Page 43 of Sinful Bride

The word hangs in the air between us, a challenge. A refusal. A line drawn in the sand.

Fine.

I move around the table before she can react. Before she can run or argue or do anything else, I pick her up and throw her over my shoulder.

"Put me down!" She smacks my back with her fists. "Declan, put me down right now!"

I don't respond. I carry her out of the dining room, up the stairs, and down the hallway to her bedroom. She's still fighting, but I'm stronger, and I'm done playing games.

I set her down inside the bedroom and step back before she can slap me.

"You can't do this," she says, her voice shaking with fury. "You can't just⁠—"

"I can, and I am." I step out, close the door, and lock it from the outside. Her fists pound on the wood, and I can hear her yelling, but I don't turn back. I walk away with my heart pounding, full of the sick certainty that I just crossed a line I can't uncross.

But she crossed one first. And I'm not going to let her destroy what I've built.

When I return to the dining room, the men are silent, watching me. Waiting to see what I'll do or say.

I take my seat. "Eat."

For a moment, no one moves. Then Cormac picks up his fork, and the others follow. The meal continues, but the atmosphere has changed. The easy camaraderie is gone, replaced by tension and unspoken questions.

Finally, Finn speaks. "Boss⁠—"

"Don't." I cut him off. "Just... don't."

"She insulted us," Aidan says, his voice hard. "To our faces. In your house."

"I know."

"You can't let that stand," Seamus adds. "The other families will hear about it. They'll think you're weak. That you can't control your own wife."

"I know."

"Then what are you going to do?" Cormac asks, leaning back. He’s been in this world for years, working for Lachlan before me. He knows better than anyone else, even me, what rules govern it.

I look at him—at all of them, these men who've followed me from the motorcycle club to the mafia, or who have gone from one trusted boss to now working for me instead. They’ve trusted me to lead them, putting their lives in my hands.

These men need to know I'm still in control.

"I'll handle it," I say firmly.

"How?" Padraig asks.

"That's between my wife and me."

"With respect, boss," Liam says carefully, "it's not just between you and your wife. It's between you and the organization. If she's undermining you in private, that's one thing. But if she's doing it in front of us—in front of witnesses—that's different. That's a challenge to your authority."

"I know."

"Then you need to do something about it," Aidan says. "Before it gets worse."

I drain my whiskey and pour another. "I said I'll handle it."

The table goes quiet again. But this time, there's doubt in the silence, like they're wondering if I can handle it. If I'm strong enough. If I'm the right man to lead them.

That doubt is more painful than anything Elena said.