Adriana's pov
For a few seconds, neither of us moved.
I could hear his heartbeat beneath my palm.
Steady.
Alive.
Mine to protect just as much as he had decided I was his to protect.
I lifted my eyes to his.
"Together?" I whispered.
His fingers tightened around mine.
"Always."
The word settled somewhere deep inside me.
Always.
It was dangerous to believe in a word like that in our world.
People disappeared. Alliances broke. Blood was spilled over a single mistake.
And yet, when Alessio said it, I wanted to believe him.
I leaned my forehead against his.
"Then don't you dare leave me behind again."
His jaw tightened.
"I won't."
"You said that before."
"I know."
"And you still did it."
His eyes softened for a moment.
"I was trying to keep you safe."
"And I was trying to keep you alive."
A faint smile touched his lips.
"You're impossible."
"So are you."
"I know."
I smiled despite myself.
His thumb brushed slowly across my knuckles.
Then—
Three sharp knocks echoed through the room.
We both froze.
The warmth between us vanished instantly.
Alessio's expression changed.
The softness disappeared from his eyes, replaced by the coldness I knew too well.
The Don was back.
He released my hand and stood.
"Stay here."
I immediately frowned.
"No."
"Adriana."
"I said no."
His eyes narrowed.
"This isn't a discussion."
"And I'm not one of your soldiers."
He stared at me.
I stared back.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then the corner of his mouth lifted.
"You really enjoy arguing with me."
"Maybe because you're always wrong."
A quiet chuckle escaped him.
But before he could answer, another knock sounded.
This time, harder.
Alessio's smile vanished.
He walked toward the door, his hand slipping beneath his jacket.
I followed.
He glanced over his shoulder.
"Behind me."
I rolled my eyes but obeyed.
The door opened.
One of his guards stood outside.
His face was pale.
"Boss."
Alessio's gaze hardened.
"What happened?"
The guard swallowed.
"We found something."
"Where?"
"In the north wing."
Alessio's expression became unreadable.
"What?"
The guard looked at me.
Then back at Alessio.
"A message."
Something cold crawled down my spine.
Alessio noticed.
He stepped slightly in front of me.
"What kind of message?"
The guard hesitated.
"It has her name on it."
Silence.
My stomach dropped.
Alessio's fingers curled into fists.
"Bring it."
The guard handed him a small black envelope.
There was no name written on the front.
Only one thing.
My initials.
A.D.
Alessio stared at it for several seconds.
Then he looked at me.
"Don't touch it."
"I wasn't planning to."
He opened it carefully.
Inside was a single sheet of paper.
His eyes moved across the words.
And then—
His face changed.
Not fear.
Alessio De Luca didn't scare easily.
But anger?
That was something else.
"What does it say?" I asked.
He didn't answer.
"Alessio."
He folded the paper slowly.
"Nothing."
I stepped closer.
"You're lying."
His eyes met mine.
For once, he didn't argue.
He simply handed me the paper.
I unfolded it.
My breath caught.
"You can hide her.
You can surround her with guards.
You can put the entire De Luca empire between her and us.
But you can't protect her forever."
At the bottom was one final sentence.
"We know where she sleeps."
My fingers went cold.
I looked up.
Alessio was already watching me.
His expression was terrifyingly calm.
"Alessio…"
He took the paper from my hand.
"It's over."
"What?"
"The game."
He crumpled the message in his fist.
I swallowed.
" They are targeting my wife. "
His eyes locked onto mine.
"They threatened my wife."
The words sent a strange warmth through the fear inside me.
Wife.
Even now.
Even with danger standing at our door.
That word still affected me.
Something in his voice made me realize he wasn't simply angry. He was terrified—not for himself, but for me. Alessio had always carried danger like it belonged to him, but seeing that fear beneath his controlled expression made my chest ache.
I reached for his hand and laced our fingers together.
"I'm here," I whispered.
His gaze dropped to our joined hands before returning to my face.
"I know," he murmured. "That's the only reason I'm still standing here instead of burning this entire city down."
A small smile tugged at my lips.
"Then don't burn anything down."
His expression softened.
"No promises."
He stepped closer.
He cupped my face with both hands.
"Listen to me."
I nodded.
"No matter what happens tonight, you stay beside me."
"I'm not going anywhere."
"If they come for you—"
"They'll have to come through me first."
His brows pulled together.
"You're supposed to let me protect you."
"And you're supposed to let me protect you too."
He stared at me.
Then his forehead rested against mine.
A quiet breath left him.
"You're going to be the death of me."
I smiled faintly.
"Then we'll face that together too."
His eyes softened.
For one brief moment, the world disappeared again.
There was no war.
No enemies.
No blood.
Just him and I.
Together.
Then his phone rang.
Alessio looked at the screen.
His expression immediately darkened.
"Who is it?" I asked.
He answered.
"Speak."
Silence.
His eyes slowly lifted toward mine.
My smile disappeared.
"What happened?"
He ended the call.
"They found the person who delivered the message."
"And?"
His jaw clenched.
"He's dead."
The room seemed to grow colder.
"How?"
Alessio's gaze turned toward the windows.
"He wasn't killed by my enemies."
My heart stopped for a beat.
"Then who?"
He looked back at me.
"We don't know."
A chill ran through me.
Because suddenly, the message didn't feel like a threat anymore.
It felt like a warning.
Someone wasn't trying to get inside our world.
Someone was already there.
Watching.
Waiting.
And whoever they were…
They had just declared war on both of us.
Alessio reached for my hand.
I intertwined my fingers with his.
Neither of us said anything.
We didn't need to.
Whatever came next—
We would face it together.