Chapter 1

Emma's POV

Luca Moretti. His name rolled off my tongue like the taste of strong, unsweetened, black coffee with no sugar. He was the beginning of my misery and that hell bound oath called marriage. He should have insisted on Rexxie and not me, he should have stood firm on his choice, but instead the bastard chose to roam his eyes over me like I was a piece of meat on display in the abbatoir. I felt his cold piercing gaze on me even before I looked up and saw him.

I’d give it to him to be fair, he always possessed this aura that made me sweat a little and almost drool over his gaze. 

“Why on earth did he have to be drop dead gorgeous? You should have made him bald or ugly looking or with pointed ears like a dwarfs’.” I muttered under my breath, sending silent curses to whoever was in charge of Luca’s creation. 

The cold, shiny gold band on my finger reminded me of my burden and how quickly my own life was stripped off of me. I hated Rexxie to the core, I hated her for her betrayal, I hated her for sleeping with the one true man I ever loved, I hated her for thrusting me into my weak and extremely materialistic parents hand and making me their puppet and ticket to getting rich through my extremely rich mafia husband. Luca was never supposed to be my husband, Jackson was.

Anyway, I was done sulking about the past. Rexxie could have his cheating, weak ass for all I care. Hope she chokes on his cock and splits her windpipe and I’d still care less to be honest.

“Emma, where the hell have you been since morning!? I had the guards roaming the vicinity looking for your sorry, bratty ass!” Luca said in a very low but authoritative tone.

He had this way of always being in charge of his emotions, never letting them go overboard and I hated him so much for that. I could smell his woody scent, his clean aftershave ointment and I wondered why on earth he thought talking to me like a child would make me less feisty or more obedient.

“I stepped out for some fresh air. Or do I also have to alert my dearest mafia husband about my decision to receive natures’ gift too?” I replied with a voice coated with malice, but dripping with fake honey.

Ohh, I was going to match his craziness with mine. Fucking mafia or civilian!

“You always seem to forget an important fact dear wife. I do not care about how stuffy, emotional, uncomfortable or annoyed you feel. I care more about the opinion of my guard than yours and I’d advise you not to worsen your situation or make me monitor even the breath you take. You are Luca’s property, you will do as I say. Do I make myself clear, dear WIFE.” Luca said, twirling a lock of my hair round his perfectly manicured fingers, wearing a stupid lopsided smirk on his face and daring me with his eyes to say a word opposing what he said or dare to challenge him.

I would have loved to give him a broken nose or a shifted jaw, but I wouldn’t want what happened last time to occur again. I know how extremely scared, dirty and hungry I was when he locked me in the tiny prison behind his bedroom for his victims who disobeyed his orders.

“Yes, Luca.” I dragged the words out of my throat and made sure to enunciate his name correctly. I hated him to his bone marrow, my thoughts were constantly drifting between spitting at him or murdering him completely.

Luca the Mafia. Luca, the most feared man in Russia, is my husband, the man I despised and hated to my core. The man my parents offered me to like a piece of rag for their own selfish gain and protection from the mafia rivals. 

Tears welled up in my eyes and they stung me as I willed them to better not fuck my feisty wife facade that I built for the longest time. I missed my previous life, I missed Jackson, I missed my simple life. 

I wasn’t going to show it, I would never give Luca that satisfaction, nor would I ever let it be known that I was utterly terrified of how suffocating and domineering his presence was. I was scared of my husband and I knew how far he carried his threats. Plus, I’ve heard the scream of his victims that he tormented and till today, they still sent me shivers down my spine. 

“If that would be all Luca, I’d love to please retire to my chamber. Have a nice day.” I mumbled and turned to walk away without waiting for a response from him.

Luca’s eyes squinted before I saw stars exploding in them, he wasn’t used to having his subjects walking out on him before he gave them the order to, not even his parents. He whipped his hand out and gripped my arm in a steel like grip, and I could honestly feel his fingers digging into my flesh and the pain sprang tears to my eyes abruptly.

“Don’t you ever in this lifetime or another lifetime of yours walk out before I give you an order to, Emma!! Apart from having the wife title and bearing my last time, you’re no better than an errand girl I bought from a rival gang. Do not disobey me my sweet wife or the repercussions might be too much for you… and your fragile body to contain.” Luka spat, his eyes narrowing into slits and then roving round my body as though he was in search of a long lost treasure.

Before I could reply to him, or wiggle my arm out of his grip, he pulled me to him with so much force that made me lose my balance and cling to his suit like a koala bear. My senses were immediately crowded by the crush of his lips to mine, this didn’t feel like a passionate kiss between lovers. This felt like a show of superiority, a show of ownership. He was branding me publicly and humiliating me in the process. I tasted blood in my mouth and tears rushed to my eyes.

Here I was being humiliated in front of the bodyguards, the maids, being kissed against my will, but loathing myself for liking the kiss and having my lady part craving and screaming for more. 

I was really stupid, more stupid than I thought.