All Chapters of Sold To The Dying Mafia King: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Elara POV I felt it before I heard anything.Not the sound of engines.Not footsteps.Not voices.The house shifted.It was subtle, the kind of change you only notice when you’ve lived somewhere long enough to know its breathing. Guards straightened. Radios murmured once, then went quiet. Somewhere far below, a door closed with intention.I pressed my palm against my stomach.Something was different.I stood slowly from the chair by the window, heart picking up speed for no clear reason. The afternoon sun poured through the glass, warm against my skin, but a chill slid down my spine anyway.Then I heard it.The low hum of engines outside.Not one car.Several.My breath caught.He was home.I hadn’t known when he’d return. Luca hadn’t said. No one had said anything. The house had kept the secret until the last possible second.I didn’t move.I stayed where I was, frozen between relief and fear, listening as doors opened downstairs. Voices spoke quiet, respectful. Shoes crossed marble

Elara POVElara woke before dawn, heart already racing, as if it had been running all night without her permission. The house felt different. Not quieter. Heavier. Like the walls knew something she didn’t and were waiting for her to catch up.She stayed still, one hand resting over her stomach, breathing slow. Two days. Dante had been back for two days, and Alicia had not left his side.Elara slid out of bed and dressed quickly, choosing soft clothes that hid her changing body. She avoided mirrors now. They reminded her of things she wasn’t ready to claim. She moved through the hallway carefully, listening.Voices drifted from the study.Alicia’s voice was low, intimate. Too intimate.“I’ll bring your medication myself,” Alicia said. “You shouldn’t be moving yet.”“I’m fine,” Dante replied. His tone was calm, controlled, but weaker than before. “You don’t need to hover.”Elara stopped. Her chest tightened. She hated herself for listening, but she couldn’t move.“You almost died,” Alic

Elara POVI woke up to the sound of breathing that wasn’t mine.Deep. Controlled. Close.For a moment, I thought I was dreaming. The room felt soft, wrapped in warmth and quiet. Then I shifted slightly, and pain rippled through my body like a warning bell. My throat burned. My head throbbed. My stomach rolled.I opened my eyes.Dante was sitting beside the bed.Not standing guard. Not looming. Sitting.His jacket was gone. His sleeves were rolled up. One hand rested on the edge of the mattress, close enough that if I moved my fingers just a little, I would touch him.I froze.He noticed instantly.“You’re awake,” he said.His voice was low. Careful. Like he didn’t want to scare me back into unconsciousness.I swallowed. “How long…?”“Long enough,” he replied. “Don’t talk too much.”I nodded faintly. My mouth felt dry.He reached for the glass of water on the table, held it to my lips. I hesitated, then drank. My hands shook, so he steadied the glass without comment.The silence betwee

**Alicia POV**I’ve been patient long enough.Three months of watching that girl grow rounder. Three months of watching Dante look at her like she’s something precious instead of what she really is a womb he bought.Three months of being sidelined in my own life.No more.I sit across from Viktor Volkov in a café I would never normally be caught dead in. Cheap coffee. Plastic chairs. The kind of place where people don’t ask questions.Perfect.Viktor smiles at me like a shark that smelled blood. “Miss Chen. I wasn’t sure you’d actually come.”“I’m here.” I keep my voice steady. Professional. “Do we have a deal or not?”He leans back, studying me. “You understand what you’re asking me to do.”“I understand perfectly.” I meet his eyes. “I will give you the security codes. The rotation schedule. Dante’s medical appointments for the next two weeks.” I pause. “You give me what I want.”“The girl.”“Gone,” I correct. “I don’t care how. I don’t care where. Just gone.”Viktor’s smile widens.

Elara POVI didn’t sleep.How could I?Every time I closed my eyes, I saw guns. Blood. The cold look in Dante’s eyes when he said “What needs to be done?”Dawn broke through my window like an accusation.I was sitting on the edge of my bed, hand pressed to my stomach, when I heard the door open.Dante.Still in last night’s clothes. Blood on his sleeve. Eyes hollow.“You’re supposed to knock,” I said quietly.“I own the door.”“You don’t own me.”His jaw tightened. “No. I don’t.”Silence stretched between us like a wire pulled too tight.“Is she dead?” I asked.“No.”“Then where”“Gone. New identity. New life. She won’t come back.”I should’ve felt relief.Instead, I felt cold.“Just like that,” I whispered. “You erased her.”“I protected you.”“By becoming the thing I’m terrified of?”His eyes flashed. “I’ve always been this, Elara. You just didn’t want to see it.”I stood, anger flaring hot in my chest. “Don’t do that. Don’t act like I’m naive for wanting you to be *better*.”“Bette