Luca’s POVThe night air was thick with tension, a palpable weight pressing against my chest. I had said the words. Emma had heard them, and I could see the way they affected her—just as I knew they would. She could deny it all she wanted, but deep down, she understood. She had become mine, and there was no escaping that truth.I leaned against the balcony railing, watching her from a distance, feeling the sharp sting of her defiance. She was trying so hard to push me away, but it was all futile. No matter how much she fought, no matter how hard she resisted, I always knew exactly what she needed. And in the end, she would realize that.Her words from earlier still echoed in my mind. "I’ll never be yours." The challenge in her voice, the fire behind her words, it had stirred something inside me—something that I hadn’t felt in a long time. The urge to break her, to make her submit to me completely, flooded me, but there was something else too. I wanted her to understand. I wanted her t
Emma’s POVThe tension in the air was suffocating, a heavy weight that pressed down on me as I stood in front of him. Luca. The man I hated, yet the man who seemed to always be in control of every situation. I had spent years trying to distance myself from him, yet here I was, trapped in a life I never asked for, bound to him by something I could never undo. I could feel the pulse of anger in my chest, but beneath it, there was a confusion I could no longer ignore. A part of me… part of me still responded to him, and it sickened me.Luca’s presence was a constant, like a shadow that followed me, and no matter how much I tried to push him away, he always found a way to close the distance between us. The way he looked at me, the way he spoke to me—it was as though he knew everything I was feeling before I could even comprehend it myself. I hated that. I hated that he could read me so well, that he had the power to manipulate me with a single glance, a touch, or a word.As much as I want
Emma’s POVThe tension in the air was suffocating, a heavy weight that pressed down on me as I stood in front of him. Luca. The man I hated, yet the man who seemed to always be in control of every situation. I had spent years trying to distance myself from him, yet here I was, trapped in a life I never asked for, bound to him by something I could never undo. I could feel the pulse of anger in my chest, but beneath it, there was a confusion I could no longer ignore. A part of me… part of me still responded to him, and it sickened me.Luca’s presence was a constant, like a shadow that followed me, and no matter how much I tried to push him away, he always found a way to close the distance between us. The way he looked at me, the way he spoke to me—it was as though he knew everything I was feeling before I could even comprehend it myself. I hated that. I hated that he could read me so well, that he had the power to manipulate me with a single glance, a touch, or a word.As much as I want
Emma’s POVI couldn’t breathe. The air felt thick, suffocating, like it had been infused with his scent, his presence. My mind was racing, a whirlwind of thoughts that I couldn’t seem to stop no matter how hard I tried. Luca had left, but the impact of his words and his touch lingered, hanging in the air like smoke after a fire.“Mine.”The word repeated over and over in my mind. He said it so easily, so confidently, as if it were a simple fact. I wanted to reject it. I wanted to tell myself that it wasn’t true, that he didn’t have the power to claim me. But deep down, I knew I was already caught in his web, tangled in something I couldn’t escape.I wasn’t sure how long I stood there, frozen, trying to make sense of everything that had just happened. The way he’d touched me, the way his words had wrapped around me, how his presence alone had made my body react in ways I hated to admit. I despised him. I hated what he did to me. And yet… I wanted more.It was infuriating.I walked to t
Emma’s POVI couldn’t breathe. The air felt thick, suffocating, like it had been infused with his scent, his presence. My mind was racing, a whirlwind of thoughts that I couldn’t seem to stop no matter how hard I tried. Luca had left, but the impact of his words and his touch lingered, hanging in the air like smoke after a fire.“Mine.”The word repeated over and over in my mind. He said it so easily, so confidently, as if it were a simple fact. I wanted to reject it. I wanted to tell myself that it wasn’t true, that he didn’t have the power to claim me. But deep down, I knew I was already caught in his web, tangled in something I couldn’t escape.I wasn’t sure how long I stood there, frozen, trying to make sense of everything that had just happened. The way he’d touched me, the way his words had wrapped around me, how his presence alone had made my body react in ways I hated to admit. I despised him. I hated what he did to me. And yet… I wanted more.It was infuriating.I walked to t
Emma’s POVI couldn't breathe. I could feel Luca's words like a weight on my chest, suffocating me, pushing me deeper into a corner I didn’t know how to escape. Every time I thought I had a grip on my life, every time I convinced myself I could break free from this twisted web we were caught in, he pulled me back. His words. His touch. The way he looked at me like I was the only thing that mattered in the world. It was all too much. It was suffocating.I stepped back, heart pounding in my chest as I tried to steady myself. My body screamed for space, for air, for a release from the tension that had been building between us for weeks. I couldn’t ignore the pull between us. I couldn’t pretend that I didn’t feel something every time he looked at me like that, every time he spoke to me like I was something he could own. But I wasn’t his. I refused to be his.“Don’t walk away from me, Emma,” Luca's voice cut through the silence, low and commanding. His presence, dark and powerful, loomed b
Luca’s POVI could feel the tension between us, thick as fog. It hung in the air, suffocating, pulling at the very core of my being. I knew Emma—knew how much she fought to deny me, to push me away, but I also knew the truth. Her denial didn’t matter. Not anymore. She was mine, even if she didn’t realize it yet.The way she’d spoken to me earlier—defiant, cold, unwilling to give in—had only made me more certain. The fire in her eyes was something I couldn’t ignore. It was exactly what I needed. She didn’t know it, but she was craving the very thing she claimed to resist. She was craving me.I ran a hand through my hair, the weight of everything pressing down on me. I wasn’t like other men. I didn’t play games. I didn’t waste time. Everything I did was calculated, deliberate, and I could see through her walls as if they were made of glass.I had always gotten what I wanted—whether in the business world or in the underworld. And Emma? She was the ultimate prize. The woman who wasn’t sup
Emma’s POVI couldn’t escape the feeling that I was slowly suffocating. The weight of Luca’s presence in my life—his unyielding power, his cold, calculated nature—was like a dark cloud I couldn’t outrun. Every step I took felt heavier, every breath more labored, and no matter how hard I tried to ignore it, I couldn’t stop the pull toward him.The tension from earlier that day still lingered in the air, thick and oppressive. I hadn’t been able to shake the way he looked at me, the way he seemed to see straight through the walls I had spent so long building. It was as though he knew exactly what I was thinking, every fragile, fleeting thought. Every fear, every doubt.I couldn’t stop replaying the conversation we had. The way he was so confident in his belief that I would eventually be his. That no matter how much I resisted, no matter how much I told myself I wouldn’t fall for his games, he would have me. He said it so casually, as though it were a simple fact. And, damn him, part of m
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