Adriana

H-how did we even spend that much?” I whispered, receipts scattered across my lap like confetti after a birthday party.

The numbers blurred together, too many zeros stacked up in rows, and I suddenly felt guilty spending so much when they were kids who didn't even know where their next meal would come from.

Ruby threw her head back, laughing in that carefree way only she could. “Girl, you’re acting brand new. Victoria’s Secret lace, silk, thigh highs, garters… not to mention those Louis Vuitton bags and kellys. And don’t forget you spoiled me, too. You’re generous when you’re swiping someone else’s gold card.”

I bit my lip, cheeks heating. “Yeah, I guess,” I mumbled, staring out the tinted window of the cyber truck.

When we pulled up to Ruby’s building, Lorenzo climbed out first, effortlessly lifting her mountain of bags. Marco followed behind, joking under his breath in Italian. I waved Ruby off, hugging her tight, her perfume sticking to me.

“You’ll thank me later, babe,” she called out, blowing a kiss before disappearing inside.

The car ride back felt heavier without her laughter. By the time we reached Matteo’s house, dusk had set in, painting shadows across the gates. The air was thick, humming with something I couldn’t name, something felt off.

Lorenzo and Marco flanked me, carrying my shopping bags; their presence was solid, almost protective. As we crossed the marble steps, I noticed two guards posted at the door, whispering to each other with wide eyes.

“Is there a problem?” Lorenzo growled, his hand flexing near his gun.

“N-no,” they stammered in unison, bowing their heads.

I glanced at him, grateful. He returned the look, calm but sharp.

“You must learn to speak up, Adriana,” Lorenzo said lowly. “You are the Capo’s wife. They should mean nothing to you.”

His words settled heavily on my chest.

Wife.

Capo’s wife.

My title felt like armour I didn’t know how to wear.

I lifted my chin, forcing myself to glide past them, even though my knees trembled.

The house, as always, felt too big. Too opulent. Like if I exhaled wrong, it would collapse around me.

My home, I reminded myself.

Our home.

Then I heard it.

Matteo’s voice. Rough, commanding. Familiar.

And then another voice. Feminine. Sweet. Dripping with something that made bile rise in my throat.

I froze. Marco and Lorenzo froze, too, their bodies going rigid.

“D-did you hear that?” I asked, clutching my arms like they might fall apart.

Marco’s eyes softened with pity. He stepped forward, reaching for me. “Adriana, don’t. Come, you shouldn’t be here.”

“No.” My voice cracked, and I shook my head violently. “No.”

Would he humiliate me like this? Barely two days married? Was I so disposable, so forgettable, that he couldn’t even wait a week before fucking someone else?

My heart twisted, but I held the tears in.

He didn’t deserve them.

Not yet.

I forced my legs up the stairs, each step a tremor through my bones. Their voices grew louder. Arguing? Angry? Or was it my mind trying to soften the blow?

And then I saw.

The door stood wide open, like they wanted me to see.

She was there. The secretary. The one who had ignored me at the gym, looking at him like he was her entire fucking world. And now, in our home, she was naked, shameless.

Every drop of hope I had left that maybe Matteo and I could work, that maybe we could grow into this marriage, died right there.

The room spun.

My chest cracked open.

One of Matteo's guns on the cabinet gleamed, and my feet moved before my mind did.

I grabbed it, my hands trembling, my finger hovering dangerously near the trigger.

The bitch squealed, stumbling back to hide behind Matteo. “Matteo! This woman’s insane!”

Matteo shoved her hard. She staggered, almost toppling. The look on her face wasn’t fear; it was humiliation. Shame.

It almost looked like she had gotten out of her delusions

She clutched her trench coat from the chair, snapping it back over her naked body. Her eyes darted between us, glassy with unshed tears.

“I—I came myself,” she whispered quickly, voice small. “He didn’t call me. He rejected me. We did nothing, I swear by it.”

“Shut the fuck up.” My voice cracked like thunder as I stepped forward, gun raised. My body shook, but I held my ground.

“You were really quiet at the gym when you saw me. Speak again, and I’ll make sure your lips never open.”

“Adriana!” Matteo barked, moving toward me.

“Get back!” I screamed, heart pounding out of my chest. “Step any closer and I swear I’ll shoot your brains out.”

His eyes blazed with a fire that almost made me stop, and he came closer, jaw tight.

The secretary’s tears finally fell.

She looked at me, then at him, and her voice broke.

“Before you slut-shame me and kill me, remember this.

There was a time I thought he loved me. That it was us against the world

Men like him…” Her gaze cut into me like knives. “…they take girls like me, use us, then marry virgin Italian princesses like you. So sue me for being angry. If you were me, you’d be angry too.”

Her words gutted me. Shredded me.

Matteo’s glare darkened, but he said nothing. She grabbed her coat tighter and slipped past, pausing only to throw him one last look of disgust before closing the door behind her.

The silence shattered me.

I dropped the gun with a clatter and crumpled to my knees, sobs breaking loose.

Matteo was there instantly, dropping beside me, wrapping me up. His warmth surrounded me, and I hated how much I needed it. I cried into him, even though he was the one who made me cry.

Then I shoved him back, chest heaving. “Who the fuck is she, Matteo? Tell me now, or I swear it’s over. I don’t care if you own the heavens and the earth, I’ll leave you.”

“Adriana, calm down-”

“Don’t tell me to calm down!” I screamed. “I saw you with her. Naked. In your house.”

“Our house,” he corrected softly.

I laughed bitterly. “You didn’t think of that when she was pressed against you.”

For once, he looked small. A boy being scolded.

“How did she get in?” I demanded.

He hesitated. “She had a passcode.”

My chest burned. “So she’s been here before.”

“Yes. We fucked sometimes. Casual. I told her what it was. I never wanted her beyond that.”

My stomach churned. “She said you loved her.”

“She’s manipulative,” Matteo snapped. “She’ll spin anything to make herself the victim. She only told you that sob story to stop you from shooting her. She knew what we were. She’ll try again, but I won’t let her near you. I never loved her, Adriana. I’ve never loved any of them.”

“Then why did she still have the code?”

He rubbed his jaw, frustration seeping through. “We weren’t meant to marry so quickly. Between the wedding, the kidnapping, I didn’t change it. But it’s gone now. New code. Only yours and mine.”

I shook, exhausted. “If this is all a lie—”

“It’s not,” he cut me off. “You’re the one I want, the one I've always wanted”

His words hit too hard, too fast.

And then he muttered, almost bitterly, “Besides, whatever she thought, she was still fucking Marco.”

My head snapped up. “She slept with Marco?”

His jaw tightened. “She still does.”

The ache in my chest doubled, twisting sharply. My hands shook. “I… I don’t know, Matteo. I don’t know if I can do this.”

He pulled me close, burying his face in my hair, whispering into my skin. “Forgive me.”

I wanted to fight him, scream, push him away. But my body betrayed me. My eyes fluttered closed, exhaustion dragging me under.

He pulled my shirt up, my nipples hardening instantly in the cold. He didn’t comment, but his eyes flicked down, lingering.

I shivered, shame and want colliding.

He slid my shorts down, slow, then lifted me into his arms. My head fell against his chest, torn between hating him and needing him.

He carried me to the bed, laying me down with a tenderness that broke me all over again.

My heart still ached.

And yet… I let him stay with me.