Chapter 18 - Healing and Confessions
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The aftermath of the warehouse massacre shifted the balance of power across the entire eastern seaboard. With the leaders of the rival families captured or killed, Adrian’s empire expanded, becoming an untouchable, absolute monopoly.
But inside the Moretti penthouse, the war felt far away.
Two weeks had passed. Adrian was resting in the master bedroom, his leg heavily bandaged from the gunshot wound. Liya sat beside him, gently changing the dressings with steady hands.
"You would have made a terrible nurse," Adrian teased, wincing slightly as she pulled the tape tight.
"Good thing I married a billionaire instead," Liya shot back, a faint smile playing on her lips.
The joke faded into a comfortable, heavy silence. Liya looked down at the massive diamond ring on her finger. The fake marriage that was meant to be a shield had become the most real thing in her life.
"My mother's cancer went into remission today," Liya said softly. "The new treatments you paid for... they worked."
Adrian reached out, his large, calloused hand gently tracing her jawline. "I'm glad. She is family now."
Liya looked up, meeting his intense gray eyes. "Adrian... the contract. We said this was just for protection. The threat is gone. You conquered the five families."
Adrian’s expression darkened. He sat up, ignoring the pain in his leg, and grabbed both of her hands.
"Do you want to leave, Liya?" he asked, his voice dropping into a desperate, raw whisper.
"No," she breathed, a tear escaping her eye. "I want to stay. But I don't want to be a contract. I don't want to be a fake wife."
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"There is nothing fake about this," Adrian murmured fiercely, pulling her onto his lap. "I love you, Liya. I loved you the moment I saw you crying in that ballroom. You are my queen. I will tear up the contract right now."
He kissed her—a deep, passionate claim that tasted of survival and absolute devotion.
