Todos los capítulos de CRAVING THE WRONG MAN: DANGEROUS DESIRES BOOK 1: Capítulo 171 - Capítulo 179

Alessio's POVI finished the meeting with Santos Worldwide at almost nine. My head was still full of numbers and timelines, but none of it mattered the way it used to. All morning, under every sentence I said, I kept seeing Rhaena’s face from last night. The way she froze when I told her I loved her. The way she held on anyway. The way she kissed my chest after and did not run.She was the most important person in my life. I did not know how I had been surviving without her. I only knew I did not want to go back to that.I pulled out my phone in the hallway and texted her.Are you in yet? Meeting just ended. I want to see you.I stared at the screen longer than I should have. No reply.That was strange. She should have been awake by now. She was never late without saying something. Even on bad days she sent a short message. Traffic. Coffee. Give me ten minutes.I told myself she was in the elevator. Or in the bathroom.I walked to her office and knocked.No answer.I knocked again, th

Rhaena’s POVJake stood over me with that same crooked smile he used to wear when he thought he had already won an argument. The room smelled like dust and old smoke. The chair creaked every time I tried to move. My wrists burned. My head still throbbed where he had hit me. The gag hung loose around my neck now, and the corners of my mouth felt raw.“I’m going to be a really wealthy man soon enough,” he said, arrogant, almost cheerful. He said it like we were talking about a promotion. Like this was a plan that made him smart instead of sick.I stared at him and did not blink.“It’s a pity, Rhaena,” he went on. He walked a slow circle around the chair, close enough that I could smell cheap cologne trying to cover sweat. “We would have been so happy if you had taken me back. I came to your door. I said I was sorry. I told you I was in therapy. That should have been enough.”“It was never enough,” I said. My voice came out rough, but it was steady. “You cheated. You grabbed me. You woul

Alessio's POVI sent the money.A second later an address lit up on my screen. No extra words. No proof she was safe. Just a street I did not know and a pin dropped like a dare.I stared at it and felt something cold move through me.“Why is this so easy?” I said.Callum looked over my shoulder. “Because he wants you there. Or because he is already gone.”“I don’t like it.”“I don’t either. But we go anyway. Sitting here will not bring her back.”We were in the cars within a minute. Callum’s men took the black SUV behind us. Callum and I got into his Ferrari. It was fast. I needed fast. I needed the city to fold in half so I could reach her before whatever ugly thing Jake had planned finished happening.I gave him the address. He did not ask if I was sure. He just drove.My knee bounced the whole way. I kept seeing the video. Rhaena tied to that chair. The gag. The mark on her cheek. Her eyes looking for me through the screen.“Hold on,” I said under my breath. “I am coming. Just hold

Alessio’s POVI don’t know how long I sat outside Rhaena’s room. Time had stopped meaning anything. The hallway lights stayed too bright. People walked past with coffee and clipboards like the world was still normal. My world was behind that door.When the doctor finally came toward me, I was on my feet before he finished saying my name.“How is she?” I asked. “Please. Just tell me.”He stopped in front of me. His face was tired, but not grim, and that was the first thing that let me breathe.“She inhaled a lot of smoke,” he said. “That was the most dangerous part. Her burns are not as severe as they first looked. We treated them. She is sedated right now so her body can rest. She is stable.”Stable.The word hit me so hard I had to put a hand on the wall.“She’s going to be all right?” I asked.“She has a fight ahead of her,” he said. “Smoke in the lungs is no small thing. But yes. She is going to recover. She was lucky someone got her out when they did.”I nodded, because if I tried

Alessio’s POVI shook my head, because the words still did not feel big enough for what was in my chest.“I would not have been able to live without you,” I said. “If you had not come back, I would have followed you. I mean that. I refuse to live in a world where you are gone.”Her weak fingers touched my face.“No, Alessio.”“It is the honest truth,” I said. “I spent years pretending I did not need anyone. Then you happened. I am not going back to that empty life. I refuse to live without you.”“Then stay,” she whispered. “Just stay. That is all I want.”“I am staying.”I kissed her hand again and held it against my cheek. For a few seconds there was no hospital, no fire, no Jake. There was only her voice in that quiet room, telling me she loved me.Then the door burst open.Moirraine came in first, still in travel clothes, her face pale and wet. My father was right behind her. They both stopped for half a second when they saw me so close to the bed, her hand in mine. Then Moirraine