The Don Thought I'd Stay

Chapter 1

At four forty in the morning, Damian returned to the manor.

He rebandaged my palm himself, then looked at my bare ring finger. "Where's the ring?"

"I took it off while washing my hands."

He picked up the wedding ring and slid it back onto my finger, his thumb lingering on the band for a moment.

He's always been like this. When my blood sugar drops, he has the kitchen keep hot soup ready around the clock. After I've been in surgery for over ten hours, he has the driver wait at the hospital. If anyone in the family disrespects my profession, he'll shut them down on the spot.

So for three years, I had convinced myself that he just didn't know how to say "I love you."

I looked at the ring on my hand. "Why is Sofia staying in our private safe house? The one only we know the code to?"

"Someone's been following her. Her father took a bullet for my brother. He entrusted her to the Morettis on his deathbed."

"There are seventeen safe houses in Yorkshore. Why that one?"

He said nothing.

I pressed on. "And the black onyx? Isn't standard protection enough?"

"She needs the highest level of protection right now."

"Does she also need all of Yorkshore to speculate that she's your woman?"

Damian frowned. "Elena, I haven't slept with her."

"I didn't ask that."

I made myself clear. "You can protect her. But don't let her into our private residence again. Don't let her use anything that belongs to our marriage. And don't make me bear the gossip that comes with your obligations."

Damian held my gaze for a long moment. Then he took my hand. "Fine. The safe house won't happen again."

I didn't push him to take back the amulet.

Marriage isn't an interrogation. I was willing to give three years of history the benefit of an explanation. And I wanted to see whether the boundaries he promised me were worth believing in.