Chapter 7 Turning Point

Ivan's POV

I could feel her eyes on me, sharp and accusing. Adriana was standing across the room, the tension between us thick enough to choke. We'd just watched Natsumi leave, her words still hanging in the air, like a fog that refused to lift. "I didn't ask for this." The words tasted bitter on my tongue.

Adriana wasn't fooled, though. I saw it in the way her jaw clenched, the way her fists were slowly tightening. She had every right to be furious, but I couldn't offer her any comfort. Not after what Natsumi said, not after everything I'd just lied about.

When I thought of Natsumi, all I saw was a past that didn't matter anymore. But Adriana... she was right there, pulling me back into a war that had nothing to do with her. It was the first time in a long time I wasn't sure of myself. Not sure who I was, not sure what I wanted anymore.

Adriana didn't say anything, but I could feel the weight of her silence. It wasn't like the quiet before a storm. This silence was a barrier between us, thick and unbreakable. I couldn't stand it.

I turned away from her, my fingers brushing against the files scattered across the desk. The Petrov family's rise to power, her mother's death, the twisted politics of it all-it didn't belong in this room. Not anymore. But it had to. For both our sakes.

"You don't trust me." Adriana's voice sliced through the silence.

I didn't have a response. What could I say? I couldn't lie to her, but I couldn't tell her the truth either. The truth about Natsumi, about everything.

"Why didn't you tell me she was coming?" she pressed, her tone soft but laced with a cold edge. "Was it to keep me in the dark, Ivan? Keep me as the clueless bride?"

The anger in her voice pushed me to turn around. "You want the truth?" I asked, my voice low and controlled. "Natsumi was a part of my life, a part of the past I tried to leave behind. But the world doesn't work that way. The world doesn't care about your past. It only cares about what you can do now."

She was quiet for a moment, her gaze burning holes into me. "And what can you do now, Ivan? What do you want from me?"

I didn't know how to answer that. I was used to the game. I knew how to play it. But this... this was different. She was different. Adriana wasn't just another pawn on the board.

"You should leave," I said quietly. "Get some rest. We'll deal with the rest of this later."

It was a dismissal, but it wasn't meant to be cruel. I just needed space. I needed to breathe.

Instead of leaving, she walked towards me. Her movements were slow, deliberate, like she was trying to figure out if I was going to stop her. But I didn't.

"I don't know how much more I can take, Ivan," she said, her voice softer now, almost vulnerable. "Every time I think I can trust you, something happens that makes me question everything."

I looked at her then, really looked at her. There was a fire in her eyes, but underneath that fire, I saw something softer, something more fragile. It was the first time I'd truly seen it-the real Adriana Romano. Not the mafia princess, not the woman with the sharp tongue. The woman who was carrying the weight of her family's secrets.

I wanted to reach out to her, pull her into my arms and make everything right. But I didn't. I couldn't. Because I didn't know how.

"I didn't want this for you, Adriana," I said, my voice almost a whisper. "I didn't want you involved in this mess. You should have stayed away from me. From all of this."

Her eyes narrowed. "And yet here we are. Together."

I didn't respond. What was there to say? The situation was complicated, but we were bound together. By family, by duty. By a world neither of us wanted to be a part of.

"I should have known better," she said softly, her gaze drifting away. "I should have known that trusting you would lead to this. To lies, to pain."

There it was. The accusation. But there was something else too. Something deeper. She wasn't just blaming me. She was blaming herself. And that- that, I couldn't stand.

"You think you're the only one suffering, don't you?" I said, the words slipping out before I could stop them. "You think I wanted this? To marry a woman I barely know? To live a life of lies?"

I didn't mean to shout, but the anger I'd been holding in for so long finally broke free. It was as if the walls around me were cracking, and I couldn't keep it all inside anymore.

Her eyes widened, and for a moment, I saw something like fear flash across her face. But then it was gone, replaced by the same hard resolve I'd come to expect from her.

"We're not so different, you and I," she said quietly. "We're both trapped in this life. This life we didn't ask for."

I knew she was right, but that didn't make it any easier. "Then why are you still here?"

Her lips parted as if she was about to say something, but she stopped herself. Instead, she turned on her heel and walked away.

"Adriana," I said, my voice stopping her.

She didn't turn around, but she paused. "What?" she asked, her voice strained.

"I'm not the enemy, Adriana," I said, my voice low and steady. "I'm not the one you should be fighting. We're on the same side. Whether you like it or not."

Her back was still turned, but I could feel the anger radiating off her, sharp and electrifying. She was angry, but beneath that, there was something else-something volatile. It was as if every word we exchanged added fuel to the fire that had been burning between us since we first met.

I took a step forward. "Adriana, you don't get it. This isn't about me-this is about survival. You think I wanted to marry you like this? To have our lives twisted together because of some family feud?"

She whipped around, her eyes flashing with frustration and hurt. "You think I wanted this?" Her voice was trembling, but it was the kind of tremble that came with barely contained fury. "You think I wanted to be dragged into this world? To be your pawn in some game I didn't even choose to play? You're delusional, Ivan."

Her words cut deeper than I expected. She had no idea what it felt like, to live a life where choices were made for you long before you ever had a say. Everything about this life, everything about my family, was suffocating. And now she was caught in it, just like I was.

"Do you think this is easy for me?" I said, my voice sharper now, a bitter edge creeping in. "You think it's all some grand conspiracy where I get to sit back and laugh while you suffer? I didn't ask for this life. But here we are. Together."

She took a step forward, closing the distance between us. "You don't get to decide what happens to me, Ivan. You don't get to drag me into this mess and then act like I'm the one at fault. You lied to me. You lied about everything. And now you expect me to just sit here and play along?"

"I'm not expecting anything," I spat, the words coming out harsher than I meant. "I'm not asking you to play along. But what choice do we have, Adriana? We're trapped in this. There's no way out. And you think I'm the enemy?"

She shook her head, the motion quick and fierce. "You don't get it. I never asked for any of this. You think I'm the one who's been lying? You think I'm the one who's been making the decisions?" Her voice cracked, the anger boiling over. "No. You're the one who pulled me into this, Ivan. You dragged me into this fucked-up mess. You're the one who betrayed me."

The words hit me like a slap. I didn't want to hear it. I didn't want her to blame me for everything. But I couldn't stop the flood of guilt that rushed in, gnawing at my insides.

"I never wanted to betray you," I said, my voice low. "But this... this was never about us. It was about keeping us both alive. About surviving. And I know that doesn't excuse the lies, but I've been doing this my whole life. You don't know what it's like to be suffocated by your family, to never have a choice."

Her breath hitched, and for a moment, it seemed like she was going to say something else. But instead, she closed her eyes, her fists clenched tightly at her sides. The silence between us stretched on, thick with tension and unspoken words.

Then, without warning, she took a step toward me, her eyes boring into mine. "You think I don't know what it's like to be trapped? You think I don't understand what it means to lose everything? My mother died, Ivan. And you think I can just forgive everything because you say it's for survival?"

The words stung, more than I wanted to admit. She was right. I had no idea what it felt like to lose someone so close, to have the ground ripped out from under you. And I couldn't fix it. No matter what I did, I couldn't make it better.

Before I could speak, she took another step closer, the air between us crackling with raw emotion. "You think this is easy for me?" she whispered, her voice shaking but steady. "You think I've just been sitting here waiting for you to save me?"

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. There was nothing left to say. No more excuses, no more justifications. It was the first time in my life that I was truly out of words.

And that's when it happened.

She was so close now, so close that I could feel the heat of her body radiating against mine. I could see the pain in her eyes, the way her lips trembled with every word. I could taste the anger in the air, thick and oppressive. But beneath it all, there was something else. Something I couldn't ignore.

I reached out without thinking. My hand cupped her face, gently, despite the fire burning between us. She didn't pull away. Her eyes widened, just for a moment, before her expression softened, and I saw it-the flicker of something deeper, something real.

"You don't have to forgive me," I said, my voice low and rough. "But you need to know this. I'm not your enemy. I'm not trying to hurt you. I'm trying to protect you."

For a heartbeat, we just stood there, inches apart, the weight of everything hanging in the space between us.

Then, without warning, she stepped forward, closing the distance completely, and her lips were on mine.

The kiss was like an explosion, a sudden rush of heat and emotion that I hadn't been prepared for. It was fierce, desperate, and filled with all the anger, frustration, and confusion we had been carrying for weeks. It wasn't gentle, but it was real. It was as if everything that had been building up between us finally erupted in a single moment.

I kissed her back, my hands sliding around her waist, pulling her closer. Her body pressed against mine, and for a moment, I forgot everything. I forgot about the lies, the betrayal, the danger. All that mattered was the fire burning between us, the heat of her lips against mine, and the way she responded to me, like she was as lost in this moment as I was.

When we finally pulled away, both of us breathing heavily, there was a long silence. Neither of us spoke, but we didn't need to. The kiss had said everything we hadn't been able to put into words.

"I hate you," she whispered, her voice trembling, but there was something softer behind the words now. "I hate you so much."

I smirked, the corner of my lips tugging upward despite myself. "Yeah, I know. You've told me that before."

She pushed me away, but there was no real strength behind it. The fire between us had burned itself out for the moment, leaving behind something new. Something neither of us was ready to face, but something that would change everything from here on out.

"Don't ever do that again," she said, her voice shaky but with an edge of something I couldn't place.

"I'll try not to," I said, my own voice rough.

But we both knew that wasn't a promise I could keep.