I hold my breath, my eyes glued to his.
“I have to come clean about something,” he admits.
My stomach tightens into a tight ball.
Please don’t tell me you want an annulment. Not now. It will break me. I can handle being tortured but not losing you.
“I wasn’t drunk.”
Huh?
What is he talking about?
“On your birthday, when we got married,” he explains. “I knew exactly what I was doing.”
The air wooshes from me, causing a sharp ache in my chest.
I’m not sure what it means.
Luca’s fingers caress my cheek. “I’ve always wanted you, Mariya. You were drunk, and I did nothing to stop you. I took advantage of the situation.”
Luca married me because he wanted to?
My mind tells me I should be angry, but my heart refuses to tolerate the emotion.
His features soften with such tenderness, it soothes the blow of the news. The intensity of his attention focused only on me wraps me in a hopeful bubble.
My heart stutters.
My breaths stall.
“I love you so fucking much, and when you came up with the idea that we should get married, I grabbed it with both hands.”
Holy shit.
It takes a moment for the words to sink in, then I burst out in tears as intense relief hits.
Carefully, Luca wraps his arms around me, holding me so gently as if he’s scared I might break. “There was a moment I thought you wouldn’t make it. My biggest regret was not telling you how I felt about you. Especially because I knew you loved me. I tried to show you how much you meant to me, but too late, I realized I never said the words.” He kisses my temple, then the heat of his breath warms my ear. “Ti amo tanto.”
I recognize the words from when he said them to me during sex.
Luca.
I lift my left arm and grab hold of his side as I try to breathe through the magnitude of this moment.
I never thought it would happen. I hoped but never believed.
“So I’m not letting another day pass without you knowing there is no one more important than you,” he continues. “Everything I have, everything I am, is yours, Mariya.”
All I can do is cling to him as the words I never thought I’d hear settle deep in my heart.
Thank you, God.
Thank you for not letting me die before I could hear these words from Luca.
“Bastard,” I whimper. “I thought you hated me.”
“I love you.”
I slap his side, sobbing, “You should’ve told me sooner.”
“I love you.”
Happiness bursts in my chest, and I sob like a baby in his arms. Finally, free to say the words I’ve kept secret for so long, I cry, “I love you… so much… it hurts.”
Luca peppers the side of my face with kisses and bathes me in his love.
Chapter 28
Luca
I’m gentle with Mariya as I lean her back against the pillows. Framing her face, I stare deep into her eyes as my thumbs brush the tears away. “You’re my every breath. Every fucking beat of my heart is for you.”
The relief on her face fills me with regret for not telling her sooner how I felt.
I’ll never make that mistake again. From now on, there will be no secrets between us.
Mariya composes herself, then scowls at me. “If I weren’t lying in a hospital bed, I’d kick your ass.”
A grin forms around my mouth. “You can beat me up once you’re better.”
She slaps my shoulder lightly. Shaking her head, she lets out a soft chuckle. “We’re such dumbasses.”
“I’m not going to disagree.”
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” she asks, her gaze filled with her love for me.
The line between us has been erased, and I can’t express how good it feels to be honest with her.
“I wanted to build my empire so I could give you the world.”
Her eyebrows draw together. “I only ever wanted you.”
“I didn’t know,” I admit. “You were damn good at letting me think you were indifferent toward me.”
“You’re one to talk,” she mutters. “You always made me feel like I wasn’t worth your time.”
I shake my head. “I’m sorry, amore mio.”
“What does that mean?”
“My love.”
A smile warms her face. “I have to learn the language.”
“We’ll have plenty of time while you recover.”
We’re wrapped in an intimate bubble, and I’m so fucking thankful I got the chance to tell her how I feel.
“No more secrets,” I whisper as I lean closer.
“Okay.”
I press my mouth to hers, and when she lets me in, I kiss her with everything I feel for her. I give her every emotion I’ve experienced the past week.
The fear I had when she was taken, the gutting heartache because she got hurt, and the absolute relief of coming clean with her.
I adore her with my tongue, my lips, my teeth, the kiss deep and filled with the intensity of our love.
“Parents in the room,” Uncle Alexei mutters.