CATALINA POV
It wasn't common for a noblewoman to chase after her beloved knight, especially while engaged to the future heir of House Fajardo, Gonzalo Fajardo. Yet, my heart belonged to another, and my spirit was chained by the man who claimed me.
"Catalina," Gonzalo's voice broke through the cold silence, each word laced with venom. "You are engaged to me. I won't hesitate to—"
"Again?" I cut him off, my voice barely a whisper, knowing what was coming.
His hand shot out and seized my wrist with the force of iron, fingers digging into my skin like claws. I knew it would leave a mark on my pale flesh—bruises that would fade but never quite disappear from memory. Still, I didn't flinch. I endured the pain, my pride as fragile as glass.
"I expect you to be on your best behavior," he commanded, his blue eyes narrowing, cold and devoid of affection. They burned with a silent resentment, a hatred I had come to know all too well.
I nodded, mute. Fear gripped me from the inside out. My body obeyed, but my spirit screamed. Was I afraid? Absolutely. More afraid of what my life had become than of the man standing before me.
"Good." He released me with a shove, his lip curling in disdain as he turned to leave. His movements were sharp, calculated. A perfect nobleman, flawless on the surface, but poisonous underneath.
I stood frozen, the metallic scent of his cologne clinging to the air between us. It suffocated me as he leaned down, pressing a cold kiss to my cheek—nothing more than a gesture of ownership. The moment his lips brushed my skin, he pulled back, wiping his mouth with an exaggerated gesture, as though disgusted to have touched me.
"I'll see you next week, Señorita Catalina," he spat, the words dripping with mockery as he stormed away, his heavy boots echoing down the hall.
Once he was out of sight, my composure shattered. I bit down hard on my trembling lip, holding back the flood of emotions. Shame, fear, anger—they all swirled inside me like a storm.
Was it normal to feel so utterly trapped? To be engaged to a man who viewed me as nothing more than a possession? To be so repulsed by the very thought of him, and yet bound to him by duty?
I fled, running blindly to the only place I felt any semblance of safety—my room. I slammed the door behind me, the force rattling the hinges, and collapsed against it. My hands shook violently as I wiped the tears that now freely streamed down my face. I hated myself for crying over him. Over all of it.
How had it come to this? Once, I had been the jewel of Spain, a debutante adorned in beauty and grace. The world admired me, and Gonzalo… he had fooled me. With his pretty words and false compliments, he made me believe that our union might be one of respect, if not love. I had clung to that hope, wearing it like armor against the emptiness of our arranged engagement.
But it had been shattered, piece by piece.
I remembered the night of the prince's celebration, the night I wore the exquisite gown my aunt had made. The dress, nearly bridal in its beauty, was adorned with diamonds, shimmering under the glow of the chandeliers. I had worn it with pride, believing Gonzalo would notice, would see me as someone worthy.
Instead, I saw her.
A noblewoman, dark hair cascading over her shoulders, laughing and flirting with my fiancé. She wore the same gown, her smile dazzling, and her presence radiant. She had worn the dress I thought would make me shine, and it was she who gleamed in his eyes.
"I hate this," I whispered, my voice breaking as the tears came faster. My vision blurred as I gripped the edge of the table, ready to hurl every object in the room. I wanted to destroy everything, to break free of the cage that my life had become.
But then…
"Señorita?" a familiar voice broke through the haze.
I froze, and slowly lifted my gaze. There he stood, bathed in the soft silver light of the moon, his amber eyes glowing like embers.
Alvaro.
He was still in his knight's garb—a black fitted tunic that clung to his lean, muscular frame, tucked into green cargo pants. His hair was as tousled as ever, his smile as warm as the sun.
"Alvaro?" I breathed, my heart aching at the sight of him.
"What's the matter, Señorita Catalina? Did Carlito steal your grape juice again?" He laughed, a sound so full of life it made my chest tighten. His laugh was infectious, and for a brief moment, the weight on my shoulders lifted.
His smile—it always had the power to melt away my fears, as if his very presence could shield me from all harm. But it was fleeting, a fragile peace in a world of chaos.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, rising to my feet slowly, still trembling, but drawn to him as if by some unseen force.
He rubbed the back of his neck, a shy blush creeping across his sun-kissed skin. "I'm your knight, Señorita. I pledged my loyalty long ago… I'm here to serve you, before and after my death." His voice wavered, and his eyes, those beautiful amber eyes, shimmered with a sadness he tried to hide behind his ever-present smile.
"I would follow you… even after death."
A deep sadness welled up inside me. "Alvaro, you've already done your duty as my knight. You've already…"
I reached out, desperate to touch him, to feel the warmth of his hand in mine. But as my fingers grazed the air where he stood, I felt nothing.
Alvaro was gone.
The man I had loved, my faithful knight, had been taken from me. And in his place, I was left with nothing but emptiness. An emptiness brought on by the very man who still claimed my hand—Gonzalo.
The man who had killed Alvaro.
I sank to the floor, hollow and broken. Chasing after a ghost, a memory. Alvaro was gone, and I was left in the hands of a monster.