(Luca's POV)I stood there, watching her, the air thick with tension. Emma’s resistance was almost laughable, yet I couldn’t help but be intrigued. She had the fire that I craved—fury and defiance, all wrapped in the most beautiful package. But what fascinated me even more was that despite all her anger, despite all her protests, I could feel the heat coming from her.She wanted this. She couldn’t hide it.Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she tried to control her breathing, but her body betrayed her, as always. There was no hiding the way she responded to me. Her gaze flickered, soft and vulnerable, and I saw it—just for a second—the shift in her eyes.The truth.She wanted me.I could see it in the way she bit her lip, the way her pulse quickened whenever I moved closer. It was a dangerous game we were playing, and I was the one holding all the cards.I took a step toward her, closing the distance between us with the surety of a man who had no doubts. I had no need to rush this; I
(Emma’s POV)I hated him. I hated him with every fiber of my being. Every time he touched me, it was like he had control over something deeper than just my body. It felt like he had control over my soul, and that terrified me.My mind screamed at me to stop him, to pull away, to fight back—but my body betrayed me every single time. His touch, his dominance, it stirred something deep inside me. I had never felt this out of control in my life, and it was maddening.I sat on the edge of the bed, my fingers trembling as I pulled my shirt back down, covering the skin he had exposed. My body burned from his touch, and I hated how much I wanted to hate him. But every time I thought about pushing him away, a part of me remembered the way his lips had claimed mine, the way his hands had touched me, the way I had surrendered.No, I wasn’t surrendering. I couldn’t be. This wasn’t me.“Emma…” His voice cut through the thick air, and I stiffened. He stood in front of me, his expression unreadable,
(Luca's POV)I couldn’t get her out of my mind.Emma.Every inch of her, every look, every touch, it lingered. Even now, as I walked through the corridors of my penthouse, the echoes of her scent seemed to follow me. The memory of her defiant gaze, her trembling hands, the way she tried to push me away—it all lingered in my mind. But more than that, the way her body had reacted to me was impossible to ignore.It pissed me off. It pissed me off that she wouldn’t just accept it. That she fought me every step of the way. It made no difference. She was mine now, whether she liked it or not.But there was something in her eyes today—something that made me think she was starting to crack.I didn’t care what she said. I knew better. She could deny it all she wanted, but the truth was, her body had already given her away. She might have hated me, but beneath that hatred, she was drawn to me in ways she couldn’t even understand.The thought of it drove me crazy. She shouldn’t want me. She shou
(Emma’s POV)I could feel the tension in the air before I even stepped into the room. The weight of Luca’s presence pressed down on me, suffocating, heavy, like a storm that had been brewing for days. It was hard to breathe, harder still to steady myself, but I had no choice. I had come here for answers.“Emma,” Luca’s voice broke through the thick silence. His tone was controlled, his eyes a piercing shade of blue, watching me like a predator waiting to pounce. I hated how his gaze seemed to strip away every last piece of my composure.I wasn’t going to back down. Not this time.“Luca,” I said, forcing my voice to remain steady, even as my hands clenched at my sides. “I need to know the truth.”His lips twisted into a smile that held no warmth, no kindness—just that cold, calculating look I had grown all too familiar with. “You want the truth, Emma?” He stepped closer, his presence looming over me. “You’ll get it, but not on your terms.”The words stung, the reminder that he controll
(Luca’s POV)I stood there, watching Emma as she pulled away from me, her eyes narrowed in defiance, but there was something else hidden beneath the surface. I could feel it—the way her body responded to me, even as her mind tried to fight it. She hated me. I could see it in the way she looked at me, in the way her fists clenched, in the way she turned away whenever I got too close. But I knew better than to believe the lies she told herself.She wasn’t fooling me.There was a fire in her, one that matched mine. The way her eyes flickered with something darker when I kissed her, the way she flinched when I touched her skin—it was all just a game. She was afraid of it. Afraid of me. Afraid of what I made her feel.But she didn’t have a choice. No one did.I had seen the way she looked at me when she thought I wasn’t watching. The way her gaze would linger on me, her breath hitching when I was near. She hated it, but she couldn’t deny it. She was mine now, whether she liked it or not. A
(Emma’s POV)I woke up the next morning to an unbearable silence. The kind that made the air feel heavy, thick with tension that had been building for weeks.I had been dreading this moment, and yet, here it was. My body ached in places I didn’t know it could—aching in ways that made me hate myself, hate him, yet crave him all the same. Luca. The man who had destroyed my life, taken my agency, and left me a shell of the woman I used to be.I could still feel the heat of his touch on my skin, the roughness of his kiss burning in my memory like a brand I couldn’t erase. The way he owned me in that moment was something I could never forget, no matter how much I tried to. He knew it too.I hated him for it.I hated how easily he took control of me, how effortlessly he made me feel things I knew I shouldn’t feel.It wasn’t just the physicality, though. It was everything. His power, his dominance, the way he manipulated every situation to his advantage. He didn’t care about me—he cared abou
Luca’s POVI watched her, silent and still, as she stood there in front of me. The defiance in her eyes was the only thing that had remained unchanged since the first time we met. Everything about her, her anger, her fear, even the way she tried to fight against me, it only served to make her more captivating.Emma hated me, I knew that much. The way she looked at me, the sharp edge to her voice—it was like a knife slicing through the space between us. But deep down, I knew the truth. I could see the way her body responded to me, the way her eyes softened when I wasn’t looking, the way she couldn’t stay away, even if she tried.It was a game, one that I knew I was destined to win. She could fight it, she could rage against it, but in the end, she’d come back. They always did. And Emma—she was no different.I had marked her, both physically and mentally, in ways she couldn’t undo. The bond between us, no matter how much she hated me, had already been forged. And it was a bond I had eve
Emma’s POVI could still feel the ghost of Luca’s touch on my skin, the imprint of his dominance lingering in every part of me, even though I was far from him now. It was like a storm had passed through me, leaving nothing but chaos and a strange sense of longing that I refused to acknowledge. I hated him. I hated everything about what he was and what he did to me. But deep down, there was a part of me—an unwilling part—that didn’t feel as repulsed as I should have.I clenched my fists as I stood in the privacy of my room, staring at my reflection in the mirror. My body, my mind—everything seemed like it didn’t belong to me anymore. There were pieces of me, fragments of myself, that had been altered by him, and it terrified me. The last few weeks felt like a blur of rage, fear, and inexplicable desire. I couldn’t look at him without wanting to push him away and pull him closer at the same time.I ran my fingers through my hair, my mind racing. I was trapped. There was no escaping Luca
Emma’s & Luca’s POV (Combined POV, Epilogue)Emma’s POVI had always wondered if love was something that could truly save you. I used to think it was just a fleeting feeling, something that passed, something that couldn’t bear the weight of life’s complexities. But standing here, with Luca beside me, I realized that love wasn’t just a feeling—it was a force. A force that had pulled us through the worst of times and brought us to this moment.I watched Luca from across the room. He was sitting at the desk in the study, looking out over the sprawling estate that had once felt like a prison, but now felt like a home. The weight of the past was still there, but it wasn’t a burden anymore. It was just a part of us, woven into the fabric of who we had become.Luca’s hand moved over the documents in front of him, but his focus was elsewhere. He was thinking, just like I was. About everything we had overcome. About everything we had fought for.I stood up and walked over to him slowly, the ba
Emma’s POVThe morning light filtered softly through the curtains, casting a warm, golden glow over the room. I could feel the weight of Luca’s body beside me, his steady breathing a comforting sound. It had been a long time since I had woken up to this peace—this quiet certainty that, no matter what happened, everything would be okay.I shifted slightly in the bed, not wanting to disturb him, but craving the closeness that we shared. I rested my hand gently over my stomach, feeling the slight movement of the baby inside me. Our child. The child that had brought us closer, and in a way, had healed so many wounds between us.The events of the past few days seemed so far away now. The tension, the fear, the uncertainties—they all felt distant, replaced by something else. Something tangible. Something real.I glanced at Luca, his face relaxed in sleep, the hard lines of his jaw softened in a moment of vulnerability. It was a side of him I didn’t often get to see. The Luca I knew was the
Emma’s POVThe morning light filtered softly through the curtains, casting a warm, golden glow over the room. I could feel the weight of Luca’s body beside me, his steady breathing a comforting sound. It had been a long time since I had woken up to this peace—this quiet certainty that, no matter what happened, everything would be okay.I shifted slightly in the bed, not wanting to disturb him, but craving the closeness that we shared. I rested my hand gently over my stomach, feeling the slight movement of the baby inside me. Our child. The child that had brought us closer, and in a way, had healed so many wounds between us.The events of the past few days seemed so far away now. The tension, the fear, the uncertainties—they all felt distant, replaced by something else. Something tangible. Something real.I glanced at Luca, his face relaxed in sleep, the hard lines of his jaw softened in a moment of vulnerability. It was a side of him I didn’t often get to see. The Luca I knew was the
Luca’s POVI stood in the doorway, watching Emma as she moved around the kitchen, her presence consuming every inch of the space. It was almost too much to take in. How many times had I found myself in this position, silently observing her, unsure of what the future held but knowing that she was the one constant I could rely on?Her pregnancy had shifted something between us. I could feel the change in the air. Not just because of the child we were expecting, but because of the subtle, quiet intimacy that had begun to envelop our relationship. It wasn’t the fiery passion we’d once known—though that still flickered beneath the surface—but something deeper, something that tethered us together. It was the unspoken promise of loyalty, of building something lasting. Together.I’d never been the type to wear my heart on my sleeve. I didn’t show vulnerability, not the way other men might. But with Emma, it was different.The silence between us was comfortable now. No longer thick with uncert
Emma’s POVI leaned against the counter, staring at the small, almost insignificant pregnancy test that lay there, staring back at me. It felt like the weight of the world was in that little plastic stick, its truth just hanging there, waiting for me to fully comprehend it. The reality of it was still so fresh, so surreal, that I couldn’t quite process it. I was pregnant. And Luca—my husband, my partner, my betrayer turned savior—was going to be a father. A father to the child we’d conceived out of love and conflict, joy and pain. The thought should have filled me with more fear, but it didn’t.Instead, it stirred something deeper. Something undeniably tender. It was as if this little person growing inside of me was a symbol of all that had happened and all that was yet to come.The door to the kitchen opened, and I didn’t need to turn to know it was Luca. I could feel him, his presence as palpable as ever. He had this way of walking into a room that made everything feel like it was h
Luca's POVThe tension in the air felt heavier than it had in days, suffocating me with each passing minute. Emma had asked for time, and for once, I was going to give it to her. The selfish part of me—the one that still longed to close the gap between us and erase the pain of the past—wanted to push, to demand things move forward. But I had learned my lesson the hard way. No more rushing, no more pressing her for answers or action. She was right. She needed space, and I was going to respect that. But that didn’t make the waiting any easier.I leaned against the doorframe, watching her from across the room. She was standing by the window, her back to me, as the soft glow of the evening light bathed her in warmth. Even from this distance, I could feel the pull between us, an invisible thread that tethered me to her, no matter how much I tried to resist it.It had been days since that conversation, the one where she told me she wasn’t sure about us. Days that had felt like weeks. I hadn
Emma's POVThe weight of the silence in the house was unbearable. Every step I took felt heavy, like my body was still trying to recover from the conversation with Luca. I couldn’t shake the image of him standing at the door, his hand frozen on the handle, his expression a mix of frustration and guilt. I knew he was struggling, but I wasn’t sure how much longer I could let him wear that expression on his face.I had given him the space he needed, the time he asked for, but it didn’t feel like enough. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the vulnerability in his gaze, the raw emotion he had tried so desperately to hide. He wasn’t the same man who had hurt me before; that much was clear. But was that enough for me to let him in again?My mind kept replaying everything that had happened between us. There had been so many promises, so many moments of tenderness, but I couldn’t erase the past. I couldn’t pretend that what had happened before didn’t matter. Luca had hurt me in ways I couldn’t
Luca's POVI could still feel her presence in the room, lingering like smoke long after she had gone. Emma had walked away, but the weight of her words had settled in my chest, a heavy reminder that things could never be as simple as I wanted them to be. There was a part of me that believed we could move forward together, but she wasn’t ready. She wasn’t ready to trust me. She wasn’t ready to forget all the things I had done to her.I stood at the door for a moment, my hand still hovering over the handle, but I couldn’t bring myself to turn back. The silence between us had become a wall, thicker than ever, and I wasn’t sure how to break it down. I wasn’t used to this kind of rejection, especially from someone who had once been my everything.I didn’t know what I expected when I had told her the truth, when I had tried to show her a side of me that I thought she could trust. But I had underestimated the depth of her pain. She wasn’t just angry at me; she was scared. Scared that I would
Emma's POVThe silence between us hung heavy, thicker than it ever had been. I had no idea what to say, no idea how to process the weight of what Luca had just told me. He wasn’t asking for forgiveness, he wasn’t asking for my love, but there was a quiet strength in his words. It was something I hadn’t expected. Maybe that was the problem: I didn’t know what to expect from him anymore. His actions, his words, had always been unpredictable—except when it came to the one thing that always stayed the same: his need to control.And now, he was asking me to let go of that control. To trust him, to give him the space to show me that he had changed. But the truth was, I didn’t know if I could. I didn’t know if I could ever stop seeing him as the man who had taken everything from me.My fingers tightened around the edge of the table, the sensation of the wood grounding me in a reality I wasn’t sure I wanted to face. Every part of me was screaming to pull away, to protect myself. To walk out o