Chapter Three
1333 Words
POV: Saraphina
The applause faded, replaced by the clinking of glasses, murmurs of congratulations.
People laughed, whispered, toasted our union like it was the triumph of love instead of the fake bargain it truly was.
I smiled when expected, nodded at strangers, let my hand rest lightly against Kai Russo’s arm like a dutiful bride. But inside? Inside, my blood burned.
Every time his hand brushed mine, my skin tensed.
I saw him standing looking in the mirror for minutes. His eyes contained something I'd never seen.
It was fear. He looked scared of something in the mirror, his hands gripped mine like his life depended on it.
I knew I shouldn't be worried, but his eyes carried a trace of timidness.
I jerked him suddenly, bringing him back to reality.
I hated him for what he had done, and the letter…I'll keep it and when I get to know the sender, I'll get all the information I need.
When the last of the guests drifted out, their perfume and cigars trailing behind them, silence swallowed the room.
My shoulders sagged beneath the weight of it. For the first time all day, I could breathe without strange eyes eating me up.
And then I felt him.
Kai’s hand pressed against my lower back, it was firm and possessive, reminding me of my new reality.
My breath caught. Every nerve in my body went rigid. I forced myself not to flinch, not to give him the satisfaction of knowing his touch sent a new signal to my body.
He didn’t speak. Just leaned close enough that his cologne, patchouli and oud wrapped around me.
Then, just as quickly, he stepped away, striding toward the adjoining door of the suite.
The door clicked shut behind him. The sound echoed through me like a warning bell.
It was our wedding night.
My pulse rose at the thought. Not because I was naive. Not because I didn’t understand what wedding nights were meant for.
But because Kai Russo was not the kind of man who believed in tenderness. He was a man who loved control.
A man whose power dripped from every word, every movement, every silence.
And I… I had tied myself to him willingly.
My father’s voice thundered in my skull, memory overlapping the hush of the empty room.
“The arrest is coming, Saraphina. They’ve discovered too much.” His voice was filled with fear.
A bitter laugh scraped up my throat. But then another thought, darker and crueler, sliced through me.
What if my father hadn’t merely been arrested? What if his death isn't ordinary?
What if Kai Russo had been the one to strike the final blow…quietly and efficiently, with the kind of merciless plans only a man like him could carry out?
The suspicion clawed at me, sharp and relentless. Kai had a motive.
He had the power. And the timing… It was too perfect.
The news of my father being arrested got released the moment I turned his proposal down.
I rose from the red chair and began pacing the room.
My dress rustled around me, the lace and silk dragged against the marble floors, heavy as chains, to me at least.
The chandelier above cast fractured light across the mirrors lining the walls, and in each reflection, I saw myself…pale, stiff, a porcelain doll painted in fury.
I didn’t know if Kai had killed my father. But I knew one thing. He had destroyed him. Whether by ink or blood, it was the same.
He wanted the Lorenzo businesses.
And if he thought I would quietly play the role of his conquered bride, he was wrong.
My gaze drifted toward the sideboard, where silver glinted faintly in the low light.
A knife.
The thought slid into me like venom. I moved slowly, deliberately, my breath shallow.
My fingers closed around the handle, cool steel biting into my palm.
It was absurd, reckless, maybe even suicidal. But at that moment, I didn’t care.
I wasn’t going to be his pawn. I wasn’t going to let him use me.
The door creaked louder than it should have.
My grip tightened around the knife until my knuckles blanched.
He stepped into the room, bare-chested, a towel slung low around his waist.
I gulped hard, merely looking at his well-sculpted body.
Water still clung to his skin, sliding down the hard planes of his shoulders, dripping into dark hair plastered onto his temples. He looked… effortless.
Unshaken. Like he hadn’t just claimed an empire and a bride in the same breath.
His gaze swept the room, sharp as a blade, and landed on me.
For a second, I thought he saw through me, into me, as if he could already taste the defiance thick on my tongue.
I stood very still, the knife hidden in the folds of my dress.
My breath trembled, but I forced my chin high, the way I always did when cornered.
“You’re quiet,” Kai said, his voice low, edged with that infuriating calm–"I expected questions...or tears.”
My nails bit into my palm. He wanted to see me weak. Instead, I offered silence.
Kai took a step closer. The marble floor barely carried the sound of his movements, but I felt the weight of each one in my chest.
Without warning, I moved.
The knife arced upward, flashing in the golden light. My breath roared in my ears, a scream trapped in silence. For one, wild second, I thought I had him.
But Kai was faster.
His hand shot out like iron around my wrist.
The blade halted inches from his chest, quivering against the sheer force of his grip.
My body strained, fury giving me strength, but it was useless. He was unmovable, carved from stone.
“Really, Amore?” His voice was soft, mocking.
His eyes burned with something dangerous. Amusement, yes, but also something darker. “On our wedding night?”
“Let me go!” The words tore from me, raw, desperate.
His lips curved, infuriatingly calm, even as he twisted my wrist. The knife clattered to the floor, useless.
I stumbled, chest heaving, but before I could wrench free, his other hand closed around my waist, yanking me against him.
Heat seared through the thin barrier of silk between us. My body stiffened, instinct screaming to pull away.
But he held me in place, gaze locked on mine with unnerving intensity.
“You think I killed him, don’t you?” he murmured.
My breath froze.
His mouth brushed dangerously close to my ear, his words a dark caress. “Your father.”
I refused to answer, though my silence betrayed me.
For a moment, I thought he would laugh, mock me, and punish me. But instead, he kissed me.
The world cracked.
His mouth was fired against mine, claiming, consuming, unraveling every defense I’d built.
My knees buckled, treacherously weak, as if my body no longer belonged to me.
His hand slid up my back, anchoring me, while his lips pressed harder, demanding surrender.
I hated him. I hated that I felt this. That heat flooded me, that my pulse stuttered in a reckless rhythm.
I should have fought harder, clawed, screamed. But my body betrayed me, leaning into him, lips parting against my will.
When he finally pulled back, my chest heaved like I’d run a marathon. My vision swam, dizzy and furious.
His thumb brushed my jaw, slow and deliberate, as though savoring my confusion. “You’ll learn something, Saraphina,” he whispered. “Desire can be as dangerous as hate.”
I shoved him, finally breaking free, though the effort left me shaking.
I staggered back until the edge of the velvet chaise caught me.
My fingers clutched the armrest, desperate for something solid. My lips still burned, traitorous reminders of what had just happened.
How dare he? How dare my body betray me like this?
But my body ached for his touch….my body wanted more.
- Writer
