Silva

Chapter Sixteen

• Silva •

—

Irisa's a brave girl, or foolish; that remains to be answered.

After knowing who I am, she chooses to stay and live in a home provided by me. Her survival instinct is strong. Normal people would've called the police and get a nice reward with it.

Besides the initial hesitation, she's not afraid of me. She still smiles like her world will never go up in flames by being associated with me.

I can guarantee her life will not be safe anymore. There are inevitable circumstances that I can't protect her from.

My mother was right; Irisa is a disaster waiting to happen.

I welcome it. I can prove to her, my mother, and the world that I'll always keep my possessions safe.

I'll prove to myself that my hands aren't just for destroying.

Whether she's naïve or reckless, I acknowledge the confidence in her adamant demeanor. It's one thing that attracts me to her. The exquisiteness of her self-reliance compels me to take care of her, to discard everything that makes her upset, and hand over whatever she desires.

An unstoppable force collides with an immovable object, spiraling out of control and snowballing into a tragic outcome.

That's what we are.

I was the one who met her rather spiritedly, giving us a wild meeting that altered our lives. She, however, becomes a force of nature that drags me to her destination.

I lean back onto the sofa.

Where is she going? Whenever she looks out the window, she's distant and calm to the point of eeriness. Like the world removes itself from her mind and malfunctions her.

Holding onto the title as the head of the Silva family, it's in my nature to be wary of things. I hate not knowing what's running through her head.

She's mine, and I have every right to make her talk.

Releasing a frustrated breath, I flip the holder open. Her picture smiles at me, beckoning the invitation to look under.

Temptation wins this round and the one after.

Her name, home address, and education fill up the first page. The next page interests me more.

The life she made for herself starts after high school where she moved away from her hometown and found a passion for nursing. That stopped a year in. She didn't finish her nursing program and stopped volunteering at the coma unit.

The hair on the back of my neck rises abruptly. A vicious heartbeat seizes a breath in my lungs, and my blood scalds hollowly through my veins.

Sunflower Home.

I will never forget that name, nor will I forgive the pain it brought to my mother. It was an orphanage that operated entirely on charities and donations.

That 'home' tore up mine.

I snatch the letter opener between my fingers, holding the weapon rigidly when I hear a soft shuffle behind me. I smell her floral shampoo before I see her, and Irisa mumbles my name with a delicate squeak.

I glance at the clock on the wall and back to her as she walks around the sofa.

She didn't have much in her moving boxes, but it still took us the whole day to finish. Her indecisiveness on which room she wanted and where to put her things was endearing yet exasperating.