Page 22 of Stalked to the Altar

I shook my head, overwhelmed, breathless from the panic attack I barely kept at bay. “I can’t do this. Do whatever Professor Caputo says. I just…can’t. He was there. He can handle it for me.” I returned to staring out the window, pretending I was anywhere else but here.

Silas, obviously a born leader, easily took control of the situation, shifting the energy in the room from pity to outrage. With him having switched up the dialogue, now the police were seeing my mom as a threat to my safety and in obvious need of immediate psychiatric care and a lawyer, because—per Silas—I wanted restraining order.

“You can’t do that!” my mom screeched. “I’m her mother!”

“I can, and I will,” he calmly countered. “Did you not hear your daughter? I’m speaking for her.”

“Eden! Stop him,” my mom then pleaded. “Why are you doing this? Why are you listening to this—this—”

I gasped when she slurred him.

Honestly, the expression on his face was neutral, his eyes blazed. Could my mom not feel them burning into her soul?

The rest of what happened was a blur. I literally just checked out and let Silas lead me about, speak on my behalf, and he even filled out all the paperwork. I was surprised by how much he knew about me. He was so sure in his answers that he didn’t even look at me in confirmation.

How many teachers had their student’s social security number memorized. Birthday. Phone Number. Height. Weight.

Did he have an eidetic or photographic memory?

Next thing I knew, he was walking me into my apartment. I didn’t even remember him getting my keys out of my backpack. I needed to snap out of it. I couldn’t help but feel like I was missing something extremely important.

“Why did you come?” I asked, turning to face him at the threshold.

His dark eyes bore into mine. “I wanted to make sure that you were safe.”

“Thank you. No one has ever—” I stopped. It wouldn’t do to tell him too much about me.

He tilted my chin up so I could meet his gaze. He opened his mouth, and I knew my world was about to change.

“Is your family all like that?”

I blinked hard. That wasn’t what I expected him to say.

The pieces fell together like a puzzle made whole. I’d been looking for my stalker for weeks, and now I knew. Silas was the one stalking me. He’s the only man who’d given me such careful attention. And he knew everything about me—above and beyond what was reasonable. It was as if he’d studied me.

“What do you mean?” I whispered.

His gaze darkened. “Do they all speak to you like that? Hurt you like that?”

“What does it matter to you?”

He leaned down and smelled my neck. “I’m going to protect you.”

“From?”

“Everything.”

“Then who will protect me from you?”

“You will never need it because you’re mine.” He kissed me on my forehead, so tender and loving. “I have to get back to campus, but I will be seeing you soon,cara mia.Real soon.” He walked backward away from me. “Make sure you lock the door.”

His gaze penetrated me deeply, almost violating. It was like he knew all my secrets. He was inside of my mind. Nestled deep in my womb. I could feel him like a blanket that was too hot to use, both soft yet smothering.

I didn’t bother to lock the door like he ordered. After all, he probably had a key.

Fuck him. Fucking weirdo.

I needed to take a bath. I needed to go to bed. I needed to escape this reality for a bit, to dream of a more logical world where the sexy villain was not also the goddamn hero who protected me.

---