The King's Executioner | Mafia Dark Romance | Book 2

9. Be the rare occurrence

Sofia

It started when I turned seven. I met Alejandro for the first time when Carlos and Maria visited us. He was this brooding ten-year-old kid who hardly talked. Antonio and Agustin were there with him too but something about Al's stoic personality caught my attention.

He was my first crush. Even after the Moralez left Spain, my longing to see Al never ceased. Whenever papa gave me the option to pick a vacation spot, I always choose Mexico, much to Santos' annoyance. My brother always wanted to visit Switzerland.

After papa's demise, things changed. Moralez and Salazars grew apart and the vacations we undertook faded into coups planned for the deterioration of the other's clan.

When I was betrothed to Nico, I made peace with the fact that my one-sided love story with Al would die an untimely death. Then, as written in fairy tales, my knight in shining armor took me away into a land that I never thought to visit again.

Most fairy tales would end at that, with a golden inscription of happily ever after, sparkling in the background. For me, it was the beginning of a nightmare. Those feelings I had for Al resurfaced, drudged by his initial kindness, concern. From the day of our wedding announcement, Al's care for me diminished.

As I sat in the garden - the one place where I could gather my thoughts and brood over my fate - I felt the heaviness in my chest brought up by tears. The burning sensation I felt at the back of my eyes from crying constantly, now stopped appearing. It seemed like my body was adjusting to my new normal.

Crying had become my fate.

Sofia Salazar - the girl who thought her fairytale was about to begin - now cried for the nightmare to end.

Funny how things worked. Nicolas, my ex-fiancé, was the kindest man I had met. I hardly spoke to him even after his requests to meet up with me before our marriage. And here I was, chasing a man, who played me the same. Ignored me the same.

Karma was a bitch.

I shouldn't be surprised. What goes around, comes around. Right?

I was getting what I did with Nico.

Trying to leave those troubling thoughts that riddled me every day, I decided to stare at the greenery that swayed with the wind, mocking me of their happy entanglement.

The cold breeze helped calm the storm inside me. Watching dead leaves being tossed in the air, I felt a semblance of association. Like them, I too fluttered without any destination to arrive at. Nobody to care or ask for me.

The rotten pile behind me crunched. As footsteps neared, I looked up at the towering body behind me. Antonio smiled, hiding the setting sun behind his back which created a halo over him. I was able to only see his outlines. Yet, the calm brought by his presence was undeniable.

"May I?" He pointed to the space beside me. Upon my hmm, he sat. "Contemplating something?"

I titled my head, "Huh?" for which his only response was a soft chuckle.

I wasn't sure if someone asked him to come and talk or he decided to check up on me. Antonio never looked much like a talker though.

Someone must have sent him.

"I meant," he turned to me completely. "Are you sitting here, in this garden, contemplating about life and such?"

"Yes, contemplating about life and such." I mocked. Antonio's intentions may be good, I was not in the right mind space to accept his friendly help.