Page 14 of Sin of Innocence

“I just don’t want to be judged as som—”

“Some whore?” she finished, laughing as she did. “Christina, why do you care so much? It is none of your business what anyone has to say or think. People are going to judge you no matter what you do. Let them live with that, but that doesn’t mean you should carry it with you.”

I sighed. She was right.

I could see it on Emanuel’s face whenever I spoke to him, he wished we didn’t have to stay in his office all day and night. He wanted to take me home and hold me as we watched movies or laughed about how terribly I cooked pancakes. It was my fault, why we could never do those things. My fears blocked everything for us.

“What about my dad? He’s going to be so disappointed,” I whispered the last part more to myself than her. She reached over and placed her hand on my shoulder.

“Yeah, probably, but if I had a dollar for every time I disappointed my parents, I would be rich. Jason will get over it, especially if he notices the same glow I have been seeing in you. Every day that you walk by, I notice you get brighter and brighter. Be happy, Christina, stop worrying so much about everyone else. Take it from someone who did the same thing, and lost a man that she could have had forever with,” she gloomed.

I wanted to ask her what she meant, but my sights managed to stray over to Emanuel who had just exited the elevator. The moment his eyes rested on mine, he sent me a wink.

A smile dispersed on my face as I made my way over to him.

“I was looking for you,” he stated before lifting his wrist to check his watch. “You told me you were going to stop by twenty minutes ago,”

“Sorry, I was talking to Hazel...” my voice trailed off when I noticed the man standing next to him. He was just as tall as Emanuel, with a few tattoos trying to peak out of his suit. His face was stone cold and empty, leaving a small shudder to run through me.

“It’s fine. This is my brother Luca,” Emanuel introduced before pointing over at the man. “I was just about to walk him outside.”

“Hi, Luca. I’m Christina,” I said softly.

Just as I was about to hold out my hand for him to shake, a young child ran over to him and gripped his leg. Luca looked down at the boy before his eyes narrowly searched around the office.

“Alessandro, go find Vivian n—”

“I’m here,” a gorgeous woman interrupted. She easily scooped up the child in her arms before pressing him into her chest. “Thank you for being patient while I went to the ladies room.”

Luca grumbled a string of incoherent words before turning back over to me. Impatience rang in his features, and it fell on my every action. I probably looked like a statue with the way I was paralyzed in fear.

“Nice to meet you,” he said, with a strong void of emotion dripping from each word.

“I hope we stay in touch. Come by again soon with my nephew, of course,” Emanuel smiled as he looked over at the boy in the woman’s arms. I wondered who the woman was. Emanuel told me that Luca was a single father, but with the way that the young boy gleamed at her, it wouldn’t be a struggle to assume she was his mother.

“Of course. See you soon, brother,” Luca let out.

Silently, Luca walked out of the building. When he, Vivian, and Alessandro were gone, I turned to look at Emanuel. He wore a smile on his face with a yearning look caressing his eyes. That was my favorite part about him, he loved his family. Even if he tried hard not to show it, I could see it; he missed when it was him and his brothers against the world.

I didn’t know what came over me to grab his hand. It could’ve been the talk that Hazel had given me, but I interlocked my fingers with his. Emanuel’s brows curved as his jaw widened.

“You don’t care that people can see us?” he questioned. Shaking my head, I smiled broadly as I looked into the beautiful blue of his eyes.

“It’s not my business what anyone thinks, nor will it ever be,” I said, replaying the conversation I had with Hazel.

“That’s my girl,” he chuckled.

Just before we could walk off, I looked over at Hazel who was trying her best to suppress a smile. I playfully rolled my eyes at her excitement. I didn’t care who looked, or who stared, but there was someone in particular that stood out to me with the way their eyes stuck to me like glue. Narrowing my gaze at the figure, I tried my best to see who it was, but came up empty. He was standing across the street with sunglasses perched on the bridge of his nose. I knew he could see me looking at him because he quickly turned and walked away.

It wasn’t the first time I had seen someone watching me, studying me. Not only did the man seem to have the same similarities as the guy I saw a few weeks ago, but there was also a time when I finished school. I was walking to my car where the same man seemed to be standing at a far distance. He was smoking a cigarette, looking at me like he owned me. Under his gaze, I was property, and I could feel it.

Emanuel began to lead me to the elevator, but I managed to keep looking off behind me. I wanted to go over there and see who the hell that man was, but my logic wouldn’t allow me to. Instead, I walked with Emanuel until we were inside the elevator.

“Everything okay?” Emanuel asked me.

I let out a breath I wasn’t even aware I had been holding. It took a lot for me to nod my head and pretend like I was telling the truth. That man could have just been some coincidence, or it could have just been my mind playing tricks on me. The last thing I wanted was to worry him.

“I was going to ask you if maybe you wanted to come by my place tonight,” he spoke, his words filling with fire. I bit down on my lip as he placed his hands on my waist. “You can stay the night, and we can maybe sleep in, or don’t sleep at all. It’ll all be your choice. What do you say about that, baby?”

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