Married to the Devil in a Suit

Chapter 7: Fire in the Silence

That night, I couldn’t sleep.

I stood on the balcony outside our shared bedroom, arms folded tightly against the cold, watching the moon hover above the skyline. The city looked so peaceful. Quiet. Deceiving. Somewhere out there, someone wanted Matteo dead.

And if they couldn’t get to him…

They’d come for me.

The air shifted behind me. I didn’t need to turn to know it was him.

Matteo.

His presence was magnetic, always. The weight of him, the heat, the danger. He moved closer, silent as ever, until he was beside me. I could smell his cologne—dark spice, leather, and power.

He held out a jacket. “You’ll catch a cold.”

“Thanks,” I murmured, slipping into it. It smelled like him.

“You shouldn’t be out here alone,” he said.

“I couldn’t sleep.”

We stood side by side, our shoulders almost touching, but the silence between us screamed louder than a gunshot.

“Maria told you,” he said finally.

“About your enemies?” I replied, voice barely above a whisper. “Yes.”

I looked at him. He was staring straight ahead, his jaw tight.

“Why are you letting me stay here, Matteo? Why marry me at all?”

He didn’t answer right away. His eyes darkened as though battling thoughts he never shared with anyone.

“You were a solution.”

“That’s all?” I tried not to sound disappointed, but it slipped through.

He turned to face me. “What do you want me to say, Emilia? That I couldn’t get you out of my head? That your innocence tempted me in ways I didn’t know I could still feel?”

My breath caught.

“You want honesty?” he asked, stepping closer. “Fine. I needed to shut down an alliance with the Genovese family. They wanted me to marry one of their own. A deal sealed in blood.”

“And I was convenient?” I asked, forcing the question out.

“No. You were the first thing in years that wasn’t.” His voice cracked—just slightly. “You were a risk.”

I stared at him, searching his face. For a man like Matteo, revealing this much was like bleeding in front of a shark.

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because if something happens to me… you need to understand the game you’re in.”

A cold wind swept across the balcony. I didn’t even flinch. The real chill was in his words.

“I didn’t ask for this game,” I said.

“No one does. But you’re in it now. You’re wearing my name. Living in my world.”

My hands trembled, but I didn’t want him to see. Somehow, he always did. Without hesitation, he took them in his.

His hands were rough, calloused, strong. A stark contrast to how gently he held me.

“I can’t promise you a happy ending, Emilia,” he said, voice low and raw. “But I will burn this world down before I let anyone touch you.”

My heart pounded. And for the first time, I believed him.

Not because he was a good man.

But because he wasn’t.

I stepped back, needing space to breathe. “So what happens now?”

“We prepare,” he said simply.

“For war?”

“For everything,” he replied. “For betrayal. For blood. For power plays and lies. I’ll deal with my enemies, but you need to keep your eyes open.”

“I’m not a fighter, Matteo.”

“You’re more than that. You survived the world before you met me. That takes strength most people don’t even understand.”

I swallowed hard. “I’m scared.”

“So am I,” he whispered.

And it broke me.

Because hearing the Devil admit fear meant something was coming.

Something worse than anything we’d faced yet