Chapter 69 Chapter 69

Chapter 69 Chapter 69


\[ SALVATORE’S POV \]

I stood outside the bedroom doors, the room I had thought I would make Iris cry in ecstasy, my chest tight with a rage so hot it felt like liquid lead in my veins. My hands were fisted at my sides, the leather of my gloves creaking.

I had seen the broadcast. I had known about it even before seeing Sofia Russo, that pathetic, lying whore, crying on national TV, painting Iris as a traitor. I wanted to level the Russo estate. I wanted to burn their name from the earth for what they were doing to her.

But when I stepped into the room, the anger in me turned into a cold, sharp ache.

Iris was crumpled on the edge of the bed. She looked so small. The tablet, the window to the world that was currently screaming for her head, was tossed on the floor like trash. She didn't look up when I entered. She was shaking, her breath coming in jagged, broken sobs that sliced right through my armor.

"Iris," I said. My voice was low, trying to be steady, but seeing her like this was testing every bit of my control.

She flinched as if I had struck her. She looked at me with eyes that were red and raw, filled with a look of betrayal so deep it made my heart stop.

"You made me an orphan," she choked out, her fingers clawing at the silk of her hoodie. "You stole my mother... and now you pretend to care?"

I didn't move. I didn't try to touch her. I knew if I did, she might shatter completely. I had to be the mountain she crashed against.

"I did what was necessary," I said. My voice was eerily calm, the mask of the Moretti heir firmly in place. "You think this is malice. You think I'm a monster because I took what you weren't strong enough to protect. But you're alive. You're mine. In this world, Iris, that is everything."

She laughed, a bitter, dry sound that hurt more than a bullet. She called this a cage. She called me a jailer. She told me she hated the world I built for her.

"I didn't kill her, Iris," I said, stepping closer but staying out of her space. I needed her to hear the truth, even if it burned. "I protected you from a fate that would have made you less than you are. Your mother was weak in a world that demands blood. I made sure you didn't die with her."

"I trusted you," she whispered into the cold air. "And you used me. Every step."

"You trusted the wrong people," I countered. "Your father. Your sister. They are the ones who just threw you to the wolves on live television. I am the only one who has never lied to you."

I watched her collapse to the floor, her body racked with sobs. I wanted to kneel beside her, to pull her into me and tell her I would kill anyone who breathed her name wrong. But she had to see it. She had to cry the tears of a Moretti, the kind of tears that turn into ice and then into a weapon.

"Let me go, Salvatore," she whispered, her voice a broken plea that nearly brought me to my knees. "You said I could choose. Let me go somewhere far away... where no one knows I exist. Please."

I looked down at her, my shadow falling over her shaking form. My heart felt like it was being ripped out, but my mind was set. I had spent five years building this fortress for her. I had cleared a path through blood to keep her safe.

"You will want me, Iris," I said gently, though the words felt like an oath. "Not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But eventually. Because the world outside this mountain is cruel, and I am the only one who will stand between you and the dark."

I wouldn't let her go. Not because I wanted to own her, but because the moment she stepped off this mountain, the world would swallow her whole. And I would burn the entire world before I let that happen.

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I stood on the gravel, my hands buried deep in my pockets to hide the way they wanted to reach out and grab her. The morning air was sharp, but the cold I felt was coming from inside. I watched her get into the car without looking back. She didn't even glance at the window. She just vanished into the dark interior of the SUV, leaving me standing in the dust.

My eyes felt like they were burning. I knew they were that gold color, the color that usually meant someone was about to die. Next to me, Michael was unusually quiet. Even he knew better than to joke right now.

"Are you really letting her go?" Mira asked. Her voice was full of confusion.

I didn't answer. I couldn't. If I opened my mouth, I might roar. I might run to that car, rip the door open, and carry her back to the library. But I stayed still. I let her think she was winning. I let her think the gates were open.

"Answer me, brother!" Mira snapped, stepping into my line of sight.

I stared through her. I wasn't seeing Mira. I was seeing the road ahead of Iris. I was seeing the trap I had let her family set for her.

"Stop asking him questions," Sandy’s voice grated against my ears like sandpaper. She sounded happy. She sounded like she had this her way. "Let the bitch go. She has no place here anyway. It’s good she finally realized…"

The word bitch hit me like a physical strike. I didn't turn my head, but I felt my shadow grow long on the ground. The air around us seemed to drop ten degrees. Sandy stopped talking, her breath hitching in fear.

"Mario," I called.

Mario appeared instantly. He didn't walk,  he ran. He knew the tone of my voice meant the world was on fire. "Yes, Boss?"

"Follow her," I commanded. Every word felt like a stone falling into a well. "Follow her and make sure she is fine. Watch every person who looks at her. If someone breathes in her direction the wrong way, handle it."

"Yes, Boss," Mario said, turning toward his own vehicle.

"And Mario," I added, stopping him in his tracks. "Iris must not go far. She thinks she is going to a new life. But she is only going to get some fresh air. Let her explore. Let her see the city. Let her eat a good meal. You know exactly what I mean."

Mario nodded slowly. He understood. I wasn't giving her freedom, I was giving her a long leash. I wanted her to see the world I had protected her from. I wanted her to see the venom on the news, the hate in the streets, and the lies her sister had spread. I wanted her to realize that the freedom she craved was actually a death sentence.

"Perfectly, Boss," Mario bowed and sped off.

I watched the two cars disappear around the bend of the mountain. My chest felt empty, like someone had reached in and scooped out my heart.

"What?" Sandy’s voice returned, shrill and jealous. She walked up to me, her eyes narrow. "You don't mean that. Why are you so bent on making her yours? She's just a…"

Before she could finish the word, my hand was around her throat.

The movement was so fast she didn't even have time to blink. I slammed her back against the stone pillar of the porch, my fingers sinking into her skin. I didn't care that she was a woman. I didn't care that her father was my lawyer. All I saw was the person who dared to disrespect the woman I had spent five years of my life guarding.

"The next time you open your dirty mouth to call her that," I hissed, my face inches from hers. My voice was a vibrating growl of pure, unfiltered rage. "I will not only kill you. I will cut out your tongue and feed it to the birds. And I won't stop with you. I will destroy everything and everyone you have ever cared about. Do you understand me?"

Sandy’s eyes were bulging, her hands clawing at my wrist, but I was a wall of muscle and hate. She tried to nod, her face turning a dark shade of red.

I threw her away from me like she was a piece of trash. She hit the gravel, gasping and sobbing, but I didn't look back. I didn't care if she lived or died.

I pulled a cigarette from my pocket and lit it, the smoke stinging my lungs. I looked at the empty road.

Run as far as you want, Little Mouse, I thought. See what the world has for you. See the lies and the hate. And when you realize that I’m the only one who ever truly kept you safe... you’ll come back. And this time, you’ll never ask to leave again.

No Iris this time. I will never let you out of my sight again even if it’s to tie you down.