All Chapters of The Billionaire’s Captive Bride: Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

The morning passed slowly.Leo had disappeared into meetings — or whatever dangerous things men like him did before noon.Which gave me space.Time.A little too much of both.Marcello found me in the garden — or maybe I found him.He was checking something on his phone, seated near the shaded table with a glass of something dark and probably too strong for morning. He looked up and gave a short, lazy nod when I approached.“Didn’t expect you out here,” he said.“Didn’t expect you to be either.”He smirked slightly. “Touché.”I hesitated. Then sat across from him, fingers fidgeting with the edge of the tablecloth.“I wanted to ask you something.”Marcello raised a brow. “Dangerous start.”I huffed a laugh, then sobered. “About Leo.”That got his attention.The smirk faded. He set the glass down carefully.“What about him?”I paused. “What kind of person is he… really?”He studied me. Too long. Too carefully.“Why are you asking me that?”“I just—” I looked down. “He’s hard to read. On

“You’re not eating, Lena,” she said, her voice gentle as usual.I forced a smile, pushing a piece of toast across my plate. “Not hungry.” My mind was elsewhere, tangled in Leo—his tight jaw, his distant eyes.Mrs. Thornton leaned against the counter, wiping her hands on her apron. “You’ve noticed it too, haven’t you? Mr. Castelli’s wound up tighter than a drum. Barely sleeps, always pacing, snapping at the men.”I nodded, my fingers tightening on the mug. “He’s… off. Like he’s waiting for something to snap.” I saw him again in my mind, his eyes dark with a storm I couldn’t read. “Do you know what’s going on?”She sighed, her eyes softening but guarded. “He doesn’t tell me everything, Lena. But I’ve seen him like this before—when the stakes are high, when someone’s pushing against him. He’s got a lot on his plate, always has. Running this… business isn’t just meetings and orders. It’s keeping the wolves at bay.”“The Ghost Clan?”Mrs. Thornton’s hands paused, her lips thinning. “You’ve

I woke up choking on stale air.The ceiling above me was cracked, wires hung like spider legs, and there was a heavy, bitter scent of mold and rust. My body felt heavy…and odd. My arms wouldn’t move. My legs were stiff. I looked down—Ropes.Thick, coarse ropes bound my wrists and ankles, digging into the skin. A broken cot beneath me, barely stable. My heart punched against my ribs.No, no… not again… Leo?“Leo?” My voice cracked as I called out weakly, my throat dry. “Is this you? Please—please, not again.”—“Hello?” My voice trembled. “Please—someone?”Had I pushed too far this time? Done something that made him snap again?A sound scraped across the cracked floor.The rusted door creaked open, and two men walked in.Bounty Hunters?Their steps were slow, calculated, their faces twisted with sickening satisfaction. One was bald with a nasty scar that went down his left cheek. The other wore a silver chain and a leather jacket too clean for a place this filthy.“Well,” Scar said, hi

LENA'S POVI blinked at the ceiling.Familiar.Wrong.Warm sheets. Dimmed lights. A faint floral scent clinging to the pillow.Leo’s mansion.My body felt stiff but not sore. Just… heavy. Like I’d been filled with cement and left to set.No sharp pain. No dull aches.Nothing.Not even a tickle where the burns should’ve been. I touched my neck, my arm. Smooth bandages. Warm skin. Numb nerves.So I’d survived that too. The electrocution. The chaos. All of it.Once again.But the worst part wasn’t what happened. It was where I woke up.Here.Again.There were bandages on my arms, carefully wrapped. Someone had changed me—my gown wasn’t the one from earlier. This was new. Soft. Clean.My fingers brushed over my collarbone. The bandage was expertly done.The door creaked open. I turned toward it, expecting a nurse or maybe one of Leo’s ever-present guards.But it was Mrs. Thornton.She carried a tray and a warm smile, but I could see the exhaustion in her eyes.“Good morning, darling,” she

The gown pooled at my feet in a soft rustle.I stood still, arms lightly crossed over my stomach, feeling the cold air kiss my bare skin. It wasn’t that I was completely naked, but I felt more exposed than I ever had in my life. My back was bare. And I could feel the weight of Leo’s stare as it settled on me.He hadn’t spoken since he unzipped the dress. Since his fingers paused mid-motion and the tension in the room shifted. Since he saw them.The scars.Not just on my back, but curling over my waist, slashing over my shoulder blade, tucked under my ribs like dark vines.A silence pulsed in the air between us. It stretched long and loud."What is this?" he finally said.His voice was raw, low, bordering on something feral."Who did this to you?"I turned slightly, instinctively reaching for the hem of the dress to pull it back up, but it was too late. It was all already on display.He stepped closer."Lena."I flinched."Talk to me."My throat tightened. Nothing coherent came out. On