GUARDIAN OF SIN
The sound of Noah’s car engine broke the silence and Sasha’s concentration as she studied in her room. As soon as she heard the gate of the large villa open, she looked out of the window and watched him get out of the car.
‘I’ve been living in this house for more than nine years, and in all that time I’ve always thought of Noah as an extremely charming man, perhaps the most charming I’ve ever known. He has an elegance that is difficult to find in other people, a proud and confident bearing. He has never let me want for anything; in fact, I have lived in luxury... even though he has always been detached and taciturn, and if I am honest, his aura not only unsettles me, it suffocates me...’
Sasha saw Noah come back in, turned around, and went to the desk to close the books.
’He is neither my father nor my brother; heis actually my guardian. He saved me from a sad fate after my parents died.
Sasha opened the door to her room to go and greet him, as she had always been accustomed to doing since she was a child, but unconsciously she just wanted to see him, to smell his scent of tobacco and perfume that smelled of leather and spices.
As she descended the stairs, one last thought crossed her mind.
‘For everything he has given me and continues to give me, I owe him my gratitude and respect.’
As soon as she turned the corner of Noah’s study downstairs, the one used for business, she found the door ajar. She stopped abruptly, her breath catching in her throat. Noah had his back to her, his white shirt carelessly thrown over the leather armchair. The scars on his back were evident, perhaps signs of violence and secrets never confessed.
Noah didn’t see her, and Sasha backed away, blushing.
‘Yet I’ve seen him shirtless hundreds of times, but every time it has the same effect on me, and the more time passes, the more intense it gets... why do I find his body so damn perfect? His powerful, muscular chest and his scars make him even more manly... his arms give me a sense of protection... he’s aesthetically perfect, but he makes me feel so vulnerable...’
Sasha coughed lightly to announce her arrival. When she got there, he had already gotten dressed, impeccable as always.
"Hi Noah! Welcome back."
"Sasha! Everything okay?"
"Yes, yes, thank you."
"Do you need anything?"
"No... I’ll wait for you in the dining room for dinner.”
"I’ll be right there."
Sasha went to the dining room and took her place at the table, waiting for him to arrive, as did the housekeeper, Margaret, who was ready to serve dinner.
The dining room was a huge, cold room, but not because of a lack of heating. The long table always created a deliberate distance, and the huge crystal chandelier in the center of the table also gave off a cold light. Fortunately, a large crackling fireplace warmed the room, giving it a cozy feeling.
Noah made his entrance. Elegant as always, he wore a tailored black suit and a shirt with two or three buttons undone, revealing one of his scars. A brutally charming man.
When the food was served, dinner began.
Shortly after, Noah put his fork down on the table, picked up his glass of red wine, took a sip, and put it back down before speaking.
"Aren’t you eating, Sasha? You’re not touching your food.”
His voice was low and deep and, above all, calm as ever.
Sasha couldn’t even look up from her plate.
‘I can feel his eyes on me...’
"There’s something I’d like to ask you," she said, clenching her fists under the table.
"I’m nineteen, I’m grown up, and yet... every time I’ve asked you about ‘them’, I’ve always gotten half-answers or the same answers.”
Sasha raised her head, trying to hold his gaze.
Noah’s eyes were dark and impenetrable.
"What do you want to know that I haven’t already told you?"
"I want the truth. Did they really die in that fire?"
Noah rested his elbows on the table and for a moment put his forehead in his hands before sighing and replying.
“I don’t know how much it will help you, but... if you want to know.”
“Yes, I care, thank you.”
“Your father was a loyal man who always worked hard for my father’s company. I grew up seeing him in our house. He was a role model for me too. Your mother was a good mom. That night, a fire broke out in your house, caused by a gas cylinder, but the fire spread quickly. When your father realized he couldn’t save his family, he called us in desperation, asking for help. We lived nearby, so he knew we would be the first to respond. I answered the phone. He asked me to try to save his daughter, his only reason for living. They were trapped upstairs while you were downstairs. He told me that if I succeeded, to take care of her in his place. And so I did... I’m sorry if that’s not what you want to hear, but that’s the truth.”
“OK... thank you and I’m sorry,” she said submissively, almost feeling guilty for asking.
“Don’t ask me about the past anymore, it’s not easy to relive those moments. I am your present now. Eat, don’t waste food.”
Sasha felt a chill in her bones, but she began to eat.
‘Kind and protective, even too much so... and that darkness that surrounds him... but I can’t blame him if, over the years, he has smoothed over the truth so as not to hurt me.’
Later, locked in her room, she opened her diary. Her hands trembled as she began to write rapidly.
‘From tonight, I have a few more memories to add to this desert... every word I add ensures that I don’t forget them...’
’I still remember that day... it’s an indelible image in my mind. I remember the fire, the towering flames. I was crying, calling for my parents, who didn’t answer. Then he came... he took me in his warm, strong arms. He covered my eyes with his big hands and said, ‘Don’t look back, Sasha’. The flames had taken everything. That night, I felt safe in his arms. He had saved me...′
She continued to write about Noah in her diary:
Sasha closed her diary and held it close to her chest, thinking that he was out there somewhere in the villa, watching over her.
***
The next morning, the world outside the villa seemed bright.
Sasha went to the university, getting into the car, escorted by the driver as Noah had ordered.
When she got out, Alex was waiting for her ahead.
Alex was the first guy Sasha had met at university. She immediately took a liking to him. Perhaps the fact that he was always cheerful, sunny, and thoughtful made him what she needed, or what she thought she needed. The exact opposite of the shadows she lived with every day in that house.
“Hey, Sasha! It’s so good to see you!”
“Hi Alex! Shall we go together?” she replied, letting his cheerfulness infect her, as Noah’s car drove away like a hound returning to its master.
“Would you like to have lunch with me today?” Alex asked timidly during the break.
Sasha’s heart raced.
“Sure. Let me just tell Marc, the driver... I have to tell him I’ll be late.”
“I’ll drive you home, what’s the problem?!”
“Um... no, thanks,” she replied, feeling a knot in her stomach. The idea of Alex walking through the villa’s gate terrified her. “Marc is coming this way anyway, it’s no problem.”
In the cafeteria, the atmosphere changed. Alex sought Sasha’s gaze.
“It’s hard to spend time with you. Today, in fact, it doesn’t feel real.”
“I’m sorry about this morning, I didn’t mean to be rude, but Noah is very protective and—”
Alex interrupted her.
“But you’re 19!” he blurted out, confused. “Why does he have to control you like that? He’s only ten years older than you, he should understand that you need to live your life the way you want!”
Sasha felt ashamed. She didn’t know how to explain to him that her debt to the man who had saved her had become an obligation that, all things considered, she didn’t want to break.
“You see, after my parents died, he felt responsible, and I don’t want to worry him.”
Alex reached across the table and caressed her hand. It was a warm, human touch.
“I’m sorry, I’m being stupid. It’s just that... I really like you, Sasha, and I’m sure you’ve noticed.”
Sasha blushed.
“You don’t have to apologize. It’s not easy for me either, living with the feeling of always being watched, and I understand that in other people’s eyes this is a strange situation... anyway, I like you too.”
The two smiled at each other.
On the way out, before they could reach the car, Alex grabbed Sasha around the waist, pulling her toward him and dragging her behind a column.
His kiss was sudden.
For Sasha, it was a sense of freedom.
When their lips parted, Sasha smoothed her hair with trembling fingers.
“So... see you tomorrow?”
“Yes. I’ll call you tonight.”
Sasha got into her car, trying to catch her breath.
“Good morning, Marc, and thanks for waiting.”
“Good morning to you, Sasha. Shall we go home?”
“Yes, yes, of course... and... is Noah back yet?” she asked, tense as a violin string.
“No, miss. But he already knows he’s coming back now. He contacted me to find out where he was.”
A chill ran down his spine.
“And tell me... did he seem angry?”
“No, not at all.”
‘But he wouldn’t let it show anyway.’
Sasha touched her lips and smiled instinctively.
When she entered her room, the first thing she did was write about Alex in her diary. The memory was still vivid in her mind.
But then fear set in.
“What should I tell Noah? I can’t tell him the truth... I have to come up with something believable... I’ve got it! I’ll say we had to do some research at the library and then we all stopped for lunch together. Why does this make me feel guilty? I didn’t do anything wrong...”
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
“Who is it?” she asked tensely.
