Page 18 of Velvet Deception

“Nothing.”

That was the worst thing I could’ve said. She grinned, nodding at me like she was on to my secret. “Ah… I know what that means. I know why you’re so distracted.”

Nope. She couldn’t. In a million years, she wouldn’t be able to guess that on Alboradas, I’d been too soft and naïve and brought home an unconscious and beaten doctor I’d encountered lying in the alley.

“You’ve found a man, huh?” She waggled her brows, laughing and teasing.

I shook my head and walked away, knowing better than to engage in this conversation and answer her at all. It’d only feed her insistence that she was on to me, that she had to be right.

Technically, she was right. I had found a man. I really, truly had stumbled upon Diego.

But she also couldn’t have been further from the truth. I hadn’tfoundhim in the sense that I was searching for a boyfriend or lover.

Because there was no way in hell I’d be able to get to that specific and dangerous stage of trusting a man again. Not with my heart, body, or soul.

8

DIEGO

Every day passed the same, but that was both good and bad. On the bright side, I was adjusting to the injuries I’d received. My shoulder ached less. The cuts were knitting together with new scar tissue, and my head wasn’t as foggy. Dizziness ceased to hit me when I stood, and I was immensely grateful to feel clear-headed. I had been growing stir crazy sitting around and feeling overly idle. The need to sleep had passed, and I was more alert and eager to move.

This physical recovery was a blessing, and every day, I made sure to move a little more and stretch. Sitting around aggravated me, but pacing in the house helped to calm me down. Stretching in a series of calisthenics came to me with ease, and I had to wonder what I’d done to be this fit.

How? How can I not know who I am?It would drive me insane if my memories didn’t come back. I was stuck in this limbo, feeling like half of a person, a part of my soul incomplete.

With the blessing of regaining my physical strength, I accepted that my memories and identity were simply locked within me, and one day, I prayed I would come back to myself.

Even though I was stronger to walk and stretch, I remained in Sofia’s house. While she was at work and Ramon was at school or the neighbor’s, I acclimated myself to the rest of her home. I peeked out the windows, not recognizing the street outside. I snooped through her things, failing to feel a spark of familiarity with any of her bills and such. She didn’t seem to store much here. Browsing through books and rifling through odds and ends, I was stuck in this cluelessness.

For ten minutes, I stared at the calendar she had pinned to the wall in the kitchen, hoping the dates would trick me into thinking back. It didn’t work.

On the Dia de las Velitas, I heard someone coming in the front door when I was pacing in the living room, too antsy to sit any longer like a caged animal trapped in this home and in my mind. I could walk out, but where the hell would I go? Sofia had become my guiding light to not lose what remained of my mind.

I spun, watching the door open. Ramon came in, glancing at me standing.

He closed the door and smiled at me. “You’re getting better.”

I nodded.Partly.

“You’re walking around and moving,” he said.

This was the first time I’d been near him without his mother around, and the change in the routine stood out. “How come you are here?” I realized after I spoke how guarded I sounded. He was just a boy. Helivedhere, whereas I was just a confused guest. “I mean, where is your mother?”

“She will be home soon.” He shrugged as he entered, watching me cautiously. “Señora Vasquez is arguing with her daughter-in-law. Juan and I were playing outside, but I wanted to come home and see if I can find the candles before Mama comes home.” He raised his brows. “Do you know what the Noche de las?—”

“Noches de las Velitas. Yes. I remember that. All the candles, all the lanterns. It’s another Christmas tradition.” I rubbed the back of my head where the gash had healed over to thicker scar tissue.

I’ve always healed quickly.The thought popped in as a fact, and I brightened at this morsel of self-awareness. It gave me hope. Iknewthat about myself.

“That’s good.” Ramon smiled as he walked in. “It is good to remember.”

I shook my head and paced, making sure I didn’t invade his personal space. “But there is so much more I don’t remember. I don’t remember putting out candles. I don’t recall participating personally. Just that it happens.”

“Mama says not to force it, that it will come back.”

I shrugged.Will it? When?I couldn’t stay here and trespass on their lives.

“But you are up and walking around,” he commented as he set his school bag down. “That is good.”

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