Luca’s POVI stand there, watching her, and for a moment, I think I might just lose my mind. Her defiance, her fight, it only makes the desire to break through that much stronger. She says she hates me, but I can see the lie in her eyes. It’s there in the way she reacts to my touch, in the way her body betrays her every time we come into close contact.She thinks she can push me away, pretend I don’t have a hold on her, but I know better. The moment I laid eyes on her, I saw the fight in her. I saw the anger, the fear, the vulnerability. And I knew right then and there, I had to have her.Emma.The name rolls off my tongue like a curse, and I hate how much it haunts me. She’s a constant ache inside me, a reminder that I can’t control everything in my life. But that’s the thing—I control everything, everyone, except her. She’s the one thing that has the power to break me.I watch her step back, trying to create space, but I don’t let her. I pull her back toward me, my fingers tighteni
Emma’s POVI don’t know how to escape the suffocating tension that clings to the air every time Luca steps into the room. It's like an invisible force, pulling me closer to him despite everything I feel—despite everything I tell myself. He’s a monster, a cruel and calculating man, and yet, every time he looks at me, I feel something shift inside me. It’s a twisted, disgusting pull that makes me feel weak, like I’m drowning in my own desires, my own guilt.But I will not—cannot—let him win.I’ve been fighting him ever since that first night, when he marked me as his in a way I still can’t wrap my mind around. My body wants to respond, but my mind keeps screaming at me to resist, to fight, to not give in. Because that’s all he’s doing, right? He’s breaking me down, piece by piece. And I’m not about to let him take my last ounce of control, my last sliver of autonomy.But there’s always that moment, that moment when he’s close enough, when his voice is low and rough, when I feel the heat
Luca’s POVI watch her, standing there in front of me, her eyes defiant yet filled with a vulnerability I can’t ignore. Emma is a contradiction, a woman who says one thing and shows something entirely different with her body, her movements, the way her eyes flicker when she looks at me. She hates me. She’s made that clear. But the way she reacts—her trembling breath, the subtle flush that spreads across her cheeks when I get too close—tells me a different story.I see the war inside her, the struggle to resist what I offer, and it excites me. It always has. Emma doesn’t know it yet, but she’s already mine. Her body, her heart, her mind—they’re all mine, and no matter how hard she fights it, she will learn that she can’t escape me.“You’re so stubborn,” I say, my voice laced with a mixture of amusement and irritation. She doesn’t back down; she stands tall, her posture defiant as if she thinks she can outlast me. I can feel her desire to push me away, and it only makes me want her more
Emma’s POVI stand in the hallway, my breath shallow, heart pounding in my chest as I try to calm the whirlwind of emotions rushing through me. Luca’s words echo in my head, his touch still lingering on my skin like a brand, as if I could ever forget the weight of his hands, the intensity in his eyes, the way he claimed me without a single ounce of remorse.It should have disgusted me, what he did. It should have. But the truth is, my body didn’t listen to my mind. It never does. My emotions, my desire—everything in me screamed to push him away, to tell him how much I hated him for what he had done. But deep down, underneath all the anger and confusion, there was something else. Something that terrified me more than any of the darkness he brought with him.I wanted him.I wanted the power he had over me. I wanted to feel his dominance, his control, even though every fiber of my being screamed that I should run, that I should escape him before it was too late. But I couldn’t. It was li
Luca’s POVI watch her carefully, noting the way her chest rises and falls with every breath. Her defiance is there, as it always is, but there's something else too—something darker, something more fragile beneath that surface. It’s the vulnerability that she hides so well, and it's the thing that draws me in the most.She stands in front of me, tense, her back straight, eyes flashing with that familiar fire. Yet, I can see it in the subtle way she shifts her weight, the slight tremble in her hands. She’s holding something back, I can feel it. And I know, I know she’s just as aware of me as I am of her. The pull between us is undeniable, a magnetic force neither of us can ignore, no matter how hard we try.She hates me. I can see it in the way her lips curl, the bitterness in her eyes. But there's more to it. I know her better than she thinks. Beneath the anger, beneath the coldness, I see the longing. She tries to deny it, but I know her body speaks louder than her words. I can tell
Emma’s POVI hate the way he makes me feel.Every inch of me is trembling, a mixture of anger and something I refuse to acknowledge. I force myself to breathe evenly, my chest rising and falling, but every fiber of my being is on edge. Luca's words echo in my head, his low, taunting voice never leaving me alone. I already have you, Emma. You’re already mine. And there’s nothing you can do to change that.It’s almost as if he enjoys this—watching me squirm, watching me deny what I can’t escape. I hate that he's right, even though I want to scream it all away. It’s not the control he has over me that infuriates me most. No, it’s the fact that I can’t seem to escape the pull. The way he invades every corner of my thoughts, the way his presence is etched into every single part of me.I hate that I crave it.I curl my fingers into fists at my sides, digging my nails into the palms of my hands until it hurts. The physical pain is the only thing that distracts me from the storm inside my che
Luca’s POVThere’s something in the way she looks at me—defiant, angry, confused—that ignites a dark hunger inside of me. It’s a fire I’m all too familiar with, one that I’ve fought to control for years. And yet, with her, it feels impossible to extinguish.She thinks she can push me away. She believes she can fight this, fight me. But she’s wrong. She’s been wrong all along.I watch her as she stands there, defiant, refusing to back down. Her voice rings with a determination that only makes me want to break through her walls even more. I’ve never wanted something more than I want to make her see the truth. To make her understand that she doesn’t have a choice in this.Emma thinks she can escape, that she can keep her distance, but I know better. I see through her. I always have.She’s mine. Even if she doesn’t realize it yet.I lean against the doorframe, my arms crossed, watching her struggle against the tide that’s slowly pulling her under. She doesn’t understand the gravity of the
Emma’s POVThe silence between us hangs like a heavy curtain, and I can barely breathe under its weight. Every word Luca speaks, every touch, every glance is calculated, designed to break me, to mold me into something I don’t want to be. And yet, despite all my resistance, despite every ounce of my being screaming for freedom, I can feel myself slipping. I don’t want to admit it, but I can’t deny the effect he has on me.The way he looks at me, like he owns me—like I’ve always belonged to him—it gnaws at something deep inside. There’s a twisted part of me, a part I hate to acknowledge, that wonders if he’s right. That part tells me I’m helpless, that I’m trapped in this nightmare with no way out.But I won’t let that part win. I can’t.I stand in front of the mirror, staring at my reflection. My skin still tingles from where he touched me, where his fingers brushed against my arm so lightly, yet so possessively. I press my palm against the cool surface of the glass, willing my racing
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