All Chapters of The Auctioned Bride: Chapter 111 - Chapter 120

“Because Valerio was supposed to be mine!” she spat.The words slammed into the room like a storm.For a moment nobody moved. Nobody breathed.It felt like even the walls needed a second to understand what she’d just said.My mouth fell open.Valerio went rigid beside me, like someone had poured ice into his veins.“Martha…” he whispered, stunned. “What are you talking about?”Her whole expression changed.All the gentle smiles, the fake warmth, the soft eyes she always used on me…they vanished.Underneath was something twisted.Something desperate.Something obsessed.“You were supposed to notice me,” she snapped, tears shaking in her voice but anger burning hotter. “Before she came. Before she stole you.”Stole him?My stomach dropped so fast I felt dizzy.“Martha,” Valerio said, voice tight with anger, “Althea didn’t steal anything. I don’t know what you think….”“I served you for ten years!” she screamed.Her voice echoed against the walls, cracking.“Fifteen years! I cleaned you

“You think I'm just going to forget that I just heard that there was a woman before me?”“Althea…” he said softly, taking a step back from me.My chest tightened. “ So really It’s true?” I asked, my voice shaking. “There was someone before me? You… loved someone before me?”He didn’t answer.Something inside me snapped.“I thought I was the only one,” I whispered. “I thought… I thought I was special. I thought you never loved anyone before me. And now I’m hearing it from Martha of all people?”He shut his eyes, jaw tightening. “Althea, please… can we not talk about this right now?”“What?” I took a step toward him. “You think we’re not talking about it? You think you don’t owe me an explanation?”He moved farther away, running a hand through his hair.“You think I don’t deserve to know?” my voice cracked. “I almost died today. I woke up from being dead, Valerio. And now I find out there's this woman who came before me…someone you loved just like you love me.”“That’s not what…”“And w

I smiled before I even realized it.My happiness… It was linked to Valerio.No matter how chaotic the day had been, no matter the poison, the betrayal, the fear swirling in my chest…being with him grounded me in a way nothing else ever could.After washing me up and showering me with so many soft kisses my skin tingled, he lifted me off the bathroom floor with that effortless strength of his and carried me to the bed.He set me down gently, like I was something precious, something fragile, even though he’d spent the last hour proving exactly how not-fragile I could be with him.Then he grabbed a warm cloth, wiped the water from my skin, and massaged oil along my arms, my hips, every curve.“You should rest up, Dolcezza,” he murmured, giving me that wicked wink. “You’ll need your strength for tonight.”Heat shot straight up my neck.I knew exactly what he meant.“Valerio…” I covered my face with both hands, blushing like a teenager. “Maybe you should rest too.”“Me?” He laughed softly,

The morning felt heavy before it even began.My dream still clung to me like smoke…white halls, bright lights, machines humming, a cold voice whispering numbers instead of names. And every time I blinked, I heard it again.“Subject 07… unstable.”It wasn’t normal. It wasn’t a dream. It felt like a memory trying to breathe its way back into me.“Valerio… I need to do the test today.”“Dolcezza,” he murmured, brushing hair from my cheek. “Are you sure? Right now?”“Yes,” I said firmly. “Something is wrong. Or… something is happening. I need to know what.”He didn’t argue. He never argued when I sounded certain like this.He simply cupped my face and kissed my forehead.“Then we go today.”The ride to the hospital was with doubts and uncertainty. Valerio had his hands wrapped around mine as a way of assuring me I wasn't alone.The hospital smelled too clean.Too white.Too bright.I kept rubbing my palms together as Valerio walked beside me, his hand on the small of my back like he was a

Valerio didn’t say a word as he helped me out of the car. His hand hovered near my back, not touching, but close enough that I felt the heat of him. Like he was afraid to hold me… or afraid that if he did, I would break.The front doors opened before we reached them. Two guards bowed instantly, stepping aside. They must have sensed the tension, because their eyes didn’t dare rise to meet mine.Valerio’s pace was slow, careful. Too careful.Inside, the house felt… different.Quiet. Still. Heavy.Maybe it was just me, but it felt like every wall, every shadow, every painting on the hallway watched us pass. Like the house knew something was wrong.Like I was wrong.Valerio finally exhaled, brushing his fingers lightly against the small of my back. “Dolcezza… come. Let’s get you inside.”His voice was soft. Too soft.We walked farther in, and I could sense it… the staff were pretending not to look. Martha’s betrayal had already shaken them, but something in their eyes told me they sensed