My Wives are Beautiful Demons - Chapter 625

Capítulo 625: Speaking about Mothers

He exhaled, ran a hand over his face, and pulled Katharina into a tight hug. It wasn’t gentle. It wasn’t calculated. He simply held her like someone who had been irritated, worried, and trying not to freak out for four days.

She rested her face against his chest without complaining.

Vergil spoke softly, close to her ear:

“I was worried.”

Katharina closed her eyes. She just took a deep breath. He continued:

“I said I’d let you think. But I didn’t think ‘thinking’ meant disappearing off the face of the earth and showing up in the Caribbean.”

She gave his chest a small push, not to push him away, but to look him in the eyes.

“I needed… distance.”

“Four days?” Vergil asked, his expression still tense.

“Four days.”

He tightened the hug once more, then released it. Just enough to look her up and down. Her clothes didn’t help his situation, but Vergil tried to stay focused.

“At least you could have let me know where you were,” he said.

“I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to talk to you,” Katharina replied, running her hands through her hair, annoyed with herself. “The fight with my mother… it’s been nagging at me.”

Vergil looked away for a moment, as if thinking about how to respond.

“I noticed.”

“I know you noticed,” she said, crossing her arms. “You always notice.”

Vergil looked back at her. His tension was no longer anger, but that of someone who wanted to resolve everything at once.

“I didn’t intend to pressure you. That’s why I didn’t come looking for you on the first day.”

Katharina raised an eyebrow. “And you came on the fourth day?”

“Yes,” he replied without hesitation. “Four days is a long time.”

She bit her lip, now without any pretense. Just an automatic gesture. “I was… feeling suffocated. Not by you. By the situation.”

Vergil nodded. “I figured.” He entered the room without her needing to invite him—she simply took two steps back and left the door open. He followed her with his eyes, observing if she was truly alright.

Katharina closed the door calmly. She turned and leaned her back against it, taking a deep breath.

Vergil didn’t take his eyes off her.

“Are you feeling better now?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I just know I wanted to get away from everything for a while.”

“And did you manage to?”

“I did. But…” She sighed, dragging out the words. “Being away from you was awful.”

Vergil took a step toward her. “Then why did you stay away?”

“Because if I talked to you before thinking things through, I would have unloaded everything on you. The mess with my mother shouldn’t be your responsibility.”

Vergil observed her for a few seconds before answering.

“Maybe it’s not my responsibility. But you are.”

Katharina looked away, feeling a strange pressure in her chest. “I know.”

“So next time,” Vergil said, now calmer, “don’t disappear.”

She took a deep breath. “I’ll try.”

He took another step. Now he was close enough to touch her, but he waited. Katharina noticed the wait and finally reached out, taking his arm.

Vergil relaxed a little.

“You really came all the way to the Caribbean just to look for me?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“Even though you thought I was just avoiding the conversation?”

“Yes.”

She frowned. “Why?”

“Because I know you.” He touched her face gently. “And you never sleep well when you have so much on your mind.”

Katharina let out a low, humorless laugh. “Okay, you got me.”

Vergil looked around the room. Her suitcase was open, clothes were scattered, the distant sound of waves came from the balcony. It was obvious she had tried to rest—and failed.

“Do you want to tell me exactly what made you like this?” he asked.

“Not now,” she replied. “If I start talking about my mother, I’ll end up saying too much. I’m not ready yet.”

Vergil nodded. He didn’t insist.

Katharina thanked him silently.

“But I can tell you that…” She paused, searching for words. “I was ashamed. I was angry. We fought over something stupid, and it still hurt. And I hated saying the things I said.”

“You were hurt,” Vergil said.

“And I still am.” She moved closer to him. “But it’s none of your business.”

“It’s all your business,” he repeated.

Katharina sighed. There was no arguing when he was so direct.

Vergil then put his arm around her waist and pulled her close. There was no hesitation—just the need to make sure she was really there.

Katharina relaxed against him, letting her forehead rest against his shoulder.

“You shouldn’t have come looking for me,” she murmured.

“I disagree,” Vergil replied. “You’re my wife. Disappearing for four days isn’t something I simply ignore.”

She pressed her fingers against his shirt. “Sorry.”

Vergil was silent for a few seconds before replying:

“It’s okay. Just don’t do it again.”

Katharina lifted her face to look at him.

“I won’t,” she said, without hesitating this time.

Vergil guided her to the bed and made her sit down. He stood in front of her, as if he still needed to confirm that she was alright.

Katharina held his hand.

“Thank you for coming,” she said.

Vergil replied simply: “I always will.”

Katharina sat on the edge of the bed, pulling the sheet up just to cover part of her legs. Vergil sat beside her, still holding her hand, attentive to her every expression.

She took a deep breath, looking at the floor before beginning.

“You know my mother has always been… complicated,” she said.

Vergil didn’t respond immediately. He simply gave a slight nod for her to continue.

“Almost every demon in the world is afraid of her. And that’s no exaggeration. She’s destroyed continents, single-handedly brought down kingdoms, faced entire armies because she was in a bad mood or wanted to send a message. Sapphire has always been like that. Always been… too much.”

Katharina rested her elbows on her knees and ran a hand over her face, as if she were tired just remembering.

“When I was a child, I knew she was dangerous. Everyone knew. But for me… she was just my mother. But that was also difficult. She was too present. She controlled everything. Every choice. Every step. If I spoke to someone without her approval, she’d make that person disappear for a whole week just to ‘protect’ me.”

Vergil frowned slightly. “I already imagined she had a strong sense of possession, but not to this extent.”

“It’s worse,” Katharina replied. “She was always a monster. Literally. But she was also a hysterical mother. The kind that suffocates her own daughter without realizing it. And I grew up thinking that was normal.”

Vergil took a deep breath, squeezing her hand lightly. Not in judgment—just to remind her that he was listening.

Katharina continued: “In recent years, she’s become calmer. Or tired. I don’t know. But… I started living my life without her sticking her nose into everything. And I liked that. I liked it too much. And she hated it.”

Katharina paused. Her eyes were slightly red, but it wasn’t from crying—it was just that accumulated irritation. Something she never said aloud.

“For a year and a half, we haven’t been able to be in the same room without arguing. We barely talk. When we do talk, it’s only to fight. She’s always complaining that I’m distant. That I don’t spend time with her. That I don’t trust her anymore to talk about things in my life. But… how can I trust her? If I say anything, she tries to interfere.”

Vergil remained silent. It wasn’t a story to console—it was a story to listen to.

Katharina looked up at him.

“And then came that mess. That comment she made. She thought she could talk to me like that, as if I were a child who doesn’t know what she wants. As if I were her property.”

Vergil listened without interrupting, but his eyes narrowed slightly—not from anger at her, but at the situation.

“I lost my temper,” Katharina admitted.

“I said horrible things. She did too. And… that was it. After that, I couldn’t stand being near her. I ran away. Literally. I took a portal, left, and ended up here.”

She looked at the window, where the orange light of the late afternoon still streamed through the glass.

“I thought that if I were alone for a while, I could think. But it didn’t work. I just kept running the same ideas through my head.”

Vergil sighed and put his arm around her, pulling her close. Not forcefully, not impulsively—just bringing her closer.

“You did what you thought you needed to do,” he said. “And even though you ran away… you didn’t push me away. I just needed to breathe.”

“I didn’t want to worry you,” she murmured. “I just… didn’t want to drag you into this too.”

Vergil remained silent for a few seconds, his hand still resting on her waist. He observed every detail of her face—the tiredness, the frustration, the automatic defensiveness whenever she spoke of her mother. Then he tilted his head slightly and asked:

“Have you ever heard what she feels?”

Katharina froze instantly.

It was as if someone had pulled a brake inside her. Her body stiffened. Her gaze went blank for a split second. Her breath caught in her throat.

She only blinked slowly, unsure if she had heard correctly or if something had hit her.

“…What?” she asked, but her voice came out weak.

Vergil repeated, without changing his tone:

“At some point, have you heard what she feels? Not what she wants. Not what she demands. What she feels.”

Katharina’s jaw clenched.

She looked away immediately. Her body recoiled only slightly, but Vergil noticed. It was the kind of reaction she had when someone touched on something she’d avoided for a long time.

“Vergil…” she tried to begin, but her voice failed her.

“I’m not defending what she did,” he said, before she could get angry. “Nor am I justifying it. She crossed the line. Again. You were right to walk away.”

“Then why are you asking this?” Katharina retorted, now with irritation beginning to rise. Not anger at him—just that feeling of being poked where it hurts.

“Because you talk about what she caused you,” Vergil said firmly. “But you don’t talk about what she feels for you. Or how she shows it. Even if she shows it wrongly.”

Katharina took a deep breath, but the air seemed to get stuck in her throat.

She turned her face to the side, staring at the floor.

“Because I don’t want to hear it,” she replied. Simple. Raw. And very true. “If I stop to think about what she feels, I… I won’t be able to stay mad at her. And I need to be mad, Vergil. I need that to keep my distance.”

Vergil leaned forward slightly, getting into her line of sight. He didn’t force eye contact—he just positioned himself there, available.

“Why?” he asked.

“Because if I give her space… she’ll swallow me whole again.” Katharina clenched her fists on her knees. “If I give her an inch, she’ll invade everything. She’ll be in charge. She’ll decide. She’ll drag me to her rhythm. It’s always been like that.”

Vergil listened attentively.

Katharina continued, now faster, as if pouring out words that had been trapped for months:

“She’s too strong. She’s too intense. She loves me in a suffocating way. In a way that… that hurts. And if I listen to what she feels, if I really let it in… I know I’ll come back. And then what? Am I going to throw my life away to please her? I’ve done that before.”

Vergil gently placed his hand on her face, finally making her look at him.

“You’re not a child anymore,” he said, with his usual calm firmness. “She can’t control you anymore. Or drag you where she wants.”

Katharina frowned, but didn’t push his hand away.

“You think it’s that simple?”

“It’s not simple,” Vergil replied. “But running away doesn’t solve anything either.”

Katharina rolled her eyes, but the gesture was only to disguise the knot tightening in her chest. “You’re cruel…”

Vergil laughs and then claps his hands, “Well, time to go back. Let’s sort things out,” he says.