Todos los capítulos de The Auctioned Bride: Capítulo 161 - Capítulo 170

Althea’s pov.I didn’t expect peace to feel this quiet.Not the fragile kind that comes after crying, or the numb stillness after chaos but something slower, warmer. Something that made mornings feel less sharp. Damien moved around the house like he belonged with me again, not hovering, not apologizing with every breath. Actually yes but Just… there. Present. Careful. Trying.And I let him.I let him brush past me in the hallway and linger a second too long.I let him hold my hand without asking what it meant.I let myself imagine a version of life where I stopped running.Where I stopped hurting.“Come with me,” he said that afternoon, eyes bright in a way I hadn’t seen in years. “There’s somewhere I want to take you.”I didn’t ask where. I already knew it would matter.The place was quiet…too quiet to be accidental. An old estate garden tucked behind wrought iron gates, ivy climbing the stone walls like secrets. White roses everywhere. My chest tightened when I realized why he chose

Althea’s PovI stood in front of the mirror in my wedding dress, the material whispering against my skin as I breathed in slowly, steadily. This was the third time I wore white, the third time I tried to convince myself that this time…this time, it would hold.A smile tugged at my lips, full and cautious.Something always went wrong.Yet here I was again, about to walk toward a man I once loved, then hated, then used… and somehow, somewhere in between, almost forgave. Or maybe I only forgave the version of him that loved me the way I wanted to be loved.The knock came, soft.“It’s time,” the attendant said gently.I nodded and stepped forward.The hall was full. Too full.Crystal lights glowed overhead, guests turning in their seats as I entered. A quietness fell, and expectant. At the altar, Damien stood waiting, and when he saw me, his breath caught.He looked at me like I was a miracle he didn’t deserve.His eyes softened, filled with awe and something dangerously close to devotio

Valerio’s PovThey took her.They took her right out of my hands like she was nothing…like she wasn’t the axis my world had been spinning around for years.The hall was still ringing with screams when I finally pushed myself off the marble floor. Blood slicked my palm where I’d tried to brace myself. My arm burned where the bullet had torn through it, but the pain barely registered. All I could see was the place where Althea had been standing moments ago. The empty space where she had been.Gone.A roar tore out of my chest, raw and animal, tearing through the chaos.“ALTHEA!”My men were shouting. Guests were scattering. Someone was crying ... .Elara, I thought dimly but her voice blended into the noise, into the mess, into the void Althea had left behind.I staggered forward, vision fading, breath coming too fast. Marco caught me by the shoulder before I could chase ghosts.“Don!” he barked. “You’ve been shot…”“I DON’T FUCKING CARE!” I shoved him off, spinning back toward the exit.

Valerio’s PovThe room smelled like smoke and blood.I hadn’t moved from the window in hours. The mansion glowed below me, cruel in its beauty, indifferent to the fact that the woman I loved had been taken apart somewhere in the dark like a broken thing.Marco burst in without knocking.I turned before he spoke. I felt it in my bones.“We found her,” he said, breathless. “Venice. An offshore facility. Old glassworks repurposed. Heavy security.”The world snapped back into focus.“Get the men,” I said, already reaching for my coat.“Don…” Marco stepped forward. “If we do this, there’s no going back. You’ve already burned bridges by leaking the Shadow files. This…this will be war.”I turned on him, fury raw and unfiltered.“They took her,” I roared. “They strapped her down like an animal. They put needles in her veins. They erased her life and dared to call it a project.”Marco swallowed.“Find the fastest route,” I continued, voice low now, lethal. “Anyone who stands between me and Alt

Althea’s PovThe wind nearly threw me off my feet.I didn’t stop running until the ground fell away in front of me…until the world ended in stone and open air and the sea roared far below like it was waiting to swallow everything I was. I moved to a halt at the cliff’s edge, chest heaving, lungs burning, fingers numb from cold and panic.“Stop!” Valerio’s voice tore through the wind behind me. “Althea…please.”I turned so fast my vision swam.“Don’t come any closer,” I shouted, tears stinging my eyes. “Just…just leave me alone.”He slowed, hands raised slightly, like I was a frightened animal who might bolt again. His clothes were torn, darkened with soot and blood. His breathing was rough. Uneven.“I won’t touch you,” he said hoarsely. “I swear. I just…don’t run. Not like this.”“You should’ve let me go back there,” I snapped. “You should’ve left me with them.”“No,” he said immediately. Too fast. Too sure. “Never.”I laughed, a broken sound that tore out of my chest. “You don’t get