Emma’s POVHis lips claim mine, fierce and unyielding, as if he’s trying to mark me with his touch, to remind me of the power he holds over me. My mind screams for me to push him away, to resist the pull I feel every time Luca Moretti is near me. But my body—my traitorous, foolish body—betrays me.Heat surges through me, drowning out every rational thought. I want to blame him for this fire, for the way my knees weaken and my heart races. But the truth is undeniable: some part of me has wanted this. His closeness, his touch, his kiss.Yet, as the seconds tick by, the haze of desire clears enough for reality to creep back in. His dominance is suffocating, his confidence infuriating. I can’t let him win.With a strength I didn’t know I had, I shove against his chest, breaking the kiss. He steps back, his piercing blue eyes locking with mine, searching for something. An apology? Regret? I don’t know, but I won’t give him the satisfaction of seeing either."Don't ever do that again," I sa
Luca’s POVThe silence of my office is a welcome reprieve from the chaos of the evening. Yet, even here, I can’t seem to escape her. Emma’s voice echoes in my mind, sharp and defiant, her anger a flame that threatens to consume us both.I drag a hand through my hair and glance at the city skyline through the floor-to-ceiling windows. The glittering lights of Milan stretch endlessly before me, a testament to the power and wealth I command. This city bends to my will. Hell, the world bends to my will.But Emma? She’s an entirely different force.I exhale sharply and reach for the crystal decanter on my desk. Pouring myself a generous measure of whiskey, I let the amber liquid swirl in the glass before downing it in one go. The burn is satisfying, but it does little to dull the frustration simmering inside me.She doesn’t understand. She fights me at every turn, refusing to see the lengths I’ve gone to for her. Does she think it’s easy to keep her safe? To shield her from enemies she doe
: Emma’s POVThe dress is suffocating, though I suspect it’s less about the fabric and more about the situation Luca has thrust me into. When I first stepped into the room filled with gowns, jewels, and shoes, I thought it was some kind of twisted joke. But Luca doesn’t joke.I glance at myself in the mirror, barely recognizing the woman staring back. The sleek black gown hugs my body like it was painted on, the plunging neckline daring and utterly unlike anything I’d choose for myself. The diamond necklace around my neck feels heavy, its cold weight a constant reminder of the life I’ve been forced into.Downstairs, I hear the hum of voices and the occasional burst of laughter. The gala is in full swing, and every powerful person in Milan is here. Luca’s world on display. And me? I’m his trophy for the night.A soft knock at the door pulls me from my thoughts. Before I can answer, the door swings open, and there he is—Luca Moretti in all his infuriating glory. His tailored suit fits h
Luca’s POVThe moment Emma fell asleep on the couch, her exhaustion palpable, I stood in the shadows of the penthouse, watching her. She had been mesmerizing tonight, drawing every eye in the room, silencing whispers with her mere presence. She didn’t realize it, but she commanded power in her own way. She just didn’t know how to wield it.Yet.I poured myself another drink and glanced at my phone. The night's success had already reached the ears of people who mattered. The gala wasn’t just a spectacle—it was a calculated display. Every deal, every hand shaken, every whispered promise in the corner would ripple through the underworld for weeks. My enemies would see the wealth, the power, the control, and they would think twice before crossing me.But this wasn’t enough. Not yet.The next morning, the city skyline stretched before me like a canvas I owned. My private jet was fueled and waiting at the airstrip, and I intended to remind Emma just how vast my empire was. She thought she u
Emma’s POVThe villa was too much. Everything about this place was an excessive display of Luca’s wealth and power. From the gilded chandeliers to the fleet of staff that seemed to anticipate my every move, it screamed of a life I had no idea how to navigate.I stood on the balcony, the salty breeze brushing against my skin as the waves crashed below. The sun was setting, painting the horizon in hues of gold and crimson, and while it was undeniably beautiful, it felt like a cage. A gilded prison where Luca held the key.His words from the vault replayed in my head. This is what power looks like. He had said it with such conviction, like he was doing me a favor by dragging me into his world of excess and control.I gripped the railing tighter, my knuckles turning white. “I don’t belong here,” I whispered to the sea.“Then where do you belong?”His voice startled me. I turned to find Luca leaning casually against the doorframe, a glass of wine in his hand, watching me with that infuriat
Emma’s POVThe villa was too much. Everything about this place was an excessive display of Luca’s wealth and power. From the gilded chandeliers to the fleet of staff that seemed to anticipate my every move, it screamed of a life I had no idea how to navigate.I stood on the balcony, the salty breeze brushing against my skin as the waves crashed below. The sun was setting, painting the horizon in hues of gold and crimson, and while it was undeniably beautiful, it felt like a cage. A gilded prison where Luca held the key.His words from the vault replayed in my head. This is what power looks like. He had said it with such conviction, like he was doing me a favor by dragging me into his world of excess and control.I gripped the railing tighter, my knuckles turning white. “I don’t belong here,” I whispered to the sea.“Then where do you belong?”His voice startled me. I turned to find Luca leaning casually against the doorframe, a glass of wine in his hand, watching me with that infuriat
Emma’s POVThe shimmering diamonds around my neck felt like chains. The weight of them, both literal and figurative, pressed down on me as I stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows of Luca’s penthouse. Milan stretched out before me, vibrant and alive. Yet, I felt stifled, trapped in a gilded cage Luca had constructed with his relentless wealth and power.I touched the necklace lightly, my fingers brushing the cold stones. It was breathtaking, undeniably so, but it wasn’t me. Luca didn’t see that—or maybe he didn’t care. To him, money solved everything, patched up every wound, and silenced every protest.Behind me, I could hear him pacing. His presence was magnetic, suffocating and alluring at the same time. The air felt thicker when he was near, his energy dominating every space he entered. I could hear the soft clink of a glass as he poured himself another drink.“You’re quiet,” he said, breaking the silence. His voice was low, commanding.I turned to face him. “What do you want me to
Luca’s POVThe chandelier above sparkled with the kind of brilliance only a fortune could buy. The gala was a testament to power—a stage where wealth dripped from every corner, and alliances were forged with a single handshake. The air was heavy with the scent of success, mingling with the soft hum of classical music and the laughter of the elite.I stood in the center of it all, surrounded by men whose bank accounts rivaled the GDPs of small nations, but they were nothing compared to me. These people understood power, but they didn’t own it. That was the difference.As I shook hands and traded measured pleasantries, my eyes wandered to Emma. She stood near the edge of the room, looking as though she wanted to disappear. She was radiant in the gown I had chosen for her, the diamonds around her neck a clear declaration of what she represented—what she belonged to.A powerful surge of satisfaction coursed through me. She hated this life, but she wore it as if she had been born for it. E
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