All Chapters of Under his protection : Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

DanteI shouldn’t have left her alone, but right now, the rage was too raw. Being around her might cause more harm than good.The first thing I did was have Adriano send Lola to her. She needed comfort, and I couldn’t be the one to give it to her.The basement smelled like iron and sweat when I walked in.Marco stood in the corner, leaning against the wall with a few other men.In the center of the room, the man who caused this sat there bleeding but with a smug look on his face.It wouldn’t be there for long.“If it isn’t the most gracious Don,” his mocking tone filled the air.I smirked but didn’t respond as I moved to the table filled with torture tools.My focus was on making him regret coming after Aria. Men like this would rather die than give information, so I wasn’t going to try.“Don’t you want to know who sent me?” amusement filled his voice.But I didn’t reply. Maybe if he kept talking, he might let something slip.“Don’t you want to know who wants your little wife dead?”I

AriaThe morning of Sofia's wedding was anything but exciting. I felt emotionally drained.I stared at my reflection in the full-length mirror as Isabella adjusted the back of my dress. All the bridesmaids looked perfect in the blue fabric Sofia had picked.Everything was beautiful.The flowers.The dresses.The venue.And Sofia—she looked ethereal.But my mind couldn't seem to shake the thought of Lucia and the fact that she was carrying Dante's baby.My mind kept coming up with crazy scenarios of how things would be. It didn't help that Dante was basically not speaking to me.I hadn't seen him since the night I told him I loved him.No calls.Just occasional short replies.Busy.Working.Later.That was all I got.Even if he decided he didn't want to be with me anymore, he owed it to me to say it to my face.“You are doing it again,” Gemma whispered.“What?”“Overthinking everything.”I sighed deeply.“I can't help it.”“He still hasn't mentioned it?” she asked, referring to Dante.

AriaI woke up to Dante’s arms wrapped around my waist, and a slow smile formed on my lips. I missed this.We must have slept for hours, and a quick glance at the clock confirmed my suspicions. It was past eleven, and we had completely missed breakfast.Dante is never around at this time, and even though I’d love to stay like this for a while longer, Dante probably has other stuff to do.“Hey,” I whispered as I gently tapped Dante.He stirred slightly but didn’t open his eyes.“We need to get up,” I continued, amused at his attempt to pretend like he was asleep.“Shh, it’s the best sleep I’ve had in days,” he replied, holding me tightly.“I’m sure you have something to do.”“No, I don’t.”“Yes, you do.”He groaned but finally loosened his grip.“You are right.” He reached for his phone. “I couldn’t speak to the new Pakhan at the wedding.”“Sofia’s husband?”“Yeah. I should see him this morning. The last thing I need is for the Russians to feel insulted.”Settling his phone back down,

DanteThe doctor kept talking, but I heard none of what he had to say.I should be more concerned with what was going on with my child, but my mind remained fixed on the memory of Aria sitting across from me in the library.After being in this world for as long as I have, not many things frighten me, but the look on her face as I walked out the door with Lucia frightened me.Something about it felt wrong.Aria wasn't angry.She wasn't jealous.She wasn't even upset.And somehow that worried me more."Dante?"The doctor's voice pulled me back.I looked up."She and the baby are fine," he repeated.Lucia sat quietly on the examination bed."The pain was most likely caused by exhaustion and stress. Nothing serious."I nodded."Good."The doctor continued speaking."No unnecessary stress.""Regular checkups.""Plenty of rest."I barely listened.The doctor excused himself for a moment."It would be nice if you paid attention to what was going on, you know," Lucia whispered, clearly pissed

DanteThe vibration of my phone interrupted the discussion Adriano and I were having over the intelligence reports in the conference room in France.I glanced at the screen before immediately answering."Tell me.""I just dropped her off at the mansion," Franco said.I hadn't realized how tense I'd been until the words left his mouth. Since walking away from Aria that morning, my mind had refused to settle. Even while flying to France, all I could think about was the look on her face when I told her I would let her go if that was truly what she wanted."How did she seem?" I asked."There was a lot less crying than I expected," he replied with a chuckle. "Though she barely spoke to me on the drive to the cemetery. I think she's still upset that I told you about her plan. So apparently I'm the villain now."Despite everything, the corner of my mouth lifted."You'll survive. The most important thing is that she's back home.""Yes, Boss. Other than a quick ice cream stop, after the cemete