tried showing him how much she loved him every day so her confession shouldn’t really be a surprise anymore.

She had no regrets.

“Look at me, Blaze.” Mikaela said and held his cheeks to make him look at her when he evaded her eyes. “I love you,” she repeated when he remained quiet. Her throat started to burn with the tears she was trying to hold back. Was this really the end? “I love you so much, Blaze.”