DANTE
Morning comes too quickly.
I wake before Aria, my body clock trained by years of 5 AM meetings and early trading hours.
But I don't move, reach for my phone or mentally run through the day's schedule.
I just watch her sleep.
Her face is peaceful now, no trace of last night's emotional upheaval. One hand is curled under her cheek, the other rests on my chest. The morning light makes her skin glow, catches the diamond on her finger.
My wife.
The woman her entire family sees as an obstacle worth eliminating.
My phone vibrates on the nightstand. I reach for it carefully, trying not to wake her.
Viktor: I need to see you. Immediately.
My gut clenches. Viktor doesn't use words like "immediately" unless something's wrong.
I slip out of bed, pulling on clothes as quietly as possi
