I'M HIS ALONE

CHAPTER 20

THE REAL WORLD INTRUDES

Elena Rossi was not a woman who gave up easily.

Bella's best friend since freshman year of college, Elena was fierce, loyal, and possessed of a stubborn streak that rivaled Bella's own. When Bella disappeared without a word—no texts, no calls, no explanation—Elena had known immediately that something was wrong. Bella would never just vanish. She would never abandon her studies, her friends, her life.

So Elena had started digging.

She had filed a missing persons report with the NYPD, who had been frustratingly unhelpful. She had contacted Bella's father, who had stammered something about Bella being "safe" and "taking time off" before hanging up abruptly. She had tracked down professors, classmates, coworkers—anyone who might know where Bella had gone.

And then she had found the connection. Giovanni Marchetti's gambling debts. The Romano family. Dante Romano.

Now, six weeks after Bella's disappearance, Elena stood at the gates of the Romano estate, her chin lifted, her eyes blazing with determination. She had driven up from the city, ignoring the "No Trespassing" signs, the security cameras, the implicit threat of the high walls and electrified fencing. She wasn't leaving without seeing her friend.

The guard at the gate was large, armed, and unimpressed. "Private property, miss. Turn around."

"I'm not leaving until I see Isabella Marchetti. Tell Dante Romano that Elena Rossi is here, and I'm not going anywhere until I know Bella is safe."

The guard's expression didn't change, but he picked up a phone and spoke quietly into it. Minutes passed. Elena stood her ground, refusing to show the fear that was clawing at her stomach.

Finally, the gates began to open.

"Mr. Romano will see you," the guard said. "Follow the drive. Don't deviate."

Elena walked up the long driveway, her heart hammering against her ribs. The estate was even more intimidating up close—a fortress disguised as a mansion, with guards visible at various points along the property. She was walking into the lion's den, and she knew it. But Bella was worth the risk.

Dante met her at the front door, his expression carefully neutral. He was dressed in a dark suit, his hands clasped behind his back, every inch the powerful Don.

"Ms. Rossi," he said, his voice cool. "I've heard a great deal about you."

"I wish I could say the same, Mr. Romano. But until a few days ago, I didn't know you existed." Elena met his gaze without flinching. "Where is Bella?"

"Safe. Happy." Dante's eyes hardened slightly. "With me."

"With you? Or your prisoner?"

A muscle ticked in Dante's jaw. "She's not a prisoner. She's here of her own free will."

"Is she?" Elena challenged. "Because the Bella I know would never abandon her life, her studies, her friends, to play house with some rich criminal. Something happened to her. Something you did. And I want to see her. Now."

They stared at each other, two forces of nature colliding in the doorway of the Romano mansion. Dante was the first to relent.

"Fine." He stepped aside. "She's in the garden. But Ms. Rossi—" His voice dropped to a dangerous register. "If you upset her, if you try to turn her against me, you will regret it. I don't make idle threats."

"And I don't scare easily."

Elena found Bella sitting on a stone bench near a fountain, reading a book in the afternoon sun. She looked... different. Healthier, somehow. Her skin glowed, her hair was glossy and well-styled, and she wore clothes that clearly cost more than Elena's entire wardrobe. But it was the peace in her expression that caught Elena's attention—the contentment, the ease, the happiness that radiated from her like warmth from a fire.

"Bella!" Elena rushed forward, pulling her friend into a fierce hug. "Oh my God, Bella. I've been so worried."

"Elena!" Bella hugged her back, genuine delight in her voice. "How did you—how did you find me?"

"It wasn't easy." Elena pulled back, studying her friend with critical eyes. "Are you okay? Has he hurt you? Done anything to you? Because if he has, I swear to God—"

"I'm fine, Elena. I'm more than fine." Bella took her friend's hands, leading her to the bench. "I know this looks bad. I know how it must seem. But Elena, I need you to listen to me. I'm here because I want to be. Because I choose to be."

Elena stared at her. "Bella, he's a criminal. A mafia boss. He kidnapped you—"

"He did. At first." Bella's voice was steady, her eyes clear. "But things changed, Elena. I changed. I know you don't understand, and I don't expect you to. But I love him. I love Dante. And he loves me."

"Love?" Elena's voice rose. "Bella, this is Stockholm syndrome. You've been brainwashed—"

"It's not Stockholm syndrome." Bella's voice was firm. "I know what that is, and this isn't it. Yes, Dante took me against my will. Yes, that was wrong. But what's happened since then... Elena, I've never been happier. I've never felt more seen, more cherished, more alive. He treats me like I'm the most precious thing in his world. He supports my dreams, shares my interests, makes me laugh. When I'm with him, I feel like I can be completely myself."

Elena shook her head, her expression anguished. "Bella, you had a life. A future. You were going to graduate, get a job at a museum, travel the world—"

"And I still can. Dante wants me to have all of that. He'd move heaven and earth to make it happen." Bella squeezed her friend's hands. "I'm not giving up my dreams, Elena. I'm just... pursuing them from a different place. With a different person beside me."

"He's dangerous, Bella. He's killed people."

"I know." Bella's voice dropped. "I know what he is. I know what he's done. And I've made my peace with it. Not because I condone it, but because I understand it. Because I see the man behind the crimes, and that man is worth loving."

Elena was quiet for a long moment, her eyes filling with tears. "I don't want to lose you, Bella. You're my best friend. My sister. If something happens to you—"

"Nothing's going to happen to me. Dante protects me better than anyone ever could." Bella pulled her friend into another hug. "And you're not losing me, Elena. I'm still here. I'm still me. I still want to graduate and work in a museum and change the world through art. I'm just doing it with a man who loves me more than life itself."

When they finally pulled apart, Elena wiped her eyes and looked toward the mansion, where Dante stood watching from a window. Even from a distance, his gaze was fixed on Bella with an intensity that was unmistakable.

"He really loves you, doesn't he?" Elena asked quietly.

"More than anything," Bella confirmed.

"And you love him."

"More than I ever thought possible."

Elena sighed, a long, resigned exhalation. "I don't understand it. I probably never will. But Bella—if you're happy, truly happy, then I'll support you. I'll always be here for you, no matter what."

"Thank you, Elena." Bella's voice was thick with emotion. "That means everything to me."

They talked for another hour—about school, about Elena's investigation, about the carefully constructed story they would tell the rest of the world. Bella was officially "taking a semester off" to "travel with her boyfriend." It wasn't entirely a lie.

When Elena finally left, Dante appeared at Bella's side, his arm sliding around her waist.

"She's a good friend," he observed.

"The best."

"She doesn't trust me."

"She will. In time." Bella leaned into him, letting his warmth seep into her bones. "She just wants me to be happy. And I am, Dante. Happier than I've ever been."

He turned her in his arms, his eyes searching hers. "Even knowing the truth? About why I took you, about the manipulation, about everything?"

"Even knowing all of it." She reached up, cupping his face in her hands. "I love you, Dante Romano. All of you. The good, the bad, the dark, the light. I love you. And I'm not going anywhere."

Dante's kiss was a promise, a vow, a brand that marked her as his forever. And as the sun set behind them, painting the sky in shades of gold and crimson, Bella knew that she had finally found her place in the world.

Beside him. Always beside him.

---