Chapter 1

Three years of marriage. We fought constantly, and we fucked like our lives depended on it. I thought that was just our thing. Until he told me his heart had belonged to someone else all along.

"Is that all you've got?"

I gasped for air, sweat slicking my back as the man beneath me gave one last, final thrust. Dante’s hands dug into my hips, hard enough to leave bruises.

This was us. Even in bed, it was a battle.

A low chuckle vibrated through his chest. He pushed deeper, his lips brushing against my ear. "You always talk a big game, Elara—but your body never lies."

I bit my lip, refusing to let a moan escape. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

But Dante knew my body like the back of his hand. He knew every sensitive spot.

He trailed soft kisses along my neck, a stark contrast to the brutal, perfect rhythm of his hips slamming into me.

Until we both shattered.

I couldn't stop myself from digging my nails into his broad, powerful back.

"Satisfied, Elara?" Dante pulled away and slipped on his shirt. As usual, he grabbed a damp towel to clean me up.

It was the only time he was ever tender.

I forced the blush from my cheeks and shot him a defiant smirk. "Barely. You were adequate."

His movements paused. A dangerous glint flashed in his eyes.

"Guess I'll have to try harder next time."

"I'm going to the underground auction tonight," I said, getting up to dress. I made my voice sound casual, bored. "There's something I have to get."

"What is it?"

"My mother's brooch." My voice trembled slightly, but I hid it. "The diamond one."

It was the last thing she left me. Lost three years ago during a family clash, and it had finally resurfaced on the black market.

Dante fastened his cufflinks, his tone indifferent. "If you don't win it, I'll buy you something else to make up for it."

My heart skipped a beat. A warmth spread through my chest.

Was that… concern?

Maybe. Maybe he wasn't completely heartless.

The auction was held in an abandoned factory on the outskirts of the city. Dim lights cut through the gloom, illuminating the faces of the city's most dangerous players. Dressed in a black gown, I sat in a corner, waiting.

"Next up, a 19th-century diamond brooch. Bidding starts at five hundred thousand."

The auctioneer's voice echoed. My palms started to sweat.

"Six hundred thousand!"

"Seven hundred!"

"One million!"

I raised my paddle. "One and a half million," I said, my voice clear.

The room fell silent. That price was far beyond the brooch's actual worth.

I thought it was mine.

Then I saw him. Dante. And next to him stood a delicate-looking girl.

She sighed. “Oh my god, that brooch is beautiful. I wonder who will be lucky enough to own it. Someone like me, with my background… I could never be worthy of something like that.”

She looked down, the picture of heartbroken innocence.

I saw Dante’s eyes flick to me.

There was no surprise in his gaze, just a cold, calculating calm.

"Two million," he said, raising his hand. His voice was low and powerful.

My blood ran cold.

"Dante, what are you doing?" I shot to my feet, my voice shaking.

He ignored me and raised his paddle again. "Three million."

No one else dared to bid against the heir to the Moretti family.

I gritted my teeth. "Four million."

Dante didn’t even look at me. "Five million."

"Sold!"

The auctioneer’s gavel fell like a hammer blow to my heart.

I watched, paralyzed, as Dante walked on stage and took the brooch. The pink diamond glittered under the lights. It had been my mother's favorite.

Then, he turned and pinned it to her chest.

His voice was softer than I'd ever heard it. "If you want it, who would dare say you're not worthy?"

The girl, Ava, beamed. "Dante, you're so good to me."

She glanced at me, and I saw the triumph in her eyes. "But... isn't this Miss Elara's mother's brooch...?"

Dante finally looked at me. "Ava loves it. Be generous and let her have it. I'll compensate you with anything else you want."

Compensate me?

As if money could replace my mother's memory.

This cold man couldn't be the same one who had held me in his arms an hour ago.

I forced the words through clenched teeth. "I don't want anything else. I want my mother's brooch."

Dante's expression turned to ice. He spoke the words that plunged me into hell.

"Don't forget what this marriage is, Elara. It's a deal. Nothing more. Ava is different. She's the one I'll spend my life protecting."

I trembled. “Spend your life protecting… What do you mean?”

“I love Ava. She's the one I truly want to marry… Elara, don’t look so heartbroken. We never had feelings for each other, did we? I'll still play the part of a good husband, as long as you don't interfere with me and Ava.”