Semua Bab Unholy Matrimony: Bab 171 - Bab 176

EveThe massive king-sized bed in our suite has felt like a minefield for the past eight weeks.Sleeping next to the man you love should be a sanctuary, but navigating the space around him has been an exercise in sheer terror. Every time he shifted in his sleep, the heavy metal of the halo fixator used to clink against the headboard, sending spikes of anxiety straight through my chest. Even with the halo gone and the leg cast replaced by a hinged brace, treating my terrifying husband like I have to measure every touch so he doesn’t fall to pieces in my arms has completely rewired my brain.Physical distance between us is entirely unnatural. It breeds a heavy, suffocating tension that thickens the air in the bedroom until it’s hard to breathe.Tonight, the atmosphere is different.Stepping out of the adjoining master bathroom, the steam from the shower still clinging to my damp skin. A sheer, black robe is tied loosely around my waist, doing absolutely nothing to hide the distinct, fi

EveAnother contraction rips through my lower abdomen, dragging a jagged, white-hot edge across every nerve ending in my body.The pain isn’t a dull, manageable ache. It’s a localized, molten vise clamping down on my spine, twisting with a violent and mechanical cruelty. My fingers lock around the metal bedrail, my knuckles turning bone-white as the urge to completely tear the fixture out of the wall washes over me."Breathe, Eve. You’re doing beautifully."The deep, rumbling voice coming from my left side only serves to pour high-octane fuel onto the absolute inferno of my rage.Snapping my head to the side, my hair plastered to my forehead with sweat, a lethal glare is directed squarely at the man holding my other hand. Dominik sits on a low stool next to the bed. He looks entirely too calm, his blue eyes shining with a mixture of intense focus and infuriating, boundless pride.He’s wearing a simple black long-sleeve t-shirt, the sleeves pushed up to reveal his scarred forearms, l

EveTwo years is a substantial amount of time in the underworld. It is more than enough time for blood to wash away from concrete floors, for terrified whispers to evolve into established legends, and for a new, absolute hierarchy to cement itself directly into the bedrock of New York City.The Grimaldi empire no longer just functions, it thrives with a flawless, terrifying efficiency.Sitting behind the massive mahogany desk in the main study, a stack of digitized ledgers glows brightly on the sleek laptop resting in front of me. The afternoon sunlight streaming through the bulletproof glass catches the heavy diamond band on my left hand as my fingers fly across the keyboard.Every account is perfectly balanced. The routing numbers are secure, shielded behind a labyrinth of encrypted firewalls Vincent custom-built to be entirely impenetrable.We run the city without opposition. The brutal, systematic erasure of the traitors two years ago sent a shockwave through the Commission that