I stand, move to her. "I promised you I wouldn't kill him. I keep my promises."
"Even when he's actively trying to destroy you?"
"Even then." I cup her face. "Because you love him. And I?—"
I stop. Can't say it.
Not now. Not like this.
"You what?" She's looking at me with those dark eyes, waiting.
"I care about you. More than I should. More than is strategic." I kiss her forehead. "So I won't kill your brother. But this changes things, Sera. We're going to have to deal with this. Figure out what to do."
She nods slowly. "Okay."
"Okay?"
"I choose you." The words are quiet but firm. "My brother made his choice. He's trying to protect me by destroying you. But he doesn't get to make that decision for me." She touches my chest. "I choose you, Adrian. Whatever that means. Whatever comes next."
The words should make me feel victorious.
Instead, they terrify me.
Because now I have something to lose.
Now she's not just a chess piece or a strategic asset or even just my wife.
She's Sera.
And I'm in love with her.
And her brother is actively trying to destroy me.
"We'll figure it out," I say, pulling her close. "Together."
"Together," she repeats.
But as I hold her, I can't shake the feeling that everything we built today—the shopping, the softness, the game that became real—is about to come crashing down.
Because Gabriel isn't just a problem.
He's a bomb waiting to explode.
And when he does, I don't know if what Sera and I have will survive it.
CHAPTER 27
Sera
I'm folding baby clothes, marveling over the tininess of the feet on the onesies when Adrian walks in. I smile at him, expecting him to say something light or sexy or even snarky.
Instead, he looks at me with a grimness I haven't seen in weeks.
"What's wrong?" I ask, pressing a hand to my stomach. I've started doing that as a grounding technique, and right now, with the way that Adrian is looking at me—like someone died—I need it.
"We need to talk."
"About?"
