Chapter 55 The Unruly Flame

• (POV: Mateo)
• For a while, I just stayed there in the entrance, looking at her. Slouched by the marble column like something discarded - Isabela hadn’t moved since I walked away. A shattered figure surrounded by quiet chaos she’d brought on herself. Each breath came uneven, shaky. Her skin was ghostlike, save for the raw patches my mouth and beard scraped into her neck. Rips ran through her fine dress, wrinkled, twisted - evidence of what happened, signs of how I took hold. Fine. Maybe the pain stays longer than the thought.
• A shadow passed behind my eyes - something close to shock, gone before it could settle. She started the kiss... not what I saw coming. Not like the times she skipped eating, or whispered doubts, or tried running - that clumsy effort ending nowhere. This felt aimed, sharp at the edges, fueled by rage more than hope.