Choose him

A violent battle rages inside me with no clear end in sight. The desperate, clawing need to keep Aurora close—to protect her—fights against the screaming truth that if I don’t let her go, I’ll lose her completely.

I sit in silence, staring blankly at the wall, my mind churning with all the what-ifs. How long have I been here? Minutes? Hours? It doesn’t matter. Nothing does, except the ache in my chest that turns razor-sharp with every second that passes.

A soft squeeze on my hand brings me back to the moment. Giulia’s warm, steady presence anchors me, though it does nothing to ease the weight pressing down on me.

“I’ll go check on her,” she says gently. “Get her packed and everything.”

I nod, barely registering her words as she rises from her perch and slips out of the room.

The house is too quiet. The silence feels suffocating. The absence of Aurora's presence is already sinking its claws into me, making it harder to breathe.

I push myself up from my chair, moving on instinct. My capos are waiting by the front door, their presence a stark reminder of the threat that lurks beyond my heavily guarded gates. I trust them with my life, but more than that—I trust them with hers.

“Her security is doubled,” I say, my voice rough. “Guards with her at all times.”

A brief nod from Nico confirms my order, but his grim expression tells me what I already know. This is a risk. A dangerous one.

But it’s one I have to take.

The creak of the stairs pulls my attention, and before I can think, I’m on my feet. Aurora is descending slowly, a duffle bag slung over her shoulder. Giulia walks beside her, her arm looped through Aurora’s as if to lend quiet support.

She pauses at the last step, her gaze meeting mine.

Even from a distance, I can see the pain in her eyes—the anger, the betrayal, the hurt. But there’s something else there, too. Something unspoken.

Sadness. Longing. Regret.

The breath catches in my throat, my fists clenching at my sides. I want to cross the space between us, to close the distance, to say something—anything—that will make her stay. But I don’t.

And then, just like that, she turns away.

She walks toward the door without another word, slipping out into the waiting car.

Leaving me behind.

The convoy peels away from the house, kicking up dust and gravel as the sun begins to set. I don’t move. I stand frozen in the doorway, watching as the last trace of her disappears down the drive.

She’s gone.

The silence that follows is deafening.

A sharp exhale shudders out of me, and I push away from the door, my mind already shifting.

This isn’t over.

Not by a long shot.

By the time Nico strides into my office, I’ve already made my decision.

“First things first,” I say, pouring us both a drink. “I want Enzo’s body sent back to his family in Sicily. Whatever they need, they’ll be taken care of.”

Nico nods, taking his glass. “And the men? They’ll want to honor him, too.”

“We’ll gather them tonight. But before that…” I take a slow sip, the burn of whiskey grounding me. “We have work to do.”

Nico watches me carefully. “You’re thinking of Riccardo Agosti.”

I nod once. “I should’ve wiped him off the map years ago. I won’t make that mistake again.”

His lips press into a thin line. “His warehouses are heavily patrolled. Cameras everywhere. Code-locked gates. The whole nine yards.”

I swirl the amber liquid in my glass, my mind already working through the pieces. “We’ll send in a Trojan horse.”

Nico raises a brow. “Meaning?”

“Infiltrate a shipment. Plant explosives in the product. Blow every last one of them to hell.”

For the first time since stepping into my office, a slow, vicious smile spreads across his face. “Burn them to ash without ever stepping inside.”

I lift my glass in silent agreement.

We spend the next few hours hunched over import logs, mapping out every possible angle. The room hums with tension, but I force myself to stay focused, to think three steps ahead.

Because this isn’t just about revenge.

This is about Aurora.

Riccardo Agosti is the reason I had to let her go.

And I’ll make damn sure he pays for it.

I let Giulia guide me into her apartment without really seeing where I’m going. I’ve been placing one foot blindly in front of the other since I turned away from Lucian’s pleading gaze. I knew in that moment he didn’t want me to leave, but I had to do it—to prove to him and to myself that I would be the only one to dictate how I live my life. How I face my demons.

"Why don’t you relax for a moment, Aurora?" Giulia suggests, peeling my bag off my shoulder, her voice soft with obvious sympathy. "I’ll make us some tea."

Without offering her a response, I make my way to the large couch in the open-plan living space. Settling myself into the plush cushions, I gaze out the window over an incredible view of Central Park. But I can barely appreciate the beauty, too consumed with my racing thoughts, the dizzying whirlwind of my fraught emotions.

Giulia joins me a few minutes later, pressing a steaming mug into my hands before placing a soothing hand on my thigh. The warmth seeping through is a small comfort. Something to focus on beyond the frosty ache in my chest.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asks tentatively, watching me with the same knowing look in her eyes I saw that first day we met—when she told me she knew I had a story to share.

I take a shuddering breath, a lump already rising in my throat as my mind stumbles over what I could possibly say. "I know he loves me," I eventually choke out. "But he promised to respect me, to treat me like an equal. I can’t live my life trapped by his commands, within his walls. I can’t be a prisoner."

Giulia turns to the window, chewing on her cheek. "I think… part of Lucian knows you’re right. He’s just… he’s not used to feeling vulnerable. To having something to lose. I’ve always wondered if he was so brave, so ruthless all those years, because he didn’t really give a shit if he lived or died."

I suck in a sharp breath. To think that Lucian was in such a dark place after his father died, after Riccardo Agosti tore his family apart as well as mine.

"Dario has never let anyone get close to him the way you have. Nico told me about you joining his meetings, and I could barely believe my ears." She squeezes my leg in firm reassurance. "Losing our father broke something in him. His control over everything has been ironclad ever since, never budging once he makes up his mind. This fierce need to protect you, it comes from a place of pure love, even if it doesn’t feel that way to you."

Closing my eyes for a moment, I let her words wash over me like a soothing balm. Deep down, I know Lucian just wants to keep me safe, cherished even. I’ve seen that fierce devotion in his eyes, felt the reverent affection in his touch. But still, his cold resolve to have the final say, to control me outside our bedroom, leaves a churning nausea in my stomach.

"I understand why he’s afraid, why he wants to hold everything that matters to him so tight to his chest," I admit, finally meeting Giulia’s soft gaze. "But that doesn’t make it okay for him to silence me. To take away my choices. I don’t see him forcing you to come back and hide within the compound like a fragile princess."

Giulia sighs, resting her head against the back of the couch. "No, I guess not."

I wind my arms around her and squeeze, tears seeping into the shoulder of her soft sweater. I can only hope that she’s right—that Lucian won’t grow to resent me for becoming an unwanted distraction in the brutal chaos of his life as don.

A sharp-eyed Gabriele pokes his head into the room, stirring me from an already restless sleep.

"Sorry if I woke you, Signora," he says hesitantly before stepping fully inside. "I have a package for you. From the boss."

My heart jumps into my throat as he approaches the bed and hands me a plain white envelope. I take it from him with a trembling hand. "Thank you, Gabriele," I manage to say, my gaze never leaving the unexpected delivery.

He nods, a flicker of sympathy softening his features, and then slips back out of the room.

For a long moment, I can’t bring myself to open the envelope, a mixture of anxiety and longing swirling in my uneasy stomach. Part of me is terrified I’ll find some form of goodbye scrawled in his handwriting. But another part, the part that trusts him to never give up on us, needs to know what he felt he couldn’t say to my face.

I take a deep breath and tear open the seal. Inside, I find a slim, navy-blue passport booklet along with a black Amex credit card. My eyes widen the second I realize what I’m holding.

Dario has sent me a passport, printed with my married name just like the blank pages that I notice a small note tucked inside, the same script sweeping across the page.

A true queen can do as she chooses. I hope you will choose to come back to me.

Tears blur my vision for what must be the hundredth time since I met the man as I read and reread the words. What more could I ask for than this naked offer of his trust, of my freedom, presented so willingly on a silver platter?

Lucian is giving me the power to choose. Even if that choice could be to walk away from him.

I clutch the note to my chest, the rush of emotions threatening to overwhelm me. Relief, gratitude, aching love. They all rise within me until my body feels lighter than it has for I don’t know how long.

I dress myself in a daze, already wondering how long it will be before I’m back in my own closet. Giulia is brewing espressos with a professional-grade machine when I make my way back to the kitchen. She looks up as I enter, frowning slightly at my no doubt puffy eyes.

"You look like you haven’t slept in a week," she mutters, pressing a small cup into my hands.

"I could definitely use one of those," I laugh.

"What was in the envelope?" she asks, mischievous curiosity sparkling in those bright blue eyes.

"A passport and an Amex." I pull them both out of my back pocket to show her. Her mouth drops open, understanding dawning in her eyes, quickly followed by a flash of fear.

"He’s really just going to let you go? Just like that?" she breathes, gaze darting from the items in my hands to the calm expression on my face.

"He’s giving me a choice," I correct gently, offering her a reassuring smile.

Giulia’s expression instantly relaxes, answering my smile with a beaming one of her own. "Well then, I guess I have to make the most of having you all to myself. What do you say to a girly day out, just us sisters?"

"I’m not going anywhere, Giulia. I choose him. I’ll always choose him."

"Great!" She knocks back the last of her coffee and plants an enthusiastic kiss on my cheek. "We’ll take Gabriele and Toni. Two guys should be more than enough to keep an eye on us."

I huff a small chuckle. "Feels that way."

The rich espresso is a welcome shot of warmth and energy, but nothing can compare to the realization settling deep in my bones.

Lucian chose to trust me. And now, I was choosing him right back.