CHAPTER 1

The grand church was filled with flowers, but for Elian Rossi, it felt like a cage.

He was twenty six years old, and for the last ten years, he had lived in fear. His father, the head of the Rossi family, had made too many enemies. Now, those enemies were at the door. Elian had spent his life trying to be invisible, trying to stay away from the blood and the guns, but today, his luck had run out.

He hid in a small, dark dressing room at the back of the church. His heart was beating so hard it hurt his ribs. He could hear the heavy boots of guards in the hallway. They were looking for him. They wanted to kill him to get back at his father.

The door creaked open. Elian pulled a silk curtain around himself, holding his breath.

"Come out, Elian," a voice said.

The voice was deep. It was smooth like dark chocolate but cold like ice. Elian knew that voice. He had heard it in his dreams for ten years.

He stepped out from behind the curtain. Standing there was Julian Moretti.

Julian was taller now. His shoulders were broad under his expensive black suit. His face was beautiful, but his gray eyes were like stone. Ten years ago, Elian had found Julian bleeding to death in the dirt. He had stayed with him for fourteen hours, hiding him, keeping him warm, and saving his life.

"Julian," Elian whispered.

Julian didn't look happy to see him. He looked like a hunter who had finally caught his prey. He stepped closer, filling the small room with his power. He put one hand on the wall next to Elian’s head.

"You're running, little Rossi," Julian said. He leaned in close. Elian could smell his expensive cologne. "My men are outside. They want to tear you apart because of what your father did to me. Do you remember what your father did, Elian?"

Elian trembled. "I had nothing to do with that. I saved you."

Julian’s eyes flashed with anger. "You saved me so I could be a prisoner for fourteen hours of torture. But you... you always had those soft eyes. Tell me, Elian. Do you still desire me the way you did when we were kids?"

Elian couldn't lie. Even now, even with Julian looking at him with hate, he felt a spark. He had loved the boy in the dirt. "Yes," he breathed.

"Good," Julian smiled, but it was a scary smile. "Then I will save you. I will cancel my wedding to Valentina. I will marry you instead. You will be mine. But don't think this is a fairy tale. You are marrying me so I can keep you under my shoe."

Elian had no choice. It was marriage or death. "I'll do it," he said.

The wedding happened an hour later. It was fast and cold. Julian didn't hold Elian’s hand. He didn't look at him. When it was time for the kiss, Julian grabbed Elian’s neck. His lips were hard. Elian tasted something sweet peach.

Elian’s eyes went wide. He was deathly allergic to peaches. Julian knew this. Elian had told him that secret ten years ago when they were hiding.

"Julian..." Elian gasped as they pulled apart.

Julian watched with a cold face as Elian began to choke. He watched as Elian fell to the floor, his throat closing up. Julian didn't help. He just stood there while the doctors rushed in to save Elian. This was Julian’s first act of revenge.

By nightfall, Elian was back in the Moretti mansion. The doctors had given him medicine to stop the allergy, but his throat was still sore. He sat on the edge of the giant bed in the master bedroom, wearing a silk robe. He was terrified.

The door opened. Julian walked in. He had taken off his jacket. His white shirt was unbuttoned at the top. He looked at Elian with pure disgust.

"Get up," Julian said.

Elian stood up, his legs shaking. "Julian, please. Why are you doing this? I saved you. I loved you."

"I am not gay, Elian," Julian said, walking toward him. "I love Valentina. I want a woman. I want a real life. But I want to hurt your father more. And having his son in my bed, treating him like a toy... that is the best way to break him."

Julian grabbed Elian’s waist and threw him onto the bed. Elian landed hard on the mattress. Before he could move, Julian was on top of him.

Julian didn't kiss him. He didn't say sweet words. He grabbed Elian’s wrists and pinned them above his head.

"You want me, don't you?" Julian hissed. "Let's see how much you want me when I treat you like the trash you are."

Julian was rough. He stripped Elian’s clothes off quickly, not caring if the silk tore. He didn't look at Elian’s face. He looked at Elian like he was an object.

When Julian entered him, it wasn't with love. It was a sharp, sudden pain that made Elian scream. Elian’s eyes filled with tears. He tried to move, to find a way to make it hurt less, but Julian held him down with his heavy weight.

Julian moved inside him with a violent rhythm. He was fast and strong, his muscles tight. Elian felt like he was being broken into pieces. He wanted to close his eyes, but Julian grabbed his chin and forced him to look.

"Look at me," Julian commanded. "Know who is doing this to you. Know that you belong to me now. You are my husband, Elian. My prisoner."

The pain started to turn into a dull ache, and then a strange, confusing heat. Elian’s body was betraying him. Even though Julian was being cruel, Elian’s heart was still reaching out for the boy he used to know. He let out a soft moan, his fingers digging into Julian’s shoulders.

Julian heard the moan and frowned. He moved even harder, his breath coming in loud gasps. He was angry that Elian was feeling anything other than pain. He wanted Elian to suffer.

"Don't make those sounds," Julian growled. "This isn't for you. This is for my revenge."

But Julian couldn't stop himself. He pushed deeper, his body shaking. He was a straight man, he told himself. He hated this. But the way Elian felt around him, the way Elian’s skin was so soft, it was making his blood boil.

With a loud groan, Julian finished. He slumped onto Elian for a second, his heart racing against Elian’s chest. For a moment, it was quiet. It almost felt like they were those two boys again, hiding in the dark.

Then, Julian pushed himself up. He didn't look back. He got off the bed and started putting his clothes back on.

"I'm going to Valentina's room," Julian said, his voice cold again. "Clean yourself up. Don't leave this room. You are stay here until I tell you otherwise."

He walked out and slammed the door.

Elian lay in the dark, his body aching and his heart shattered. He curled into a ball on the cold sheets. He was a husband, but he felt like a ghost. He put his hand on his stomach, not knowing that a tiny life was already starting to form inside him a life that would change everything.

He cried until he fell asleep, dreaming of a boy in the dirt who used to smile at him.