Chapter 18 - The Confession
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We returned to the estate just as dawn began to break over the frozen lake. The mansion was heavily fortified, crawling with loyal soldiers, but inside the master suite, it was perfectly quiet.
I sat on the edge of the massive bed, wearing one of Dante’s oversized dress shirts. I watched him stand by the window, staring out at the snow. He had showered the blood and soot from his body, but the heavy, traumatic weight of the night still clung to his posture.
“I almost lost you,” Dante whispered, not turning around. “Because of my arrogance. Because I thought putting a ring on your finger was enough to keep the monsters away.”
I stood up, my legs still weak, and walked over to him. I wrapped my arms around his waist from behind, pressing my cheek against his broad, warm back.
“You didn't lose me,” I said softly.
He turned around, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me tightly against his chest. He rested his chin on the top of my head, letting out a long, shuddering breath.
“I told you that I brought you into my world because I wanted to know you,” Dante confessed, his voice rough with emotion. “But the truth is, I brought you here because the moment I saw you in that ballroom, standing so quietly while the world tried to break you, I knew I needed you. You are the only light in this entire, miserable city, Emma.”
I looked up into his silver eyes. There was no deception there, no mafia games. Only absolute, terrifying vulnerability.
“If you want to leave,” Dante continued, his hands trembling slightly as he held my waist. “If tonight showed you how dark my world truly is, I will let you go. I will give you enough money to disappear safely, and I will ensure Volkov never finds you.”
I looked at the man who had torn a city apart to find me. The man who had walked through gunfire for a waitress he had met three months ago.
I raised my left hand, the heavy diamond catching the morning light.
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“I’m not taking the ring off, Dante,” I whispered fiercely. “I’m not going anywhere.”
He let out a sharp gasp, crushing his lips against mine in a kiss that tasted like salvation and promises.
