Chapter 85 The Midnight Seance!

Chapter 85 The Midnight Seance!
Saintilia POV

Before I could stop myself, I threw the rock at Jacob. Aiming straight for his head and for one terrible second, I thought I had missed.

I heard Celia scream.

Then I knew I succeeded.

The sound cut through the courtyard, sharp, and piercing. Blood ran from Jacob’s head, dark and fast, staining his shirt. Celia rushed to him, her hands shaking as she pressed them against his wound, in attempt to stop the blood flow.

Jacob looked stunned. He did not seem to understand what had just happened. Then his eyes found mine.
Looking at his murderous gaze, I knew there would be consequences. Nonetheless, I was prepared for whatever he had in mind. Tying to Emilio would become useful after all. I did not care. I had come to confront them, and now there was no turning back. The rock had done more than split his skin. It had broken open something none of us could close again.

Still, I was not foolish enough to stay.

I stepped back, my breath hard in my chest, my hand suddenly empty. Then I turned and ran before Jacob could gather himself enough to come after me.

As I walked away, I understood this was only the beginning. I did not know what would come next, but I could feel it waiting for me, dark and certain, like a storm already moving across the sky.



When I finally reached home, I was breathless from running. I entered the courtyard and stopped, bending slightly as I fought to catch my breath. Before going inside, I tried to steady myself. I wiped my face, swallowed hard, and forced my body to calm down.

When I stepped into the house, Emilio was waiting for me. I was not surprise because this man always ended up doing the opposite of what he said. But I couldn't help thinking if he was doing this to test me.

“Where the hell have you been?”

I had no desire to answer him, not with the way he was speaking to me. Still, I knew his temper, and I knew silence could be dangerous. I tried to keep my voice steady and told him I had not prepared food because he had told me to cook only for myself. His early return had not taken me by surprise. But if he wanted to eat, he would have to fend for himself.

I turned to walk away, but he grabbed my arm and pulled me toward him.

That was exactly what I had tried to avoid.

Every time Emilio touched me, I thought of what I had seen between him and Tina. Too much was happening inside my mind at once. I forced a smile, trying to hide my disgust. He seemed surprised by it. If only he knew how dirty I felt every time his hands touched my skin.

“I asked you a question,” he said.

“Please let go of me.”

“Not until you tell me where you were.”

I was tired. Too tired to keep bending myself around his moods.

“It’s none of your business.”

His eyes hardened.

“What were you doing at Jacob’s house after I told you to stay away from him?”

“I wasn’t at Jacob’s house.”

I expected him to slap me. I expected him to throw me to the ground, to scream, to kick, to punish me the way he had before.

Instead, he released my arm.

Then he waved me off without another word.

That unsettled me more than his anger would have.

I had lied to him, and we both knew it. Lately, Emilio had been acting strangely toward me, almost as if he had started to care. He had not forced himself on me in weeks. But I knew better than to trust the silence. I could not let my guard down. Emilio was unpredictable, and something about him felt wrong.

I wondered if things were all right between him and Tina. I could not understand his mind, and whatever was moving inside it, I wanted no part of it.

He stood there for a long moment, distant and tense, as if his thoughts had gone somewhere I could not follow. I had been foolish to think Tina was the only thing troubling him. Something else was there too. Something heavier.

At last, he spoke.

“Do you know how much trouble you are?”

I stared at him. Whatever had upset him, I did not see why he was making it about me.

“What do you mean?” I asked. “What did I do?”

Emilio did not answer. He turned and went into his room, shutting himself away with the clear message that he did not want to be disturbed.

A cold thought crept into my mind.

Had he found out what I hid about Jacob?

What was his problem? He couldn’t have known what I had done to Jacob just now. Could he? Jacob was a total coward. He would not have said to anyone about what he did even in his drunken state. He would not risk his own freedom.

On the other hand, there was Celia. She was clever and careful. But as far as I knew, she didn’t have that kind of relationship with Emilio. And wouldn’t have said anything if she knew what her husband had done. No she came to that knowledge just recently I doubted she would tell anyone.

For a moment, I wondered if I had misread Emilio. Maybe his strange mood had nothing to do with Jacob at all. After dismissing me, he went into his room, and I did not see him again until morning.

That night, for the first time in years, sleep came easily.

I slept deeply. No dreams. No fear. No waking in tears. It was the kind of heavy, quiet rest that had avoided me for so long. A strange peace had settled over me, born from the fire of my own rage.

The first thing I noticed when I woke with the sun was the silence.

Emilio was already awake, sitting at the table. He was quieter than usual. Perhaps it was in my imagination. He would not meet my eyes. He only stared into his cup, as if the dark coffee held all the answers.

“Did you hear anything last night?” he asked, his voice rough.

I knew exactly what he meant, but I had heard nothing. In truth, I had not slept that well in years, but I could not tell him that. Since childhood, Jonas had taught me scriptures to recite every night before sleep, and that had always been the only protection I needed.

“What happened last night?” I asked.

He finally looked at me.

“Tell me exactly what you were doing at Jacob’s house yesterday.”

“Like I said before, it is my business.”

“Saintilia, these people came for you last night,” he said, his voice rising with a frustration I rarely saw. “Do you know I stayed awake guarding you all night? You said it was none of my business, but if it had not been for me, you would be dead this morning.”

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