All Chapters of The Bride He Bought : Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

𝘼𝙇𝙀𝙍𝘼 “Julian?” His eyes widen, then he laughs under his breath. “Alera. I can’t believe this. I honestly never thought I’d run into you again.” “Neither did I.” My voice sounds strange to my own ears. “Wow… six years.” “Six and change,” he says, shaking his head. “Last time I saw you… you bolted. Remember that?” Heat creeps into my cheeks. “Yeah. I panicked.” “You always did,” he teases. “One second you’d be right there, the next, gone.” I smile despite myself, recalling a memory he's referring to. “I was nineteen. Everything felt bigger than me back then.” “You’re still the same, though. Just… steadier.” He studies me like he’s taking inventory. “You look good, Alera. Better than good.” “You too. Older, obviously, but good. Almost didn't recognize you with the mustache.” He grins rubbing his face hair. “Thank you.” For a beat, we just look at each other, and then the words tumble out of me. “So… you and Mauve?” “Married,” he confirms. “Crazy, right? I di

𝘿𝘼𝙉𝙏𝙀Alera’s voice cuts through the car’s silence.“I know the media will take what happened and run with it,” she says cautiously. “So I want to apologize ahead of time. But you need to know the truth. The man out there, he’s an ex. I dated him six years ago. He’s married now. To Mauve, a friend I made at the club. I only found out tonight, and I couldn’t exactly escape talking to him. That’s all it was.”Her words are steady, but her hands twist in her lap. She looks at me like she’s bracing for impact.It doesn’t calm me.If anything, it makes the fury claw harder at my chest.I’d followed her out earlier. I saw her slip onto the terrace. And then I saw him. Blond, tall, with that easy smile. He walked straight up to her, like he belonged there. Like he had every right to her attention.And she gave it.They had comfortably talked like old friends. I watched her face soften in ways it never does with me. And when she hugged him, when her arms went around him and she leaned in

𝘼𝙇𝙀𝙍𝘼 “When did I ever make you grovel?” Dante’s voice comes through. His tone is so calm, so deceptively calm, it makes my skin prickle. “You’re making a mountain out of nothing. I went to Milan. I didn’t force you to come with me this time. What’s the issue?” I gwak at him, completely stunned, but I manage to keep my anger in check. “You keep acting like this isn’t my life too. Even if this marriage isn’t real, you still owe me the courtesy of letting me know what’s going on. We've discussed this, why are we back at this same issue again Dante? I'm tired of being treated like some...employee.” His eyes narrow, and the corner of his mouth tilts in something that’s not quite a smile. “But you are.” The words slice through me. I stare at him, trying to catch my breath. “Excuse me?” “You heard me,” he says flatly, taking a step further into the office. “This is a contract, Alera and you signed it. Don’t twist it into something it isn’t. Since you think it’s perfectly fi

𝘼𝙇𝙀𝙍𝘼 As the sky grows darker, I toss and turn but the sheets tangle around my legs like restraints. My skin is too hot, it's like I’m burning from the inside out. Worse, sleep won’t come. Every time I close my eyes, I see him, I feel his lips on mine, his hand gripping my jaw, the way he pressed me into the wall, how it felt to grind my wetness against him. I kick the blankets down, dragging in shallow breaths. But it doesn’t help. The heat only grows, spreading low and sharp until I’m trembling. I squeeze my thighs together. It’s pathetic, this ache, this pulsing need I can’t get rid of. My hand slips down my body before I can stop it, feeling shame. I try to ease it, by giving myself the relief my body is aching for. My fingers press, circle and stroke but it’s useless. He's ruined me. Nothing compares to him. Nothing compares to the fire he lit in me with just a kiss. Every brush of my fingers feels like I’m chasing an echo instead of the real thing. A frustrated

𝘼𝙇𝙀𝙍𝘼 Breathing, thinking, they all feel like useless activities at the moment. I'm like an animal, only reacting based on pure instinct as Dante's fingers dangerously rub on my clit. Along the way, his mouth roughly slams into mine. His hungry kisses steal the last thread of control I thought I had. The taste of him, a mix of mint and whiskey and the heat of his lips molding over mine, it overwhelms me. My wrists strain in his grip and I ache to touch, trace the hard lines of his body and prove he’s real. But he doesn’t allow it. He keeps me pinned, forcing me to take everything he gives without giving anything back. And I do. I take it because I can’t stop myself. His tongue tangles with mine in a way that makes my legs weak even though I’m already lying down. His weight presses me into the mattress, every inch of him unyielding, a reminder that I couldn’t escape even if I wanted to. A shiver races through me, part fear, mostly need, and I hate that he makes me feel both at