Her Devilish Alpha - Chapter 172

Emilio’s eyes widened in sheer terror.

Harm Madeline?

Why would an explanation from her possibly hurt their daughter? That certainly didn’t add up.

“And how would an explanation be capable of harming our daughter?” Emilio questioned.

Cornelia licked her lips, only noticing how good he looked now. She shook her head, clearing her head of such indecent and obscene thoughts.

‘Get yourself together,’ she told herself, wondering why she was still behaving this way around him when he was clearly uninterested in her now.

That was one thing.

Even if she was supreme sorceress, she never knew what Emilio felt. She couldn’t feel what he felt, and she couldn’t know because he refused to tell her anything. His feelings were off-limits.

Cornelia did feel grateful Emilio didn’t speak up much during dinner. That he gave her a chance to explain herself even though she had no intention of doing so.

Whilst she wanted to melt in his arms, tell him everything and hope for the best, she couldn’t. All she could do was tell him what she truly felt.

“Rose,” Cornelia called.

“Right, I was about to leave anyway,” Rosalynn said.

A portal was conjured up, and Rosalynn stepped through, disappearing into another one of the many, many rooms in Cornelia’s ‘humble’ abode. And by abode, one meant a castle hidden from plain sight, deep in the forest.

Sighing with relief, she told Emilio one thing he had been waiting to hear.

“I’m sorry.”

Tears were threatening to spill, but she kept them from falling. No, she wouldn’t show any weakness to this man. She couldn’t. That would only make him look down on her more.

Emilio’s gaze softened, and he asked her, a tinge of worry in his deep baritone voice, “And what could you possibly be sorry for?”

She stared straight at him, her eyes shining with tears. Emilio hadn’t seen her like this in a long time. And even if they hadn’t seen each other in decades, he felt pieces of his heart slowly chipping away.

“Everything,” Cornelia replied, her answer sounding halfway between a question and a reply.

“For abandoning our daughter… for leaving you to rot in that cave for decades… for seeming like I didn’t care for you two anymore by not trying to get into contact with you all and only inviting you to meet with me now,” she murmured under her breath, unable to meet Emilio’s piercing gaze.

Whilst she apologised for it, she had never explained why she did it. That was what Emilio noticed, at least. And yet, he ached for her.

Taking her by surprise, he brought her into a tight embrace.

One thing Cornelia wasn’t was a liar. Not to him, at least. Besides, she didn’t have a reason to lie to him.

“I know there’s nothing I can say to make you forgive me now, but I’m sorry,” Cornelia said, knowing she’d get into trouble for saying this.

In a way, she was like a child, fearful of getting into trouble by her parents. Except, in this situation, her parents were her superiors. Beings that were far more powerful than her and could obliterate her if they pleased. She was defenceless against them, and couldn’t interfere with what fate had already planned for those she cared about.

Just as the four were leaving, she had shot Xavier a look. Whilst she had said nothing, what the message she was trying to convey was as clear as day.

‘Protect the girl.’

Cornelia was grateful towards Xavier for not killing Emilio, even after what he had done. She knew he deeply cared for her daughter. It was pointless trying to get him to prove it, although she’d get a kick out of that.

Emilio mumbled to her, “You won’t tell me why you’re sorry, will you?”

Yet, he didn’t seem upset by it. He seemed more worried than upset.

He felt her nod.

“I can’t tell you,” she insisted, adding, “If I did, I would have told you from the start. I wouldn’t have told you that I couldn’t tell you. You know I rarely keep things from you… I tell you everything there is to know. I always did, I trust you.”

She had a point, Cornelia ever found the need to keep things from him.

Right, Madeline was an exception to that.

Other than Madeline though, there was not much that she had hidden from him. A part of Emilio wanted to tell her that if she really trusted him, she’d tell him why, but he also understood. Understood why she had to do what she had to do.

“If you can’t tell me why you did it, then nod or shake your head,” Emilio said.

“Did you hide Madeline’s existence from them because she’d be put in danger if they knew you had a daughter?”

Cornelia gulped, nodding. He had always been great at reading her.

Sure, she was nearly omnipotent. But when it came to her, so was he.

Emilio knew he had made it obvious that he wasn’t capable of raising a daughter. He didn’t have to say it, both him and Cornelia knew that. It was just that no one pointed it out.

There was also another reason too.

One that she couldn’t put into words no matter how hard she tried. She couldn’t tell him because it would have its own consequences. Also because it would terrify him.

Fate had chosen Madeline’s path.

She was meant to grow up without her biological parents in her life.

She was meant to be mates with Xavier, and meant to stumble upon Eudora and him. One way or another, she would fall in love with her mate.

Everything was meticulously planned out.

If something had changed, so would everything else, as little a detail as it may have been.

Madeline would have never been Xavier’s mate.

The girl would have been… She would have…

Cornelia refused to think of it, it was far too gruesome for her to think of. She wondered if this was the right moment to tell him about something she had also been keeping from him.

But this wouldn’t affect anything.

“Emile,” she called.

“It was nice seeing you again.”

Emilio frowned, “It wasn’t like I had a choice.”

She chuckled, “Alright, you have a point with that.”

He said to her, “What are you keeping from me?”

Cornelia blinked.

“Other than the reason you’re keeping why you did what you did from me. There’s something else,” Emilio pointed out. He added, “I’ve known you for forever, there’s something else on your mind that you’re reluctant to tell me.”

She winced. Why was he so right?

Why could he read her mind like it was nothing? Why was he so effortlessly amazing?

“What else are you keeping from me?” He asked, his voice softer than before, his dulcet tones soft and soothing enough to lull Cornelia to sleep if she hadn’t been so insistent on staying awake and talking to the man.

“Do I have to tell you?” Cornelia asked.

Emilio wondered what it was. What else was she hiding? Was there yet another secret she was keeping from him?

“You wouldn’t have brought me here unless you wanted to tell me something. And if you wanted to apologise, you could have written a letter or something since you’re keeping explanations from me too. Not to mention, you didn’t have to go all out and invite me all the way here,” Emilio said.

Cornelia sighed, this was why she loved this man so much.

Did he know that she never once paid any notice to any other man than him even after all this time?

The only things that were going through her mind were: Emilio. Feelings. Confess. Now.

There was no better time to do it than now. It was just the two of them, and Emilio seemed to be willing to listen to what she had to say.

She separated from him, looking him in the eye. Did he still have feelings for her?

Probably not. He probably lost those feelings for her long ago. She had done him wrong, and it was understandable he’d have lost all his feelings for her. If she were him, she wouldn’t have even wanted to spare herself another glance.

“It isn’t the best time to tell you this,” she started, her eyes flickering with regret and nervousness.

Emilio cocked his head to the side questioningly.

She stuttered, “B-but…”

The words were at the tip of her tongue, all she had to do was say them.

‘Get a grip, Nelia. Don’t be nervous, there’s no need to be nervous,’ she thought to herself whilst her heart screamed and wailed for her to just tell him already.

“I still have feelings for you,” she finally spoke.

Nodding, she repeated herself so he wouldn’t think he was dreaming or hallucinating. She placed her hands on his shoulders and confessed her feelings to him.

“I still have feelings for you and am still crazy for you, Emilio.”