Chapter 34: Chapter 34
Vanessa
I needed air.
That was it.
Nothing dramatic.
Nothing rebellious.
I just needed to get out of the mansion before I lost my mind.
The walls felt smaller every day.
Every hallway reminded me that I didn’t belong here.
Every room reminded me that Emma did.
And every time I saw Alaric, I remembered the bond I never asked for.
So after breakfast, I made a decision.
I was going for a walk.
No permission.
No announcement.
No discussion.
Just a walk.
The mansion grounds were enormous, stretching across acres of perfectly maintained gardens and forests.
Surely nobody would care.
I walked down the long stone pathway leading toward the front gates.
For the first time all morning, I felt lighter.
The sun was warm.
The breeze cool.
Freedom was only a few steps away.
Then the guards moved.
My stomach sank instantly.
Two men stepped in front of the gate.
Blocking it.
I stopped walking.
“What are you doing?”
The older guard looked uncomfortable.
“My apologies, Mrs. Moretti.”
I hated that title.
“Move.”
Neither man moved.
My irritation immediately sharpened.
“I said move.”
The younger guard shifted nervously.
“We can’t.”
I stared at him.
“What do you mean you can’t?”
Silence.
My patience vanished.
“Open the gate.”
The older guard swallowed.
“We have orders.”
There it was.
Orders.
A chill ran through me.
Not because I didn’t know who gave them.
Because I did.
“Alaric.”
Neither man answered.
Neither man needed to.
Their silence confirmed everything.
Anger exploded inside me.
Of course.
Of course he had done this.
Because apparently being trapped inside a marriage wasn’t enough.
Now I was trapped inside the property too.
I turned around immediately.
My heels struck the pathway with enough force to crack stone.
By the time I reached the mansion, I was furious.
By the time I entered it, I was ready for war.
And by the time I reached Alaric’s office—
I didn’t even bother knocking.
The doors slammed open.
Every conversation stopped instantly.
I froze.
Not because of Alaric.
Because of the room.
At least eight men sat around the massive conference table.
Dangerous men.
Powerful men.
The kind of men who looked like they buried bodies for breakfast.
Every single one turned to stare at me.
Wonderful.
Alaric sat at the head of the table.
His expression didn’t change.
Not even slightly.
But those dark eyes immediately locked onto mine.
“What is this?” one man muttered.
Another looked horrified.
A woman barging into Alaric Moretti’s meeting?
Apparently unheard of.
Good.
Let them be shocked.
“Tell your guards to stop treating me like a prisoner.”
Silence.
Absolute silence.
One man nearly choked on his drink.
Another looked at Alaric as if waiting for him to explode.
But he didn’t.
Instead, Alaric slowly closed the file in front of him.
Then he looked around the room.
“Leave.”
Every man stood immediately.
No questions.
No hesitation.
Within seconds the room was empty.
The door clicked shut behind the last associate.
Now it was just us.
Alaric leaned back slightly in his chair.
Calm.
Too calm.
“Explain.”
I laughed.
The sound held no humor.
“Explain?”
His expression remained unchanged.
“You interrupted an important meeting.”
“You locked me inside your estate.”
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Not much.
Just enough.
“There is a difference.”
“No,” I snapped. “There isn’t.”
The anger I’d been carrying for weeks finally burst free.
“I tried to take a walk.”
Silence.
“A walk, Alaric.”
Still silence.
“And your guards stopped me.”
He folded his hands together.
Deliberately.
Controlled.
Everything about him screamed control.
“I gave them instructions.”
My jaw dropped.
No denial.
No excuse.
Nothing.
Just complete confidence.
Like there was nothing wrong with it.
“You admit it?”
“Yes.”
The calmness of his answer somehow made everything worse.
“Have you completely lost your mind?”
A dangerous flicker crossed his eyes.
“Watch your tone.”
I laughed again.
This time louder.
“Oh, now you’re worried about my tone?”
I stepped closer to the desk.
“You don’t get to decide where I go.”
His gaze followed every movement.
Predatory.
Focused.
“You are under my protection.”
“There it is.”
I pointed at him.
“That’s exactly what I mean.”
His jaw tightened.
“What?”
“You disguise everything as protection.”
The room felt smaller.
The tension thicker.
“You control people and call it protection.”
His eyes darkened.
“Careful.”
“No.”
I was done being careful.
Done being afraid.
“You don’t own me.”
The words landed like a challenge.
For a moment, neither of us moved.
Neither of us blinked.
Then Alaric stood.
Slowly.
The air changed immediately.
Every instinct screamed at me to back away.
I refused.
He rounded the desk.
One step.
Then another.
Until he stood directly in front of me.
Too close.
Far too close.
“You think this is ownership?”
His voice was quiet.
That made it worse.
Much worse.
“Isn’t it?”
“No.”
The answer came instantly.
Firm.
Absolute.
His gaze locked onto mine.
“You are alive because enemies know where you live.”
My heartbeat quickened.
“What?”
“You think this house is a prison.”
He laughed once.
Cold.
Humorless.
“It is a fortress.”
The words hit harder than I expected.
I hated it.
Because part of me knew he believed every word.
“Nobody is hunting me.”
The look he gave me made my stomach twist.
“You really believe that?”
Silence.
For the first time, uncertainty crept in.
Just slightly.
Alaric saw it.
Of course he did.
“You are my wife.”
The title sounded different when he said it.
Heavier.
More dangerous.
“There are people who would use you against me.”
I folded my arms.
“I can take care of myself.”
His eyes flashed.
“You nearly got yourself kidnapped three weeks ago.”
I opened my mouth.
Then closed it.
Because annoyingly—
He wasn’t wrong.
The realization only irritated me more.
“I still should be allowed to leave.”
A pause.
Then he sighed.
Actually sighed.
Like I was exhausting him.
“You can leave.”
I blinked.
“What?”
“You can leave.”
Suspicion immediately replaced anger.
“With conditions.”
There it was.
Of course there were conditions.
I crossed my arms tighter.
“What conditions?”
His expression remained unreadable.
“You don’t go anywhere alone.”
I laughed in disbelief.
“No.”
“Then you don’t leave.”
My mouth fell open.
The audacity.
The absolute audacity.
“You’re impossible.”
A faint smirk tugged at one corner of his mouth.
The first genuine expression I’d seen all day.
Gone almost instantly.
But there.
And somehow that annoyed me even more.
I pointed toward the door.
“I hate you.”
The words escaped before I could stop them.
The smirk vanished.
Silence settled between us.
Heavy.
Unexpected.
Then Alaric spoke.
Quietly.
Almost too quietly.
“Good.”
I frowned.
“What?”
His gaze never left mine.
“Hate is safer.”
The words hung in the air.
Strange.
Uncomfortable.
Almost sad.
For a second, I didn’t know what to say.
Neither did he.
The silence stretched.
Then a knock suddenly echoed through the office.
The door opened before either of us could respond.
Emma stepped inside.
And one look at her face told me everything.
She had been listening.
And she wasn’t happy.