Shadows In Durango

*****Sofia's POV*****

He tried to pay off my father?

I didn't know what to feel. Shock? Anger? Upset? Flattered?!

A strange kind of sadness punched in to my gut, like I was somehow at the center of a deal I had never asked for.

My father - the one who was always controlling, always playing with his power over me- and Vincent thought throwing money at the problem would make it go away?

"Y-You just tried to pay him off?" I heard myself repeat, but the words felt foreign, like they weren't even mine.

Vincent nodded, his eyes filled with something that looked like guilt. "I thought if I could just get him out of the picture, it would keep you safe, Sofia. That's all I wanted. I was brought up to think that money could buy anyone out for the right price and I was willing to pay him whatever it took to have him disappear from your life..."

I wanted to break down again, to make him understand how wrong trying to 'buy me' from him was, but deep down, I could sort of understand his thought process behind it... but I didn't want to admit that.

Was I supposed to be elated that he would offer up such money to fix the biggest problem lingering over my freedom, perhaps, but the main problem was that he kept all of this from me - operating and making dealings with my father behind my back.

That was what upset me most, the sneakiness...

Part of me also knew that my father didn't only care about the money, not this far in, he didn't like being humiliated and felt that I had done exactly that to him by running off and not following through with his marriage offerings... For that, I knew he would want far more than some dollar bills to settle him down... he wanted as much as he could take from me.

"You still don't get it, do you?" My voice trembled, but I forced myself to stay calm, even though every part of me felt like I was splintering inside. "You think money solves everything, that it can just make problems disappear. But you don't understand my father. He wants to see me suffer. He won't just walk away from this..."

Vincent's jaw clenched. I could see that he was struggling to stay composed, but I didn't care. I couldn't care about his feelings - not right now.

"I was only trying to help you, Sofia," he said, his voice a little too defensive, a little too sure of himself.

My chest heaved with the force of everything I was holding back. "You made it worse," I spat, my voice cracking. "By going behind my back, by not telling me the truth, you made everything worse. Now I don't even know what to think!" "The marriage wasn't mine or my father's idea, just know that! I would never make such an offer knowing what he tried to do to you back home by marrying you off. My father offered him cash and he quickly called me back to say he was interested... but that he wanted more than just the cash." Vincent explains the rest of what happened, as we begin to delve in to the nitty gritty of the situation.

This is what his Mom and Daryl had been going on about at dinner that night... the 'marriage' between Vincent and I that I wasn't made aware of!

"I knew that the cash alone wouldn't cut it! I could have told you that if you would have just involved me in all of this to begin with!" I state the obvious now, as he nods slowly, evidently nervous to upset me further by disagreeing. "Yeah, well, he told my father that he would step out of your life completely on three conditions. One, was to take the money of course. Two, was by having you marry me to strengthen business between our families. And the third, was that he wanted to be there to fucking witness the marriage in person to know that it was all real..." Vincent's words kick me right in the chest.

So not only were they planning this whole ordeal behind my back... but they planned for him to actually attend the event too?!

"Are you out of your damn mind?! What makes you think for one minute that he wouldn't just show up here with a shot gun to blow my brains out after all of the hassle I've caused him?! Or what if he only wants to know my location to drag my ass back home where he can torture and punish me for the rest of my miserable life?! Did you ever stop to think of any of that Vincent?!" I stand up now, pointing an accusing finger at him as he remains seated.

I don't think I had ever felt this angry and overwhelmed in my whole life, and yet only yesterday, I had dreaded losing our connection when Vincent had been distant with me at the hospital...

I was quickly realising that this was a heavy mistake on his part, one that I hadn't had any time to think through the dangers of until now.

He had my father closing in, quicker than a burning match...

Hey there! Just a friendly reminder that if you're not reading this book on nel5s.org, you might be missing out on the complete story. Head over there to dive into the next chapter-it's all free!

"Please, Sofia, just sit back down, I'm not finished explaining it all yet!" Vincent pleads, his eyes vulnerable for the first time since I had known him.

Did he really regret all of this as much as he seemed like he did?

Shaking my head, ridding myself of suddenly feeling sorry for him, I slump back down on to my seat, folding my arms firmly across my chest to prevent myself from shaking.

"What else is there to know?!" I demand, as I watch him reach up to scratch the back of his neck, seeming to think briefly on what to do or say next.

I could see that he was trying desperately to fix this, but I just felt so messed up after each and every revelation coming from his mouth...

"There isn't really much more after that, but my father told him we would think it over for a few days and would get in touch..." He breathes, eyes searching mine for a reaction before he carries on, "I was trying to think of the best way to talk to you about it all, knowing that you would get scared and upset, but before I could even get the chance to tell you, my idiot of a father told my Mom and she just loves being a fucking bitch whenever an opportunity arises!" Vincent states, as I roll my eyes openly this time.

"You can't blame your Mom for telling me! You should have told me before she could get the chance! What about Daryl too? How did he know? Was everyone aware of what was going on?! Was that why he was in such a bad mood that day?" I ask, pulling together every piece of the puzzle to make it all make sense.

Vincent's shoulders slumped at the mention of Daryl, and I could see the frustration building in his eyes. "Daryl... yeah, I only told him and Reid because I needed help to think straight. When he heard about the 'deal,' he lost it. He didn't think I should go through with any of it, especially the marriage part. He thought it was insane to even entertain the idea."Please check at N/ôvel(D)rama.Org.

I swallowed hard, suddenly appreciating Daryl's view on it from the start. Although he had been extremely pissy with me that day, at least the reasons for his frustration now made sense.

Vincent sighed. "He told me to come clean with you before it spiraled any further, but I was too caught up in trying to 'fix' things on my own. I wanted to be the one to handle it, to make sure you never had to deal with your father again or any kind of extra stress for that matter. I thought I was protecting you... but I was wrong."

I could see the regret etched across his face, but I was too angry, too hurt to let it soften the knot of betrayal I felt inside me. "You should have told me, Vincent. You should have trusted me enough to have us handle this together."

"I know that now, Sofia. Believe me, I know. But I swear to you, I had no intention of going through with it without talking to you. I wasn't going to let him anywhere near you either. I just hoped at first he would accept the money and move on but I shouldn't have assumed that... especially when you tried to warn me about how terrible he was." He admits, as I nod very slowly to agree with his words now.

Hey there! Just a friendly reminder that if you're not reading this book on nel5s.org, you might be missing out on the complete story. Head over there to dive into the next chapter-it's all free!

"I really liked you, you know? But I just don't know if I can trust you anymore," I whispered, my voice barely audible.

Vincent's face paled at that, his eyes widening in alarm. "Sofia, please don't say that. I know I fucked up, but we can fix this. We can work it out together, I swear. I'll do whatever it takes to build that back."

I shook my head, feeling tears prick at the corners of my eyes. "How do I know you won't go behind my back again? How do I know you won't make another detrimental decision that affects my safety?"

His gaze dropped to the floor, and for a moment, he said nothing.

The silence stretched between us, thick and suffocating.

Then, finally, he spoke again, his voice hoarse. "I don't have an answer that'll make this better right now. But I swear, Sofia, I will do everything in my power to earn back your trust. I don't want to lose you over this. That's the last thing I wanted to happen." He admits.

I wanted to believe him. Part of me ached to let go of all the anger and hurt, to fall into his arms and forget this whole nightmare. But the other part of me, the part that had been hurt too many times throughout my life, knew I couldn't just let this slide so easily.

I couldn't risk it...

"I need time," I said, my voice firmer now. "Time to think, time to figure out how I feel about all of this. You kept me in the dark, and I don't know how to move forward from that yet. But maybe with some time, I will." I explain, trying to be fair to us both now.

Vincent's face hardened with pain, but he nodded slowly nonetheless. "Take all the time you need. I won't push you. But please, Sofia, just know that I love you, and everything I did - however wrong I was - I only ever wanted to help make you happy."

Wait... what?

Did he just say... that he loves me?!