Chapter 5 The Truth Beneath the Vows

I didn't remember leaving the warehouse.

Only the way Luca's arms locked around me as if letting go would mean losing me forever.

When I woke again, I was in the penthouse bedroom the same luxurious cage I'd seen my first night here. Soft lighting. Clean sheets. No ropes. No blood.

For a moment, I wondered if it had all been a nightmare.

Then I felt it.

The soreness in my wrists. The bruise blooming across my shoulder.

Real.

I pushed myself upright slowly. The room was quiet, but not empty.

Luca stood near the window, his back to me, sleeves rolled up. His hands were red-scrubbed raw, as if he'd tried to wash something invisible away.

"You should be resting," he said without turning.

"I slept," I replied hoarsely. "Now I want answers."

He exhaled slowly, the sound heavy. "You were kidnapped by Victor Romano."

"I know," I said. "He wanted information."

"And?" Luca asked.

"I told him nothing."

"I know."

I swung my legs over the bed, wincing. "How?"

Luca turned to face me. His eyes were dark, burning with something I hadn't seen before.

"Because he didn't live long enough to extract it."

A chill crawled up my spine.

"You killed him," I said.

"Yes."

The word was simple. Final.

I swallowed. "Because of me?"

Luca's jaw tightened. "Because he crossed a line."

I studied him carefully. "You said I was disposable."

Silence.

"That was a lie, wasn't it?" I pressed.

He looked away.

"I don't lie," he said.

"That wasn't an answer."

He crossed the room and stopped in front of me. Close enough that I could feel the heat of him, the tension vibrating beneath his skin.

"The men who married me before you," Luca said quietly, "were targeted the moment the ring went on their finger."

My breath hitched. "They were men."

"Yes," he agreed. "And they died anyway."

I stared at him, heart pounding. "So why marry at all?"

"Because marriage creates visibility," Luca replied. "And visibility draws enemies into the light."

Realization struck me hard. "You used them."

"Yes."

"And me?" My voice shook despite my effort to steady it.

He met my gaze fully now. "You were supposed to be bait."

The words sliced through me.

I stood abruptly, ignoring the ache in my body. "You used my life to draw out your enemies."

"I planned to protect you," he said firmly.

"That doesn't make it better!"

"It makes it necessary," Luca snapped. Then he stopped, reining himself in. "This world is built on blood and strategy. Emotion gets people killed."

"And yet you broke your own rules," I shot back. "You came for me."

His silence was deafening.

"You didn't have to," I whispered. "If I was just bait."

Luca's hands curled into fists. "They touched you."

"So?" I challenged. "They touched the others too, didn't they?"

His expression hardened, then cracked.

"Yes," he said. "And I waited."

The admission sucked the air from my lungs.

"You let them die," I said softly.

"I believed distance kept me alive," Luca replied. "I was wrong."

I wrapped my arms around myself. "Then what makes me different?"

Luca stepped closer. "Because you didn't break."

"I was terrified," I said.

"And you still looked him in the eye," Luca said. "You didn't beg. You didn't bargain. You survived."

Something heavy settled between us.

"This wasn't how it was supposed to go," Luca continued. "You weren't meant to matter."

I laughed bitterly. "Congratulations. I matter now."

"Yes," he said. "And that makes you dangerous."

"To you?" I asked.

"To everyone."

A knock came at the door.

Marcus entered, his face grim. "Sir. The Rossis are mobilizing. They know you executed Romano."

Luca nodded once. "Good."

"They're calling it a declaration of war."

Luca's lips curved slightly. "It is."

Marcus glanced at me. "There's more."

Luca's eyes flicked to him. "Speak."

"We intercepted a message," Marcus said. "They're not coming for territory."

My heart began to race.

"They're coming for her," Marcus finished.

Silence crashed down around us.

Luca turned to me slowly.

"You hear that?" he asked.

I nodded numbly.

"They want my wife," Luca said. "And they won't stop."

"What happens now?" I asked.

Luca reached out and lifted my chin gently, forcing me to meet his gaze.

"Now," he said, voice dark and resolute, "I stop pretending this marriage is just a contract."

My pulse thundered. "What does that mean?"

"It means," Luca said, "anyone who touches you from now on dies."

A phone buzzed on the table beside him.

Marcus glanced at the screen, then stiffened. "Sir... it's from an encrypted channel."

Luca took the phone.

His expression changed instantly.

"What?" I asked.

He handed me the phone.

On the screen was a single message.

The wives weren't the targets.

You were.

We're coming to finish what we started.

My blood turned to ice.