Adriana's POV
There was no desperation.
No hunger.
Only reassurance.
Only love.
His forehead rested against mine, his warm breath fanning across my face.
A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"You still doubt me?"
I couldn't help the tiny smile that escaped me.
"A little."
He raised an eyebrow.
"Only a little?"
"Mhm."
"And here I thought I was convincing."
"You were." I gently poked his chest. "You're just... stubborn."
His deep chuckle vibrated against me.
"I learned from my wife."
"Oh, please." I rolled my eyes dramatically.
"I'm not stubborn."
His silver eyes sparkled with amusement.
"No?"
"No."
"You once argued with me for fifteen minutes because I called the sky blue instead of azure."
Heat rushed to my cheeks.
"...That was different."
"It wasn't."
"It was."
He laughed again.
God...
I loved hearing him laugh.
It reminded me that beneath the feared Don... beneath the ruthless monster the entire mafia world feared...
He was still my Alessio.
Before I could say anything else...
A sharp knock echoed through the room.
Three knocks.
Firm.
Professional.
Alessio's smile disappeared instantly.
"Come in."
One of his guards stepped inside, his posture rigid.
"Boss."
His eyes briefly flickered toward me before returning to Alessio.
"We found something."
Alessio slowly stood.
"What is it?"
The guard swallowed.
"A box."
...
A few minutes later...
I stood beside Alessio inside his office.
The black wooden box rested on the marble table.
Simple.
Elegant.
No name.
No address.
No fingerprints.
"It was left outside the main gate," the guard explained.
"Our cameras didn't capture who placed it."
Alessio's jaw tightened.
"How?"
"We're reviewing every backup recording."
Silence settled over the room.
I glanced at the box.
For some reason...
My chest felt tight.
Alessio reached forward.
His fingers broke the black wax seal without hesitation.
The lid opened.
Inside...
A single white card.
Nothing else.
He picked it up.
The moment his eyes landed on the words...
Something inside him changed.
The warmth vanished.
His entire body became frighteningly still.
"Alessio?"
He didn't answer.
His jaw flexed so hard I thought his teeth would break.
My heartbeat quickened.
"What does it say?"
He silently handed me the card.
My fingers trembled as I took it.
The handwriting was elegant.
Almost beautiful.
Which somehow made it even more terrifying.
"Hide her behind walls..."
"Hide her behind guns..."
"Hide her behind your name..."
"You'll still lose her."
For a second...
I forgot how to breathe.
The room became unbearably silent.
Then—
CRACK!
The deafening sound made me jump.
Alessio's fist had crashed into the marble table.
Again.
Same one that he crashed before.
A web of cracks spread beneath his hand.
Blood immediately dripped from his knuckles onto the polished white floor.
Everyone in the room froze.
No one dared move.
No one...
Except me.
"What the hell are you doing?" I rushed toward him, grabbing his injured hand before he could pull it away.
"You idiot!"
He didn't even glance at the wound.
His eyes remained fixed on the card.
"They threatened you. Again!"
"And punching a table solved that?"
"I don't care about my hand."
"I do."
I pulled him toward one of the chairs.
"Sit."
"Adriana—"
"Sit."
For a brief second...
The feared Don of Italy actually looked like a child being scolded.
Without another word...
He obeyed.
One of the guards quietly placed the first-aid box beside me before stepping back.
I carefully cleaned the blood from his knuckles.
Tiny cuts covered his skin.
"You cracked marble."
My voice trembled between frustration and concern.
"Do you even realize how hard you hit it?"
Silence.
I wrapped the bandage around his hand.
"You scared me."
His expression softened.
"I'm sorry."
"No, you're not."
"...No."
I sighed.
"You're impossible."
His uninjured hand gently cupped my face.
My heart clenched painfully.
I leaned into his touch.
"You don't have to destroy yourself again and again to protect me."
"I do."
"No."
"I promised you."
His thumb brushed away the tears gathering in my eyes.
"I'll keep that promise."
"Even if it costs you?"
"Especially then."
I closed my eyes for a moment.
Sometimes...
Loving Alessio hurt.
Because I knew he meant every single word.
After tying the bandage securely, I looked up at him.
"There."
"It'll heal."
His lips curved into the faintest smile.
"It already feels better."
I narrowed my eyes.
"You're lying."
"I am."
I couldn't stop myself.
I laughed.
A quiet laugh.
One that disappeared almost as quickly as it came.
Because the card was still there.
Watching us.
Waiting.
Alessio slowly stood.
When he turned toward his men...
The warmth vanished.
The Don returned.
"I want every camera within ten kilometers checked."
"Yes, Boss."
"I want every vehicle entering or leaving this area identified."
"Yes, Boss."
"Question every guard."
Every servant.
Every supplier.
Every person who stepped near this estate in the last seventy-two hours."
His voice grew colder with every order.
"I don't care how long it takes."
"I don't care how much it costs."
"I want a name."
The guards straightened immediately.
"We'll find him, Boss."
Alessio looked at the cracked marble table.
Then at the threat card.
His silver eyes held nothing...
Absolutely nothing.
Which somehow frightened me more than his anger.
He picked up the card once again.
Folded it neatly.
Slipped it into the inside pocket of his jacket.
Then spoke in a voice so calm...it sent chills racing down my spine.
"He made one mistake."
The room remained silent.
"He threatened my wife."
Every guard lowered his head.
No one questioned him.
No one dared.
Because everyone knew what those words meant.
Someone...
Somewhere...
Had just signed their own death warrant.
Standing beside Alessio, I slipped my fingers into his.
He looked down at me for a brief moment.
His expression softened again.
Just for me.
Only for me.
I squeezed his hand gently.
"Don't lose yourself because of me."
His gaze never left mine.
"I won't."
A pause.
"I'll make sure they lose themselves first."
A shiver ran down my spine.
Not out of fear.
But because I knew...
The man beside me wasn't just my husband.
He was the most feared Don in Italy.
And whoever had sent that card...
Had just awakened the monster the entire underworld prayed never to face.