All Chapters of His Dark Desire: The Devil’s Bride : Chapter 1 - Chapter 4

I wasn’t supposed to be home this early.The diner had been dead all afternoon, just two truckers nursing cold coffee and a drunk who kept calling me “sweet cheeks.”My manager shrugged and told me to clock out at six. Fine by me. My feet were killing me, my head was splitting, and all I wanted was to fall face-first into the couch and let Micah rub my shoulders until I forgot how much I hated my life.I climbed the three flights of stairs to our tiny apartment, already tasting the cheap wine we kept in the fridge. I was smiling like an idiot, thinking maybe tonight I’d finally let him go further than second base.Three years of “waiting till marriage” felt less romantic and more stupid every month.The door was cracked open. But I didn’t think anything of it. I pushed it slowly. The living room was dark except for the flicker of the TV nobody was watching. And suddenly — I heard a woman’s high, breathy moan leak down the hallway, followed by the unmistakable wet slap of skin on skin

Bella’s POV The flight back to Venice dragged like a death sentence, but I didn’t sleep. I kept picturing my mother’s arms around me the second we landed. She was the only one who never obeyed Dad’s order to cut me off completely. Secret bank transfers. Burner phones at 2 a.m. just to hear my voice. I needed her now more than ever. The car rolled through the gates, and the mansion rose in front of me like a tomb. Same manicured lawns. Same marble steps. Same silence that swallowed screams. It didn’t feel like home. It felt like a cage I’d voluntarily walked back into. Rafael squeezed my hand as we stepped out. “Breathe, Bella. He’s not going to kill you.” “I gave a short laugh, dry and humourless. “That’s easy for you to say. He didn’t threaten to cut you off and erase your existence.” “You were a kid and you were in love. He was angry. He’s cooled off since then.” I didn’t answer. I just kept staring, unsure whether to run away or march forward. The door c