Chapter 155 - Have We Met Before?

An intuition played in the back of her mind, sending a wave of uncertainty through her. The inkling stung her heart, demanding to be clarified but she knew better than anyone to anticipate more from him when she already knew the answer to the question that she was about to ask. 

"But why?" She still questioned Santiago. 

Santiago didn't disappoint her but he sure hurt her heart again. His answer was, "Because telling you the truth means involving you in the chaos I am stuck in. And I don't want it for you. You don't leave one hell to get into another." 

A grimace flared in his eyes as she looked at him in utter devastation. 

Since he had long assumed that one day Persephone was gonna question him, he had saved all the generic answers that he would be giving him. However, when it came to telling her a fake story, he simply told him that the questions that she had for him couldn't be answered for the time being. Truthfully, he was scared of telling her the truth, knowing too well how her hot and cold temperament was. 

"Why does it matter to you?" questioned Persephone. Why did it matter if she was left unscathed or damaged in this whole war? These people cared only about their end goals, not about the pawns sacrificed in the same. 

So, the question causing her head to ache: Why did it affect Santiago if she was happy or sad? If she was used by these privileged bastards or if she was sacrificed by all of them. 

"Because…" Santiago couldn't form words for a long time and when he did, it was only a single word that didn't help Persephone's inquisitiveness, if not increase it. 

"Because?" murmured Persephone as she scooted over to where he was sitting now. She raised her hand and caressed his cold cheek. 

Santiago swallowed the lump in his throat as a warm and soft hand graced his cold skin. Her hypnotic and spellbinding scent owned him at this moment.

However, it also evoked something so deep and uncertain inside him as well. 

She was sitting close to him, so close to him that he cursed his rotten luck for not being able to pull her into his arms. He wanted to feel his softness and warmth against his hard and cold body. It felt as if it had been a million years when he had her. 

She was forbidden then but he didn't care. He had wanted her, still wanted and would always want her. But it was better before, now that she was his wholly, he couldn't touch her, feel her or kiss her to his heart's desires. 

"Tell me, Santiago, why?" Persephone asked once again, breaking the hypnotic energy that was binding her. 

"Because I want you to be happy," came the reply. " "More than anyone else in this world." 

Even for a moment, she decided to believe his words, it didn't mean anything to her. And it shouldn't. Still, why were his words affecting her so much? 

She wasn't expecting anything from him. 

Because without expectations, there was no heartache.

Truly, all heartache originates from expectations. 

"Is that why you marry me?" Persephone asked with a smile. 

Santiago felt as if he was looking at old Red. The wicked and sarcastic Persephone that he had met two months ago. The woman who could set the world on fire just with her words. 

She was mocking him with that beautiful smile tugging on her like. 

"No...I married you for some other purpose before…" He surprised himself by actually telling her the truth. Lord knew what happened at this moment, but he found it hard to lie to her. He added desperately," But it changed in the end."

Persephone sighed, shaking her head. Nothing was going her way. The feeling was so confusing and frustrating but what could she do? 

This man had secrets as deep as an abyss. She wondered if these secrets were burdening his shoulder or he was used to this burden. 

"You are keeping me in darkness and I hate it," She confessed. 

Santiago's gaze met hers as he spoke, "You will hate me more when you will know, trust me." 

"You won't believe it if I tell you that even if I try I can't seem to hate you," said Persephone with a sad smile on her face. "I'm so fucked up and the situation I'm in...is more than fucked up but I still can't...hate you…I don't know if you feel this weird energy whenever we are together. But I do notice all the time." 

This time she let out a dark chuckle looking at him and shaking her head at her absurd behaviour. She added," You made me feel things I don't recognise. Why is it so confusing yet so filling staying with you?"

Not a word from him, and his gaze told her there wouldn't be one.

Santiago Vitello could be silent like a ghost if he wished to and nothing could force him to utter the words. 

Seemed like not even her could get those answers from him. 

A sudden thought, a need to know, came to her, and it escaped her lips before she could stop it. "Tell me Santiago, do I know you from before?"

Her heart throbbed inside her chest nodding its head in response to her question. That was the most absurd thing she had ever asked anyone, and something deep inside her soul was telling her that she was finally on the right track. 

Once again, she softly asked him, "Have we met before?" 

This time she was badly looking forward to the answer. 

Her green eyes were burning hot like lava while staring at him. "I have been thinking all night...about you...me and the situation we are in…" She had a sleepless night, thinking and trying to understand the dynamics of her relationship with Villain. She was getting too many mixed signals from this man and she still wasn't able to decipher them. However, she still had a bit of understanding if not fully.