Chapter 49 

Shit. 

Dominic. 

My stomach twisted as his grip tightened, pressing me flush against him. 

I swallowed hard, forcing my expression to remain neutral even as panic swirled inside me. 

“I was-” 

“Trying to run?” he interrupted, his voice eerily calm. 

I tensed, trying to think of something–anything–that wouldn’t make this worse. 

His fingers flexed against my hip, his body heat radiating through my thin shirt. “Did you really think I wouldn’t find out?” 

I tilted my chin up, forcing myself to meet his eyes. “You can’t keep me here.” 

His lips curled into something dark. Dangerous. “Can’t I?” 

I clenched my fists. “You don’t own me.” 

Dominic chuckled softly, but there was no humor in it. “That’s where you’re wrong, dolcezza.” 

I ignored the way my stomach twisted at the nickname. 

“I will leave,” I said, my voice firm. 

His grip tightened. “And yet, here you are. In my arms. Exactly where you belong.” 

I scowled. “You’re delusional.” 

He smirked, his thumb tracing slow circles against my hip. “And you’re naive.” 

I struggled against his hold, but he didn’t budge. If anything, his grip only became stronger. 

His free hand came up, tilting my chin so I was looking directly into his stormy gaze. 

“I’ve been patient with you, Aria,” he murmured. “I’ve given you space. I’ve given you time.” 

I swallowed. 

His voice dipped lower, a dangerous edge creeping into it. “But patience is a luxury I no longer have.” 

I stiffened as his lips brushed against my ear. 

“You belong to me,” he whispered. “And I do not share what’s mine.” 

Heat rushed through me, equal parts anger and something else. 

Something dangerous. 

Something I couldn’t afford to feel. 

“I don’t belong to anyone,” I spat. 

Dominic chuckled darkly. “Oh, gattina,” he murmured. “You’re going to regret saying that.” 

And with that, he lifted me into his arms, carrying me back toward the mansion like I was nothing. 

Like I wasn’t even worth fighting against. 

I felt like a broken flower. Gosh, why did he have to be like this? 

His grip on me was firm, unyielding, but there was something else beneath the strength–a frustration that simmered beneath the surface. 

The guards at the entrance stiffened when they saw him. Their gazes darted between Dominic and me, their faces laced with uncertainty. 

Dominic’s jaw clenched. “What the hell were you all doing while she tried to escape?” His voice was sharp, cutting through the silence like a blade. 

The nearest guard hesitated. “We-” 

“I don’t want excuses,” Dominic snapped. “I trusted you to watch her, not let her waltz out of the damn mansion.” 

They looked nervous, shifting uncomfortably under his scrutiny. 

I didn’t like that. 

Successfully unlocked! 

They were just doing their jobs, and I had been careful. Too careful. It wasn’t their fault I had slipped through unnoticed. 

“Dominic, don’t,” I said softly, still held against his chest. “They didn’t do anything wrong.” 

His grip on me didn’t loosen. If anything, it tightened slightly. 

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Chapter:49 

He exhaled sharply, rubbing a hand over his face. “Fine.” 

Then, without warning, he tossed my backpack at one of the guards. 

“Check it,” he ordered. “She doesn’t need it.” 

I frowned. “Dominic- 

He cut me off by adjusting his hold on me, shifting me higher in his arms as if I weighed nothing. 

“Not now, Aria,” he muttered, his voice laced with exhaustion. 

I stilled. 

He was… 

tired. 

Not just physically, but mentally. Emotionally. 

I hadn’t noticed it at first, but now that I was close, I could feel it. 

The tension in his body. The weight in his movements. 

He was holding too much inside. 

I hesitated. “I didn’t know you were coming back early.” 

He didn’t respond. 

Instead, he carried me straight through the mansion, past the grand hallway, up the stairs, until we reached his room. 

The door shut behind us with a quiet click. 

Then, for the first time since he caught me, he finally let me go- 

By dropping me onto his massive bed. 

I bounced slightly, my breath catching as I stared up at him. 

His gaze was dark, intense, but not in the usual way. 

He didn’t look furious. 

He looked… worn down. 

Dominic ran a hand through his hair, exhaling roughly. His broad shoulders tensed as he turned slightly, his fists clenched at his sides. 

I watched him carefully, my pulse still unsteady. 

He was holding something back. 

Something heavy. 

“I want a release,” he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. 

I blinked. 

“What?” 

He let out a low, bitter chuckle. “Not like that.” 

He turned to face me, his expression unreadable. 

“I don’t need a fight,” he said quietly. “I don’t need an argument. I don’t even need control right now. I am not hungry if sex. I just want a release.” 

His gaze flickered, raw emotions showing in those eyes of his. 

“I just need…” His voice trailed off. 

I swallowed. “What do you need, Dominic?” 

His throat bobbed. 

Then, without another word, he sat at the edge of the bed, his back facing me. 

He didn’t say anything else. 

He just sat there. 

Silent. 

Still. 

The exhaustion was radiating off of him now. 

For all his dominance, all his ruthlessness- 

Right now, he looked like a man carrying the weight of the world. 

I hesitated, then slowly pushed myself up. 

2/4 

Chapter 49 

Something inside me whispered to be careful. To hold back. 

But something stronger told me not to ignore this moment. 

Tentatively, I reached out, my fingers brushing against his shoulder. 

He didn’t move. 

I let my hand rest there for a second before sliding it over his back, my touch gentle, hesitant. 

He still didn’t move. 

But when I shifted forward, wrapping my arms around him from behind, his entire body tensed 

I held my breath, waiting for him to pull away, to say something sharp or cruel. 

But he didn’t. 

He exhaled shakily instead. 

And then, slowly- 

His hands came up, gripping my arms where they were wrapped around him. 

He wasn’t pushing me away. 

He was holding on. 

A lump formed in my throat. 

I tightened my hold on him, resting my forehead against the back of his shoulder. 

For a long time, we didn’t speak. 

We just sat there. 

A man with such great power and secrets, a man who had spent so much time killing and hurting- 

Dominic let himself be held. 

It was the most humane thing I had ever seen him do. 

His breathing was slow, controlled, but I could feel the tension in his muscles. The weight pressing down on him. 

Then, in a low voice, he finally spoke. 

“You think I’ll let your disobedience slide, gattina?” 

I swallowed, my arms still around him. “I don’t know.” 

He chuckled dryly. “Of course not. You disobeyed me. You tried to run from me.” 

I closed my eyes, bracing myself. 

“But I’m too tired to punish you right now.” 

A strange relief settled in my chest. 

Not because I feared his punishment. 

But because, for once, I was seeing a side of Dominic De Luca that wasn’t shrouded in rage and control. 

He leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees. 

His fingers threaded through his hair, his exhale slow. 

“I lost ten men today,” he muttered. 

I stiffened. 

He hadn’t been avoiding me these past days. He had been fighting. 

“Mikael set a trap.” His voice was quiet, but I could hear the exhaustion underneath it. “I sent my men in, thinking we had the upper hand.” 

I remained silent, waiting. 

“It was an ambush.” 

I frowned. “How?” 

His jaw tightened. “Someone talked.” 

A chill ran down my spine. 

“Did you find out who?” I asked carefully. 

Dominic didn’t respond immediately. 

Then, with a sigh, he leaned back. 

Chapter 49 

His head tilted slightly, eyes fixed on the ceiling. “They didn’t survive long enough for me to ask.” 

My breath hitched. 

He tilted his head slightly, looking at me over his shoulder. “Does that bother you?” 

Thesitated. 

Did it? 

It should have. 

But it didn’t. 

Not in the way I thought it would. 

Because I knew exactly what kind of world I was living in now. 

One where hesitation got you killed. 

One where trust was more valuable than money–because once it was gone, you were too. 

I shook my head. “No.” 

His lips curled slightly. Not quite a smirk. Not quite a smile. 

Just… something else. 

He let out a breath, rubbing his temples. “It never gets easier.” 

I frowned. “What?” 

“The deaths,” he muttered. “Even when they’re necessary.” 

For the first time, he sounded tired. 

Not just physically. 

But mentally. 

Like he was finally taking into consideration the thought of every choice. It felt as if every life taken, was starting to weigh him down like an anchor to a ship. 

And for once, Dominic De Luca didn’t look invincible. 

He looked human. 

And that made my heart skipped a beat. 

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