Chapter 99 MINE TO PROTECT.
\~~~LUCIANO.
For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. The room felt smaller, tighter, and like the walls were closing in on me.
Raina’s words hung in the air, sharp and final.
Divorce?
She wanted out?
After all we’d been through…
The lies, the secrets, and the twisted start to our marriage, she was asking me to let her go.
“No,” I said immediately, my voice rough. “That is not happening.”
She shook her head weakly, her eyes red and swollen from crying. “Please, I can’t do this anymore.”
I stared at her, my chest pounding violently.
The thought clawed at me, stirring up a storm of anger and something deeper, something I didn’t want to name.
Fear, maybe. The idea of her walking away, leaving me with nothing but echoes of her deception.
“No,” I repeated, slower this time, stepping closer to the bed. “You must think you have a say in this marriage. Whether it ends or not, it is up to me. I, Luciano, decide when this marriage ends. Not you.”
She laughed through her tears, the sound broken and low, like it hurt to even make the noise. “You don’t even hear yourself.”
“I hear just fine,” I snapped, my temper flaring. “And I am saying no. Divorce? You must be shitting me. You remain my wife till I say otherwise.”
She wiped her cheeks angrily, her hands trembling. “You don’t want a wife! You want control. That is all this means to you. Just control!”
Her words hit hard, but I pushed them down. “I don’t care what this is,” I said sharply, my jaw tight.
“Let me go.”
I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. The room spun a little, her plea echoing Alessia’s warning in my head.
Take it easy. But how?
She was starting to unravel everything I’d built.
“I won’t,” I said, my voice low and firm. “Not now. Not like this. Not ever.”
Her shoulders slumped, the fight draining out of her. She looked so small there, curled up in our bed. “Why?” she whispered, her voice barely audible.
“Because you are my wife.”
“Me?” She chuckled darkly, a bitter edge to it, and then looked away, staring at the wall like it held all the answers.
“You have the resources to find Talia and bring her back. I’d urge you to do that. Divorce me, or I’d kill myself.”
The threat stopped me cold.
Kill herself? Over this? My mouth went dry, and I watched her for a long while as she slipped back under the duvet, pulling it over her head like a shield. Her body shook slightly, muffled sobs breaking the silence. Why the hell was this escalating so much? What exactly was the problem?
I thought I knew her lies, the sabotage, the fake identity, but this felt bigger, like a chasm opening between us.
And to be honest, right now, I don't even care if she had collided with another person to have me killed.
I stood there with my mouth hanging open and words failing me. Part of me wanted to yank the covers off again, force her to face me, and explain. But the flinch from earlier replayed in my mind, her fear twisting like a knife. I couldn’t do that. Not now.
So, I didn’t say anything anymore. I just turned out of the room, the door clicking shut behind me. My heart hammered in my chest as I kept walking, down the hallway, and past the empty living room. Each step felt heavy, like I was carrying the weight of her words. Divorce… Suicide…
It all swirled in my head, making it hard to think straight.
I slipped into the car in the garage, the engine roaring to life as I backed out. The gates opened, and I drove off into the streets.
The drive to the warehouse took longer than it should have, traffic thick with evening commuters. My hands gripped the wheel too tightly, with my knuckles white. Raina’s face kept flashing in my mind. Her tear-streaked, and desperate face.
Why did she think I’d let her go? This marriage was mine to protect, even if it was built on sand.
And Talia? Bringing her back wouldn’t fix this. Raina was the one here, the one I’d chosen, lies and all.
By the time I pulled up to the warehouse on the outskirts, the anger had simmered into a cold resolve. The building loomed dark and industrial, chain-link fence rattling in the wind. I parked and stepped out, the gravel crunching under my shoes. Two of my men stood at the entrance, nodding as I approached.
“Boss,” one said, stepping aside to let me through.
I gave a curt nod and walked past them, the door creaking open into the dimly lit space. The air smelled of rust and oil, shadows stretching long from the overhead lights. Viktor was already inside, his tall frame cutting across the room as he spotted me and crossed over.
“We found her at the airport,” he updated me, his voice low.
“She was leaving the country. She had a ticket to some town in Europe.”
I just nodded my head simply, not trusting myself to speak yet. The frustration from home still burned, but this, I could handle.
Action over words. I walked over to where the woman sat in the corner, her wrists and ankles chained to a metal chair bolted to the floor. She looked disheveled, hair matted, and clothes rumpled from the struggle. Her eyes narrowed as I approached, defiance in her glare.
“Untie her,” I said to Viktor, keeping my tone even.
He moved quickly, keys jangling as he unlocked the chains. She rubbed her wrists, flexing her fingers, but didn’t stand. Viktor stepped back, giving us space.
“Hello, Irina,” I said, dropping my eyes on her chained body. No, now untied, but still trapped in that chair.
“Son of a cunt,” she spat, her voice laced with venom.
“You are making the greatest mistake of your life. My father would never let this slide!”
“Well, we'd see about that,” I said, leaning down to her level.