42

I had never felt trapped before.

Not like this.

Not when Dante pulled me deeper into his world. Not even when I knew there was no way out.

But now, standing inside this mansion—his mansion—with every door locked, every exit guarded…

I felt caged.

Because this wasn’t about keeping danger out.

This was about keeping me in.

I paced the length of the bedroom, my thoughts spinning.

Dante had left.

Gone to hunt Sophia down, and he’d made sure I had no way to follow.

I clenched my fists.

I should have known.

Dante didn’t ask.

Dante didn’t wait.

Dante took.

And if I didn’t stop him.

My sister would be dead before sunrise.

A knock at the door shattered my thoughts.

I turned sharply, my pulse hammering.

Luca stepped inside, his expression unreadable.

"You should sit down," he muttered.

I ignored him.

"Where is he?" My voice was sharp, demanding.

Luca sighed.

"You know where."

I took a step forward, but his broad frame blocked the exit.

"You can't stop him, Aurora."

My breath hitched.

"I have to."

Luca studied me for a long moment.

Then, finally—he cursed under his breath.

"You really love him, don’t you?"

The words hit harder than I expected.

I swallowed, my throat tight.

"That’s not the question."

Luca raised an eyebrow.

"Then what is?"

I exhaled slowly.

"The question is…does he love me enough to stop?"

I wasn’t going to wait for an answer.

I had to act.

And Luca—whether he meant to or not—had just given me my opening.

Dante trusted him.

Which meant if I could convince Luca, I had a chance.

I stepped closer, lowering my voice.

"I need to get out of here."

Luca scoffed. "Not happening."

I tilted my head.

"You're really going to let him kill Sophia? You don’t even know what she’s planning."

His jaw tensed.

"I know she’s playing you."

I swallowed hard.

"Maybe she is. But what if she’s right?"

Luca exhaled sharply, raking a hand through his hair.

"You think Dante's the villain here?"

I bit my lip.

"I think Dante is exactly what he promised me he was."

Luca went still.

And I knew I had struck a nerve.

"Let me out," I murmured.

Luca shook his head.

"I can't."

I stepped closer, pressing my palm to his chest, feeling the tension there, the hesitation.

"You can," I whispered. "You just have to decide whose side you’re on."

His breath caught.

And in that moment—I knew I had him.

Ten minutes later, I was in the back of Luca’s car.

The gates of Dante’s mansion disappeared behind us, swallowed by the night.

And all I could think about was what would be waiting for me when I found him.

Would it be too late?

Would I be walking into something I couldn’t stop?

One thing was certain.

If Dante Moretti had already made up his mind, I was about to make the biggest mistake of my life.

And I didn’t care.

The warehouse was dark.

A storm was rolling in, the sky thick with black clouds, thunder rumbling in the distance.

Luca parked the car a few blocks away, turning to me.

"You sure about this?"

I clenched my fists.

"No."

He smirked. "At least you’re honest."

I didn’t wait for him to change his mind.

I threw the door open, stepping into the night.

And then—I ran.

Inside the warehouse, shadows moved.

Voices. Footsteps.

And then—Dante.

He stood in the center of the room, a gun in his hand, his expression cold, unrelenting.

And across from him.

Sophia.

Tied to a chair, her face calm, unreadable.

The moment I saw her—everything stopped.

"Dante," I gasped.

He turned slowly.

And for the first time since I met him, I saw something in his eyes that terrified me.

Indifference.

Like he had already decided she was dead.

Sophia let out a small, amused sigh.

"Right on time."

Dante’s jaw tightened.

"You shouldn’t be here, Aurora."

I stepped forward, blocking his line of fire.

"You don’t get to make that decision."

His eyes darkened.

"Move."

I didn’t.

Instead, I turned to Sophia.

"Tell me why you’re here," I demanded. "Tell me the truth."

Her lips curled into a slow smirk.

"You already know, don’t you?"

My stomach twisted.

She wasn’t denying it.

I swallowed. "You lied to me."

She chuckled.

"I told you what you needed to hear."

Dante exhaled sharply.

"Move, Aurora."

I turned back to him.

"I’ll move when you tell me why you’re really doing this."

His fingers twitched on the gun.

I knew what he wanted to say.

That it was about power. About loyalty. About sending a message.

But it wasn’t.

It was about me.

About what Sophia had put in my head.

And Dante knew it.

A slow, thick silence wrapped around us.

Then—Dante lowered his gun.

The breath I’d been holding rushed out of me.

For the first time in his entire life, Dante Moretti had chosen something other than revenge.

He had chosen me.

I wasn’t ready for what came next.

One moment, Dante had surrendered to me.

The next—Sophia moved.

She lunged, grabbing a knife from her sleeve, slicing it upward, toward my throat.

I barely had time to react.

I staggered back, but the blade bit into my skin, sharp and searing.

Dante roared.

A single gunshot rang out.

Sophia’s body jerked.

Then—she fell.

Her eyes locked onto mine for a single, frozen second.

And then—she was gone.

Blood pooled beneath her.

Dante stood over her, his gun still smoking, his chest rising and falling in rapid, controlled movements.

I couldn’t breathe.

I pressed a hand to my neck, feeling the warm, wet heat of my own blood.

Dante turned to me.

His hands trembled when they touched my face, when he checked me for wounds.

He had saved me.

But at what cost?

Because now, it was done.

Sophia was dead.

And the war we had been trying to escape…

Had just begun.