Chapter 19 the RuM ALA Tim
One Rule At A Time
The moment belle stepped through the gates of the house, she felt her chest tighten, the Images from the alley still seared into her mind.
She moved through the hallway with rebate steps, barely aware of the distant sounds of laughter and conversation from other rooms. Her body felt like it was carrying a weight thewer than any she had ever known.
As she entered het bedroom, she let out a shaky breath and shut the door behind her, leaning agest. She glanced at her laptop string on the desk across the room, almost calling her to hope, to pour out everything she’d witnessed, every feeling shehad.
But as her fingers hovered over the keyboard, the realized she could‘ The words wouldn’t come.
She closed the laptop and lay on her bed, sinking into the mattress as if ing it cold somehow pull her away!
Her mind replayed the brutal see in vivid detall, the blood, the decant words of the man-“For the cause she could sill hear the echo of the gunshot, still see the glint of gold in the alley’s shadows.
Asoft knock on the door started her, snapping het back to the present. She barely had the strength to her volee. “Sienna, please just need some time alone.”
There was a pause, then the door opened slowly. To her spise, Matteo stepped in, his face shadowed with concen
“Mattebollesat up, steel. She hadn’t expected him of all people, especially after the strained argument they’d had the other day,
“I hope I’m not intruding,” he said, his voice gentler
sual. He closed the door behind him and leaned against it, his gase searching her face. “I came to check on you.”
Isabelle shook her heat, still pressing the fact that he was standing in her room. “LJ thought you were Sienna. I didn’t mean to be rude.”
Mattered a small smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “It’s tine. know you’ve been through a lot.” He moved closer, sitting down at the edge of the bed. “And L. I wanted to apologize for everything that happened between us the other day. I didn’t mean to push you away.”
Isabelle hesitated, still wary. She searched his face, but for once, she didn’t see the guarded, impenetrable expression he usually wore. Instead, he looked wilnerable.
“It’s not just that. Matteo,” she said softly ‘There’s so much happening here, and feel like I’m stumbling in the dark. I saw something today–Her voice faltered, the memory of the man’s defianttice flashing in her mind. “I don’t even know how to explain”
Matteo’s expression hardened slightly as it he already knew more than he was letting on. “Isabelle, there are parts of this world that are darker than you can imagine. If I could explain everything I would…but some things aren’t meant to be understood, at least not by everyone.”
Tabelle’s hands clinched around the edge of the bed. “So you’re saying I’m just supposed to follow your roles, no questions asked?”
Matten nodded, his voice low and serious. “Yes, I know it sounds hard, but you have to trust me. This is bigger than both of us and if you step out of line, even once, it could cost you or someone else’s “His pare bore into her, pleading, almost desperate “Isabelle promise me you’ll comply. Promise me you’ll follow the cules I set for you.”
She looked away, groepling with his words. The thought of agreeing to something without knowing the hill story tek wrong, yet she could hear the urgency in his voice. Finally, she turned back to him, her eyes searching for him. “Why, Matted? Why do you care so much? Is there some kind of problem that we can solve, something we can fix? if it’s so big, then make it should be brought the open, exposed to the world.”
Matteo’s expression darkened, and he let out aber laugh. “You think exposing something is it?” He shook his head, his gaze far away. “abelle, sometimes bringing things into the light only makes them more dangerous. My parents.” He trailed off, jo tightening. “They learned that the hard way.”
Her breath hitched. She had never known much about Matteo’s family, only that they wear a painful subject the rarely spoke of “Mames what happened to them?”
He paused, his face unreadable, then finally spoke in a low, haunted tone. “They died. And they died because they thought the truth would protect them.” He swallowed, his gaze fixedon a distant point. “They believed that exposing the truth would make a differ, that it would set things right. But all it did was put targets on their backs. In the end, the mrud didn’t save them”
Isabelle felt a pang of sympathy, but a part of her still wrestled with frustration. She wanted to believe that shining light on something could bring justice, but Matteo’s words carried a kind of bitterness that was hard to argue against.
“I’m…I’m sorry about your parts,” she whispered “But isn’t there something we can do, some way to change things?
Matteo’s gaze softened, and be reached out, taking her hand in his. “The only thing lean do is keep you safe, Isabelle. That’s all want, all I’ve ever wanted, I’ve put these rules in place because.” He paused, his wake catching slightly “Because about you. I can’t lose anyone else.”
His words hung in the air, soft but powerful, resonating with amruth that belle couldn’t igne She felt a warmth spread through her, mixing with confusion and a strange kind of sadness. She looked away, trying to steady her racing bear
“You ready.
y… care about me that much?” she murmured, barely able to meet his gaze.
Manteo gave a small nod, his grip on her hand tightening. “Yes, lubelle. And that’s why I’m asking you to trust me, to let me handle things. I know it’s not easy, and I know it might seem unfair, but please just this once, Esten to me.”
she exhaled, feeling the weight of his coquest pressing down on her. It went against her instincts to blindly followsomeone else’s orders, yet she could see the vincerity in his eyes. Mitico wan’t just asking her to comply–he was asking her to stay sale, to stay alive
After a moment of silence, she gave a small od “Alright follow your rules, Mattes. I’ll stay but of trouble for now,”
Relief flickered across his face, and he gave her hand a gentle squee. “Thank you, Tabelle. You don’t know how much this means to me.”
Isabelle managed asmall smile, even as her heart remained conflicted. She knew she couldn’t buryber curiosity forever, but for now, mybe it was mough to trust him, to believe that he was acting out of love and not simply out of control.
As Matte rose to leave, she felt a strange cure of gratitude and une time, she could see the wright he carried, the pain and less that had shaped him.
She watched
walk to the door, a sense of tinality settling over her. When he glanced back one last
“Rest, lubelle,” he said softly. Try to put everything out of your mind, lost for a while, I’ll be here if you need me.”
And with that, he sipped out of the room, loving habelle done once more. She lay back on the bed, thoughts swirling as she tried to make sense of everything that bad happened. Mane’s words echoed in her mind, his promise of projection is admission of love.
Slowly, she mude a devision. She would be low, as he had asked, and let him guider through this shadowed world, one rule at a time
