Chapter 9: You Belong Here
1068 Words
Aria was starting to understand one thing.
Life in Dante’s world didn’t slow down.
It only shifted.
Quiet on the surface…
Danger underneath.
The next morning felt almost normal.
Almost.
Aria sat at the dining table, staring at the cup of coffee in front of her.
The sunlight poured in through the tall windows, casting soft light across the room.
Beautiful.
Peaceful.
Deceptive.
Because nothing about her life was peaceful anymore.
“You’re thinking too much.”
Her head snapped up.
Dante stood across the room, already dressed, composed as always.
Like he had been awake for hours.
Like he never truly rested.
“Do you always watch people when they’re not aware?” she asked.
“Yes.”
Her lips parted slightly.
“That’s… not normal.”
“I never said I was.”
She huffed softly, looking away.
“You should eat,” he added.
“I’m not hungry.”
“You will be.”
That tone again.
Calm.
Certain.
Like her choices didn’t really matter.
Before she could respond—
Footsteps echoed from the hallway.
Aria turned slightly.
A woman walked in.
Tall. Elegant. Confident.
The kind of woman who didn’t need to try to be noticed.
But was anyway.
Aria’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Dante,” the woman said smoothly, her voice soft but familiar.
Familiar.
Too familiar.
Dante didn’t look surprised.
Which meant—
He knew she was coming.
“Valentina,” he said calmly.
Aria’s chest tightened slightly.
Valentina’s gaze shifted.
And landed on her.
A slow smile curved her lips.
“Well… this is new.”
Something about her tone made Aria instantly uncomfortable.
Like she was being assessed.
Measured.
Judged.
“And you are?” Valentina asked, stepping closer.
Aria straightened slightly.
“Aria.”
“Just Aria?”
Her smile didn’t reach her eyes.
Aria felt irritation rise in her chest.
“Yes.”
Valentina let out a soft laugh.
“How interesting.”
She turned back to Dante.
“You didn’t tell me you had company.”
“She’s not company,” Dante said.
Aria’s heart skipped.
Valentina raised a brow slightly.
“Oh?”
Dante’s gaze shifted to Aria briefly.
Then back to Valentina.
“She’s my wife.”
Silence.
Sharp.
Immediate.
Aria’s breath caught.
Even though she knew it was part of the contract…
Hearing him say it out loud—
Felt different.
Valentina’s expression changed.
Just slightly.
But Aria noticed.
Because women like her didn’t hide things well when it mattered.
“How unexpected,” she said smoothly.
But there was something underneath her tone now.
Something sharper.
More interested.
She stepped closer to Aria.
Slow. Confident.
Her gaze scanned her from head to toe.
Deliberate.
“You don’t look like his type.”
The words were soft.
But meant to cut.
Aria’s jaw tightened slightly.
“I didn’t realize he had one.”
Valentina smiled again.
This time… a little less friendly.
“Oh, he does.”
Before Aria could respond—
Dante moved.
Not quickly.
But deliberately.
He stepped between them.
Subtle.
But clear.
Enough to create distance.
Enough to shift the atmosphere completely.
“That’s enough,” he said calmly.
Valentina’s gaze flickered to him.
Then back to Aria.
Interesting.
“You’ve been busy,” Valentina said lightly, crossing her arms.
“Business changes,” Dante replied.
“Does it?”
Her tone suggested she didn’t believe him.
Or maybe she didn’t like what had changed.
Aria stayed quiet.
But she felt it.
The tension.
The unspoken history between them.
And suddenly—
She didn’t like it.
At all.
Valentina stepped back slightly, her attention returning fully to Dante.
“Well, I didn’t come here for introductions,” she said.
“There’s an issue.”
Dante’s expression shifted.
Subtle.
But noticeable.
“What kind of issue?”
“The kind you don’t ignore.”
Aria’s chest tightened.
Danger again.
It never really left, did it?
“Handle it,” Dante said.
Valentina tilted her head slightly.
“You’re not coming?”
“No.”
Her gaze flickered briefly toward Aria.
Then back to him.
“Ah,” she said softly. “Of course.”
The meaning behind her tone was clear.
And Aria felt it.
Even if she didn’t fully understand it.
Valentina turned to leave.
But paused.
Her eyes landed on Aria one last time.
“You should be careful,” she said quietly.
Aria frowned slightly.
“Of what?”
Valentina smiled faintly.
“His world.”
Then she walked away.
Silence followed her exit.
Heavy.
Unsettling.
Aria exhaled slowly, her arms crossing instinctively.
“Who was that?”
Dante didn’t answer immediately.
“Someone from my world.”
“That doesn’t explain anything.”
“It’s enough.”
Her frustration returned instantly.
“Everything with you is ‘enough’ or ‘not necessary.’”
Dante’s gaze shifted to her.
Sharp.
“And everything with you is questioning things you don’t understand.”
Silence.
Again.
Aria held his gaze.
Then—
“Were you with her?”
The question slipped out before she could stop it.
Dante stilled.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
“Does it matter?”
Her chest tightened.
“No.”
A pause.
Then softer—
“It shouldn’t.”
Something changed in his expression.
Barely.
But enough.
Dante stepped closer.
Slow.
Controlled.
“You’re forgetting something,” he said quietly.
Her breath caught.
“What?”
“You’re my wife.”
Her heart skipped.
“It’s a contract.”
“Yes.”
He stepped closer.
Closing the distance between them.
“But it’s still real.”
The words settled heavily between them.
Aria’s chest rose slightly.
Her thoughts tangled.
Confused.
Unsteady.
“And what does that mean?” she asked softly.
Dante’s gaze locked onto hers.
“It means,” he said, his voice low,
“You belong here.”
Her breath caught.
The words shouldn’t affect her.
They shouldn’t mean anything.
But somehow…
They did.
And that was the problem.
Dante stepped back.
The distance returned.
But the tension didn’t.
That stayed.
Lingering.
Unspoken.
Aria stood there long after he walked away.
Her heart still racing.
Her thoughts still spinning.
Because now—
It wasn’t just about danger anymore.
Or survival.
Or the contract.
It was something else.
Something deeper.
More complicated.
More dangerous.
Because now…
There were feelings involved.
And in a world like his—
That might be the most dangerous thing of all.
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