THE DON'S SECRET WIFE Chapter 34: BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

I slamd the bedroom door shut, my pulse hamring like I’d just outrun a wildfire.

He followed, of course. He always did.

"Aria." Luca’s voice cut through the air, sharp as a blade, the kind that made n knee. "Don’t walk away from ."

"I didn’t walk," I hissed, whipping around to face him, fists clenched. "I ran. Get the difference straight."

He closed the door with a slow, deliberate click, a predator locking us in. "Running? You think that saves you? They would have torn you apart tonight without ."

"Don’t lecture !" My arms wrapped tight around my chest, holding myself together. "I felt their eyes, every single one, reducing to nothing but a bargaining chip. A prize. And then you..." My voice cracked, raw. "You branded as yours in front of them all."

His steel-gray eyes bored into , unyielding. "It was the only way to keep you alive."

"Alive?" I spat, stepping toward him, defiance burning through my fear. "That wasn’t protection, Luca. That was possession."

He closed the gap in one stride, the air between us electric, suffocating. "You think I don’t know the difference? You think I don’t feel the weight of every word I said?"

"Then why say them?" My chest heaved. "Why claim like so... trophy?"

"Because you are not a trophy." His hand slamd against the wall near my head, caging in, his voice dropping to a growl. "You’re mine in ways I can’t even put into words. Mine to fight for. Mine to protect. Mine to keep breathing."

My breath stuttered. "That’s not love. That’s obsession."

His lips curved into sothing dangerous. "Maybe it’s both."

I shoved at his chest, but he didn’t move. "You don’t get to decide what I am."

"Then tell ." His face lowered, eyes burning into mine. "What are you, Aria?"

"I..." The words choked in my throat. "I’m ! Not your wife, not your enemy, not your damn property. Just !"

He tilted his head, eyes narrowing. "Yet here you are. In my house. Wearing my ring. Breathing because I said so."

The truth of it stung. "Do you hear yourself? You sound like a tyrant."

"Then why aren’t you afraid right now?" His whisper brushed against my cheek, intimate and terrifying.

"I am afraid." My voice cracked. "Afraid of what you make feel."

His eyes flickered, a crack in his iron facade. "Good. Because it’s tearing apart too."

The silence was deafening, the walls pulsing with the weight of our words. My heart was a war drum in my chest.

"Prove it," I said, my voice low, daring. "If I’m yours, like you scread to the world, prove it. Not with your threats or your power. With sothing real."

His jaw locked, a muscle ticking as he fought so inner beast. For the first ti, I saw a flicker of doubt in his eyes.

"What do you want from ?" His voice was quieter, but no less intense, like a storm held at bay.

"Truth!" I snapped, stepping into his space, our breaths colliding. "No gas. No walls. Just you."

He exhaled, sharp and ragged, his hand dropping from the wall. "Truth? I didn’t want you, Aria. I fought you. But now I can’t breathe without you."

The words hit like a punch, stealing my air. My lips parted, but nothing ca out.

"I fought it," he continued, voice rough. "Fought every pull toward you, told myself it was control, circumstance, lust. But it’s not. It’s you, Aria. Only you."

Tears burned at the corners of my eyes, unwanted and unstoppable. "Why does that sound like both a promise and a prison?"

His hand rose, hesitated, then finally cupped my cheek, gentle in a way that broke . "Because loving is both."

I should’ve shoved him away. Instead, I leaned into his hand, helpless."Say it again," I whispered.

He blinked. "What?"

"That you can’t breathe without ."

His lips hovered a breath away from mine, his eyes locked on like I was both salvation and sin. "I can’t breathe without you."

And then, before I could second-guess it, I surged forward. Our mouths crashed together, desperate, ssy, real.

His groan rumbled deep in his chest as his arms wrapped around , pulling against him like he’d been waiting his entire life for this mont. My fingers tangled in his hair, yanking, demanding, losing myself in the heat.

It wasn’t gentle. It wasn’t sweet. It was a war, a surrender, a thousand unsaid words spilling into the space between us.

When we finally broke apart, gasping, his forehead pressed to mine. "You’ll be the death of ," he whispered.

"Then we’re even," I panted, lips swollen, heart wild.

His chuckle was dark, broken, beautiful. "Aria Valencia. You are going to ruin ."

"Good," I whispered back. "Because you’ve already ruined .""Good," I panted, lips bruised, heart wild. "You’ve already destroyed ."

The silence wasn’t empty, it was alive, electric, and terrifying. We weren’t enemies anymore. Not allies. We were sothing far more dangerous, two souls falling, recklessly and unstoppable.

The air grew heavier, as if our clash had summoned a storm ready to break. Luca’s hands gripped my waist, anchoring to him. I wanted to pull away, to reclaim myself, but my body betrayed , drawn to his heat.

"You don’t get it," I said, voice low, trembling with fury. "You’ve dragged into your chaos, and I’m drowning."

His grip tightened, possessive, unyielding. "You were born in this chaos, Aria. You just didn’t know it until I claid you."

I shook my head, his words a weight crushing my chest. "I didn’t ask for this! I didn’t ask for you!"

His eyes flashed, raw and dangerous. "And I didn’t ask for you! But we’re here, and there’s no escaping it."

I tore myself from his grasp, needing air, needing space. The room felt like a cage. "What happens when your world crashes down?" I demanded, pointing at the door, at his empire of blood and power. "When your enemies see as your weakness?"

"They’ll die before they touch you," he snarled, voice like steel. "I’ll burn this city to the ground first."

"That’s what I’m afraid of!" I shouted, my voice cracking. "You’d raze everything for , but what about what I want?"

He went still, his eyes unreadable. Then, quieter, almost broken, he said, "Tell what you want, Aria. I’ll bleed for it."

I laughed, bitter and sharp. "You can’t give freedom. Not when I’m bound to you."

His jaw clenched, but he didn’t flinch. "Freedom? You’d be dead in a week without . You know that."

The truth was a blade, twisting deep. I hated him for it. I hated myself more for knowing he was right.

"Then what?" I yelled, voice raw. "We keep this up? You cage , I fight you, we burn each other alive?"

He closed the distance, his voice a low, fierce promise. "We live, Aria. We fight, we bleed, we burn, but we live. Together."

I wanted to scream, to rip the world apart for trapping with him. Instead, my fingers grazed his jaw, tracing its sharp edge. His breath hitched, and for a mont, he was just a man, not a monster.

"I don’t know how to be with you," I whispered, voice breaking. "Not without losing myself."

His hand caught mine, pressing it to his face, his voice raw. "Then we’ll figure it out. Even if it kills us."

I closed my eyes, his warmth sinking into , anchoring the chaos. "No more lies," I said, my eyes snapping open, locking on his. "No gas. Swear it."

"I swear," he said, his voice steady, fierce. "Just us."

I believed him, not because I trusted him completely, but because I needed to. Because maybe, just maybe, we could forge sothing real in this madness. My fingers tightened on his skin, and I leaned closer, our breaths tangling.

"You terrify ," I whispered, lips brushing his. "But I terrify myself more."

His hands slid to my hips, pulling flush against him. "Good. That ans we’re both dood."

The storm in my chest didn’t fade, but it beca sothing I could face. With him. For now, that was enough.