Paradise Found: Cain (Paradise #2)(52)

The surprise on Sofie’s face was an admission.

“Answer me,” he demanded, and Sofie flinched in my arms.

“He’s my father. Was my father,” she whispered.

“Who were your parents, exactly?” His question seemed to prove his inquisition hadn’t taken him in the correct direction, but then the smirk on his face was evidence he was playing a game. I couldn’t figure his angle.

“Gustavo and Catrina Vincentia,” she whispered, looking down at her bare toes.

“Catrina,” Atom mumbled. “Catrina?” He glanced up suddenly and stared at Sofie. He approached her slowly. Reaching out for her face, she flinched and I blocked him, but he forced his hand to push back some chestnut locks.

“Catrina,” he muttered one more time.

Sofie and I both stared as my father’s face fell, for only a second. I’d never seen an expression of pain cross his face, but his brow wrinkled and his nose pinched.

“She was so brave,” he said softly, staring eerily at Sofie.

She continued to gawk back at him, her eyes opening wide in some kind of recognition. I was holding onto her, but it was as if she didn’t even feel my hands.

“She wouldn’t let me take him,” Atom stated, assessing Sofie’s horror stricken face. Her head began to slowly shake.

“He owed me. He bet against the fight and he owed me. I’d only come to collect, but Catrina, beautiful Catrina got in the way.” He pushed back her hair again and Sofie remained blind to his touch.

“Why do the strong marry the weak?” he sighed.

I didn’t know whom he implied was weak or strong in my marriage, but Sofie was barely holding it together. Her body trembled. Frantically, I was trying to put the pieces together, but it was apparent Sofie was ready to fall apart. Catrina and Gustavo were clearly her parents, and their death … was related to my father.

Sofie’s head continued to shake in disbelief.

“Sofie?” I questioned. Her skin was frigid, shock taking her over.

“Sofie, look at me,” I demanded, but she refused.

“Sofie, this isn’t me,” I reasoned, panic rising. My hands slipped down to hers, which had turned ice cold, and I forced them up around my neck, holding them in place. She wasn’t looking at me, and I released one hand to raise a finger to her chin. Letting go of her hand made it fall free of my neck. I repeated the motion, holding them in place with one of mine covering both of hers. My other hand struggled to grip her chin and force her eyes to mine.

“This isn’t me,” I reinforced, leaning forward to kiss her.

“You know me. This isn’t me.” Our lips hardly brushed and she pulled back with a jerk.

“I don’t know anything about you.” Her voice was low, raspy, and unfamiliar to me. The sound was hollow, closed off. She had shut me out.

“Kiss me,” I demanded gently, trying to draw her in again, but she refused. Her body was rigid. Her mouth tight.

“Sofie, please, kiss me,” my voice squeaked with fear, hoping against hope that a physical connection would break the spell.

Her hands broke free of my hold and she pushed back on my shoulders.

“No!” she screamed at me. Looking at Atom, she yelled, “Enough!” She pushed against me a second time, and I stumbled in surprise.

“I don’t want this,” she said looking me up and down before turning to Atom. “I don’t want any of this.”

On those words, she brushed past me and exited my father’s office. I took a step to follow after her, but Kursch blocked the way.

“I’ve stood by and watched you destroy a lot of things in your wrath against Eve, Atom. But you went too far this time. And you,” Kursch turned to me. “I won’t let you hurt her, either.”

“What did I do?” I hissed.

“Think about your actions,” he warned, but I ignored him.

“Move, old man,” I demanded, but he crossed his arms. The imposing stature of Kursch shifted from the man of subtle humor to the fierce fighter he once was, in another lifetime. His eyes, which softened as he scolded, were beams of dark severity. Cold darkness filled them as he glared at me. He didn’t intend to budge.

I turned on my father, who remained shocked in his own right over what just transpired. He stood before his desk; still frozen in the place he revealed the horror of Sofie’s parents. I glared at him while I passed him. Spreading out my arms, I braced my hands on the edge of his giant desk. Pressing against it with all my might, the desk rocked once. The tension grew within me as I grunted and pushed again. It rocked once more. I didn’t acknowledge my name being called as I leaned my shoulder into the weight of the furniture. Then shoved. The desk upended and flipped over with a resounding thud as it hit the floor.

“I’m done!” I yelled at my father. “I don’t want any more of this, either. Enough.” I stated using Sofie’s word. Enough.





Forty days later…





“Hello.”

After forty days of silence, the sound of her voice, softly spoken, was an electric shock straight to my heart. I’d called. I’d driven by her apartment. I’d left endless messages. Silence was all I received. I stood slowly, not trusting myself, before I spun quickly from my desk to face her. Standing next to her was my brother and his girlfriend, Elma. Abel hadn’t failed me. He promised he’d get her to come to the gym for the grand opening of Eden2.