She was gone.
The moment the door shut behind her, silence crawled in like smoke, thick, choking, and unforgiving. Adrian stood in the dim light of his study, fists clenched, jaw rigid, eyes glued to the empty space where Valentina had stood just minutes ago. He’d given her an inch, and she’d taken it like a queen claiming her throne.
He didn’t hate her for it.
He hated himself.
The whiskey in his glass trembled as he brought it to his lips, the burn doing little to numb the ache behind his ribs. Letting her leave had been a mistake, but controlling her too tightly had been worse. She was never a puppet, she was a firestorm. And he had tried to cage her flames.
Now they’d both burn for it.
“Boss.”
Adrian turned sharply as Matteo entered the room, dark eyes cautious. “What?”
“There’
