The word still doesn't feel real.
"Your mother is staring at us," I murmur against her ear.
Vittoria laughs softly. "She's been staring since we walked in. I don't think she believed the photography story."
"She definitely didn't believe it."
Aria Sartori had been waiting at the entrance when we arrived, arms crossed, eyes narrowed.Where have you two been? The photographer finished an hour ago.
Vittoria had smiled sweetly.We arranged a private session, Mamma. For intimate shots.
The look Aria gave us could have frozen vodka.
"She knows exactly what we were doing," Vittoria says now, her cheeks flushing.
"Good." I pull her closer, eliminating the proper distance between us. "Let her know her daughter is thoroughly loved."
The word slips out before I can stop it.
Loved.
Vittoria's eyes snap to mine. Something shifts in her expression. Softens.
"Dmitri..."
"I love you."
The words hang between us. Raw. Unguarded. Everything I've been holding back since the moment I saw her at that gala, since she ran from me and made me chase her, since she chose me despite every reason not to.
"I know I'm not supposed to say it like this." My voice is rough. "In the middle of a crowded ballroom. With your entire family watching. But I can't wait another second."
Her hand tightens on my shoulder.
"I've killed men without blinking. I've built empires on blood and fear. I've done things that would make most people run screaming." I guide her through a turn, never breaking eye contact. "But you? You terrify me more than any of it."
"I terrify you?"
"You have no idea." I pull her impossibly closer. "Because before you, I didn't care if I lived or died. I had duty. Responsibility. A legacy to protect. But I didn't have a reason to want tomorrow."
The music swells around us. Other couples drift past, but they might as well be ghosts.
"Then you walked into that gala in your dress, and you looked at me like I was just another monster in a room full of monsters. And when I kissed your hand, you ran." A smile tugs at my lips. "You ran from me, solnyshko. Do you know how many women have thrown themselves at me? At my money? My power? My name?"
"Hundreds, I'm sure," she says dryly.
"Thousands." I'm not bragging. It's simply fact. "But you ran. And in that moment, something broke inside me. Or maybe it finally fixed itself. I'm still not sure which."
Her eyes are glistening now. She blinks rapidly, trying to hold back tears.
"I spent a month watching you through security cameras like some obsessed stalker. I manipulated your family. I eliminated your other suitors. I did terrible things to get close to you." My thumb traces circles on her lower back. "And I would do all of it again. Every single moment. Because it led me here."
"Dmitri..."
"I'm not finished."
She closes her mouth. Waits.
"You asked me once what you would get from marrying a monster." I lean down until my forehead touches hers. "Here's your answer. You get a man who will burn the world to ash if anyone threatens you. You get someone who will never lie to you, even when the truth is ugly. You get a partner who sees your brilliance and wants to stand beside it, not diminish it."
