Married to a Lie

Chapter 6: A Wolf in the Shadows

The rain started as a whisper—a mere mist on the windows of the villa—before intensifying into a beat that drenched the world outside. In her own home, the fires in Lily's fireplace spat like war embers, devouring shadows up the stone walls as she stood on the chill marble, her feet bare, staring at the photograph someone had dared to send her.

She tracked the red marking that disfigured her twins' ultrasound with a trembling hand. The crosshairs. The threat. The implicit threat from someone who knew too much.

Her babies were now open knowledge.

There was a storm in the making—and she was its center.

She did not even blink as Lorenzo walked into the room behind her. He'd dressed in the hours since their own brief, hot confrontation. But his eyes still clung to her like they had before: a mix of hunger, protection, and something wildly close to reverence.

He noticed the picture in her hand immediately.

"When did it arrive?"

"Ten minutes ago." She was calm in tone, but her body was shaking with anger. "I think someone left it under my door when I was sleeping."

He took hold of the envelope, teeth gritted as he scanned the picture. "This was no shadowing. This was a threat."

No. She stared at him. "It was a declaration."

Lorenzo's brow was furrowed. "You think they want the children?"

"I think they want to control them."

There was heavy silence in the air.

"They're Romano heirs," she replied icily. "Born of deception, but billions. If the news spreads that I'm carrying them, this won't end with surveillance drones and menacing letters."

"I'll double security," Lorenzo said, already moving toward the console near the door. "Nobody gets in without bleeding first."

But Lily did not move. Her hand hovered in mid-air, her mind thinking further than ever before.

She could not trust anyone—not even Lorenzo, despite having felt so wonderful inside of her hours before. Despite the way his hands had calmed her rage.

This was not lust now. This was war.

And in war, pleasure was a weakness.

"Organize something," she said, walking away. "I'm going to see the fellow who sold me this island tomorrow."

Lorenzo blinked. "What for?"

"Because islands don't stay isolated forever."

The next day, Lily came out in a silk ivory dress that clung to each curve of her figure, her pregnant belly accentuated by a jeweled belt at her waist. She was breathtaking—goddess and executioner in the same instant. Her heels tapped against the stone pavement as she came out onto the landing pad where the helicopter was waiting, blades already slicing through the sweltering air.

Lorenzo helped her in, his hand lingering a fraction too long on her thigh.

"Don't you want to go by yourself?" he asked, voice husky over the noise.

"I want them to understand they are working with me," she said.

No more fleeing. No more hiding. Whoever wanted to come for her kids would have to do so staring her straight in the eyes.

The helicopter took off, leaving behind the sparkling waves and her temporary refuge. They flew over thick forests and shimmering beaches until before long the private villa of Dom Valentino came into view.

He was a slippery guy—ex-mafioso turned real estate mogul. And this island used to serve as a haven for arms deals and blood contracts. Now, it was hers.

But at what expense?

By the time she arrived, Dom was already there, holding a glass of whiskey and a half-smile that fell short of reaching the eyes.

"Miss Romano," he declared, kissing her knuckles. "You wear power more gracefully than most men I've put into the ground."

She didn't smile. "And you sell secrets better than most politicians I've destroyed."

His smile increased. "To the point. I like that."

They passed through the villa—expensive, gold-accented, but concealing the smell of blood within the paneling. She only hesitated when she saw the photograph in his study: him, Noah… and Ryan Romano.

She spun around. "You knew my husband."

"I know both your husbands," Dom replied, stirring his drink. "But I didn't know you were carrying their dynasty's future in your belly."

She didn't blink. "I didn't tell anybody."

"No, you didn't." His smile faltered. "But secrets tend to travel, especially when there's money involved. And there's a new player here. Someone tired of the Romano brothers getting everything."

"Who?" she asked, voice like steel.

Dom sat, the leg of one shoe draped over the other. "Her name is Camille Liao. Your sister-in-law's cousin. She thinks that if you disappear, the twins will be born into her care—and she'll inherit part of the Romano empire."

Lily's blood turned cold.

"Is she the one who took the photograph?"

"Probably. And she's not on her own."

Lily strode to the window, doing the math in her mind. The stakes were now changed. This was no longer about betrayal or heartbreak. This was about legacy. Heritage. Empire.

And she was the crown.

"You're going to need people, Lily," Dom said, pouring her a drink. "And I'm going to need bargaining power. Do you want to save those babies? You're going to have to do better than stay hidden. You're going to have to fight."

She stood before him, glass still full.

"I'm not afraid of blood."

He smiled. "Then welcome to the family."

At the villa, there was no rain anymore, but there was tension in the air. Lorenzo stood at the helipad, arms folded, shirt pulled up past the elbows, swollen veins. He was hardly keeping his relief at her arrival under wraps.

"How was it?" he asked, gazing at her face.

"I now have a name," she told him. "Camille Liao."

Lorenzo's face clouded. "She has ties to half the East Asian crime syndicate."

"I don't care," snapped Lily. "She wants what's mine, and she expects that I will roll over and play fair."

She walked by him into the villa, already pulling out her earrings, stripping power away like armor. She needed to think. To breathe.

But he followed her.

"Lily."

She turned.

His eyes burned with something raw. Something dangerous.

"You slept with me so you'd forget," he told her. "Distract yourself. I granted you."

She didn't respond.

"But I'm not going to be another man in your shadow," he growled, stalking towards her. "You need a bodyguard? You have one. Do you need a man who'll lay down his life for you? I already did. But if you want me in your bed again, it won't be because you're broken. It'll be because you want me."

Lily's breath was stuck in her throat. The air between them ignited.

"I don't need saving."

"I'm not here to save you," he growled, voice raw. "I'm here to stand with you. Or bury the ones who try to hurt you."

His hand slid up her thigh, warm and rough. Her body responded at once, hips bending toward him, mouth opening.

But as he kissed her, she whispered, "Then prove it."

Their lips crashed.

This time, it wasn't anger. It wasn't revenge.

It was power. Desire. Two warriors lost themselves in the only weapon they had left: each other.

And outside in the darkness, a new drone hung. Waiting. Watching.

Because the subsequent hit was not from within.

It came from the sea