Chapter 4 WHEN SILENCE SCREAMS

Nattie hadn't seen Rodrigo since the fight in the bookstore. Two days had passed, but her chest still ached from it. The way he looked at her before walking out-the mix of shock and disappointment-kept replaying in her mind.

She didn't know what hurt more: the headlines she'd read... or the thought that she might have pushed away the first person who made her feel seen in a long time.

But trust wasn't something she gave freely. Not after everything her family had been through.

And not to a Sanchez.

That name still sat like rust on her tongue.

Still, the silence felt louder than any argument.

On the third day, the bell above the bookstore door rang.

Nattie looked up-and froze.

Rodrigo.

His hair was a little messier than usual, like he hadn't slept. He wore a plain grey hoodie, no designer logos, no flashy watch. Just him.

He looked tired. But not broken.

He held something in his hand.

A single book.

He placed it on the counter without saying a word. It was The Count of Monte Cristo-a story about betrayal, revenge, and redemption.

"Is this a peace offering?" Nattie asked, voice quieter than she meant.

Rodrigo gave a small, sad smile. "Maybe."

There was a long pause.

Then she sighed. "I shouldn't have snapped. I was just... overwhelmed."

"I get it," he said. "You have every right to doubt me."

She blinked, surprised. "You're not even going to defend yourself?"

"I spent my whole life defending myself. Especially to my father. I'm tired of talking. I'd rather show you."

He stepped back. "I'll leave, Nattie. If you tell me to. But just know-I didn't come here to hide. I came here to figure out who I am outside of all the noise. And somehow... you became part of that."

Her chest tightened.

Why did he have to say things like that?

Why did he have to sound so sincere?

"I don't want you to leave," she said softly. "I just... I don't know how to let someone like you in. Not when your family destroyed mine."

Rodrigo nodded. "Then let's start with the truth. Ask me anything."

She hesitated. Then: "Did your father really crush my dad's business?"

Rodrigo's eyes flickered. "Yes."

It hit like a slap, even though she already knew.

"He saw Diego Mallary as a threat. I didn't know the details back then-I was just a teenager-but I remember the meetings, the silence at the dinner table. My father never mentioned your dad's name, only referred to him as 'a mistake in the market.'"

Nattie's throat went dry.

"I'm sorry," Rodrigo added. "I didn't know back then. But I know now. And I won't defend what Salvador did."

That honesty... it undid something inside her.

She looked away, fighting emotion. "It nearly broke my family."

"I believe you."

They stood in silence for a long moment.

Finally, she whispered, "I want to believe you, Rodrigo. I do. But there's so much I don't understand. About you. About your family."

"Then let me explain. But not here." He gave a hopeful look. "Can I take you somewhere?"

She hesitated.

Then she nodded.

-

They ended up at a small café by the river. Quiet, cosy, with lanterns swaying in the breeze and blues music playing softly in the background.

They sat at a corner table, coffee cups warming their hands.

Rodrigo started talking.

He told her about the boardroom, about how his brother stormed in, demanding what he thought he deserved. About how Salvador dismissed Bernado like a stranger, even after years of work. How it all spiraled after that-the sabotage, the leaks, the panic.

"How do you know it was your brother?" Nattie asked.

Rodrigo looked at her. "Because I know how he thinks. And because two days after the leak, he disappeared from Beverly Hills and turned up in Barcelona, buying out the very apartment our company once used for hosting investors. He's not hiding. He's planning something."

"And you think he's targeting you?"

"I don't think. I know."

Nattie watched him carefully. "Why would he do that?"

Rodrigo's voice dropped. "Because I got everything he thought he deserved. The title. The company. The name. And even now, even far from home, he's trying to poison everything I touch."

Her breath caught. "Including me."

Rodrigo didn't say anything, but his silence said enough.

She sat back, the weight of it all settling in.

"But why me?" she asked. "Why would your brother care who you're talking to in a bookstore in Georgia?"

"Because you're the girl I can't stop thinking about. And he knows that's the best place to break me."

Her heart thudded in her chest.

This wasn't just a misunderstanding. This was something deeper. Something planned.

"I don't want to be caught in your family war," she whispered.

Rodrigo leaned forward. "Then let me protect you from it."

She met his eyes. "How?"

He paused, then said, "By telling you everything. Even the parts that hurt."

-

That night, after he walked her home, Nattie sat on her porch alone, watching the stars.

Her heart was torn in two directions.

One part of her still feared the name Sanchez.

The other part was beginning to believe in the man behind it.

But what truly haunted her wasn't what Rodrigo had said.

It was what he hadn't.

Because earlier that day, before Rodrigo came into the shop, she received a letter.

A plain envelope. No return address.

Inside was a photo.

Rodrigo and a woman. Beautiful. Blonde. Smiling in his arms.

On the back of the photo were four words:

"Ask him about Valeria."

Nattie hadn't asked.

Not yet.

Because if she did...

She wasn't sure she'd like the answer.