Chapter 31

Aurora POV

My words echo in the bridal suite like the aftermath of a gunshot.

For a long moment, Dominic doesn’t move or respond… he just stares.

Then his eyes slowly drift down to the papers scattered in front of his feet, at the files and proof of what he’s been planning against his own father. Each page spells out his betrayal and the power he seeks once the man blocking his way is finally eliminated.

When he finally lifts his gaze back to mine, I see it.

The shift.

The Dominic standing in front of me now isn’t the man who touched me like I was something precious to keep, who whispered promises against my skin back in that park when he kissed me under the stars. This version of him is darker. More calculated. The man I’ve only ever seen glimpses of before now with Theo.

I hold my breath, every nerve in my body strung tight. He takes a step toward me… then another. Slow like a predator closing in on the wounded animal struggling to get back on its feet.

My heart pounds so hard against my ribs it’s a miracle it doesn’t echo off the walls. But I don’t move—I don’t run. Because if I do, then I’m already showing him I’m not as convicted as I appear to be. He’ll call my bluff, press that pressure point he knows will be hiding right in front of him and cave all of my plans like the house of cards it is.

I can’t let him.

Not when I’m already this close to losing it all, to losing the people that I love if I don’t do something to stop him. No matter what the consequences are at the end of this, I need to see it through.

If either Gianna or Stefano are hurt because of my cowardice, I’ll never forgive myself.

So I stand tall, chin up and my spine straight.

Dominic stops right in front of me. His expression is unreadable, carved from ice while he stares down at me in a way that nearly has my knees buckling. Then, without warning, he lifts his hand and cups my face.

I flinch just slightly.

The touch isn’t rough. It’s gentle, surprisingly.

“Hm.” His thumb brushes along my cheekbone and when he speaks again, his voice is calmer than I’m expecting. “I have to say… you’ve impressed me, Aurora.”

I blink up at him, confused from the whiplash. “What?”

He leans closer, lips nearly brushing mine. “I didn’t know you had this in you… I seem to have underestimated you.”

His mouth meets mine before I can speak again.

The kiss is rough, devouring—like he’s trying to consume me from the inside out. His hands slide down my sides, grabbing at the silk of my dress to tug me closer to him until our bodies are flush against each other.

“Dominic,” I breathe when he pulls away to rip at the buttons at the back of my dress, freeing me.

I don’t stop him. I can’t. Even with all the fear and anxiety boiling inside me for what’s to come, I still want this—I want him.

I hate that I do, but then… that’s life isn’t it? A confusing mess that never seems to make sense no matter how long you spend trying to untangle all of the threads.

He spins me around when my dress falls to the floor, lifting me out of it and then pushing me back until my chest kisses the wall behind me. My gasp is swallowed by his hand reaching around to cover my mouth.

He moves his other hand between my thighs, spreading them before sliding his fingers up the inside of one of them. When he touches me, it makes me forget for a heartbeat what we were even doing five minutes before this. That I’d just blackmailed him the same way he had me months ago.

When he thrusts two fingers into me, my knees almost buckle. His hand tightens around my face, keeping me upright while he fucks them inside me. I’m wet to the point of it dripping down my thighs, leaving streaks that I doubt I’ll have time to clean before I’m called to walk down the aisle.

But then, that’s exactly what Dominic would want anyway. A reminder of who I actually belong to despite being married off to someone else in a matter of an hour.

The second he slips his fingers out of me, he gives me no time to breathe before the head of his cock presses against my entrance. With one solid thrust, he slams into me. His hand with fingers still wet from my hole grab at my hip and use it to pin me to the wall.

It’s desperate and claiming and utterly unhinged.

There’s no ceremony in how he fucks me. No sweetness at all to any of it. It’s all about showing me who's in control here, a punishment for besting him at his own game.

And I take it.

Because even if I will never admit it to myself out loud, I want to be wanted even if it’s by a man like him.

Especially by a man like him.

His mouth is at my ear now, his voice ragged. “You think this blackmail changes what will happen to you? You think you’re safe from me now?”

All I can do is moan against the hand still covering my mouth. The way he touches me—possessive and hungry—tells me he doesn’t intend on letting me go.

It terrifies me.

Not because I’m scared of him killing me but because I think a part of me doesn’t want to let him go either.

He fucks me until he cums, squishing me against the wall until he empties himself inside me completely. I shake while I try to breathe. My hole clenches tight around nothing when he pulls out, cum dripping down my thighs the same way my own slick had minutes before.

Another reminder. One I hope his father never sees. I have no idea how I’ll explain myself if Leonardo survives long enough tonight to take me back to a hotel room to consummate the marriage.

The second he sees the cum crusted over my skin, he’ll know I’m no longer a virgin and kill me.

Dominic leans against me for a second, hand braced on the wall beside my head as his forehead rests against my bare shoulder.

I almost lean into it, to his touch that’s turned a little tender. That sick part of me craves moments like this where he’s softer than usual. When he shows me a glimpse of himself that I doubt anyone else ever sees. I’m greedy in wanting more but I can’t help it.

He pulls back to adjust himself, fixing his suit until he looks as presentable as he did when he first walked in here. I’m left still shaking against the wall, adrenaline and desire coursing through my veins like a drug that I’m slowly coming down from.

“I agree to your terms,” he says.

Before I can reply, he’s already striding to the door.

“Dominic—” I start.

He just glances over his shoulder, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly. “Enjoy your big day, Aurora.”

I slide down the wall once he leaves, trying to catch my breath.

In reality, I should be relieved.

He agreed. I’m not going to die today nor is my family going to be blamed for whatever happens.

Unfortunately, the nagging voice in the back of my head won’t shut up.

Does this mean Leonardo is still going to die though? If he does… who exactly is Dominic going to point the finger at?

Dominic said he’d agree to my blackmail but that doesn’t mean he won’t find some loophole and twist the narrative where I still lose everyone I care about.

The files are still scattered on the floor over where I left them, all of the evidence I risked everything to gather and use against him in order to keep Gianna and Stefano safe.

Sighing, I straighten up and slowly run a hand through the tangled ends of my hair. I really hope this goes the way that I planned…

A knock at my door comes a few minutes later, sharp and sudden, forcing me off of the floor and quickly grabbing my dress to pull back on before the door swings open. The wedding coordinator blinks at me when she sees me struggling with the buttons on the back of my dress.

If she notices my flushed face, she doesn’t mention it.

Instead, she says, “Miss Caruso, you’re late. The ceremony is about to start.”

I nod, my voice lost to the whirlwind spinning in my chest. Whether I’m ready for it or not, the next chapter of my life is waiting just beyond those doors. I have no idea what it looks like once I’m up on that altar.

All I know is that only that blood will follow. One way or another not all of us will be making it out alive by the end of this.

I just have to hope I’m not one of the unlucky ones who meets an untimely fate.