I won't. I wasn't going to stay in a marriage built on lies, on betrayal. I had erased every trace of my existence and planned my escape.
The divorce papers were signed. They were scheduled to be delivered in three days. By the time Cassian would find them, I would be gone.
---
I walked through the gates of the Moretti Mansion like a ghost. I moved past the familiar guards who barely acknowledged my presence. I didn’t belong here anymore. I wasn’t Eva Voss anymore.
I walked through the halls of the mansion. It was a place that once felt like home. The grand chandeliers, the paintings, and the security everywhere, everything was built for me. For us.
But now, it felt suffocating.
As I walked past the kitchen, an unmistakable sound grabbed my attention.
I froze.
As much as I knew Cassian should have been at a meeting with the Moretti Mafia family’s council. He had left earlier, and his men had confirmed that. He shouldn’t have been here.
Cautiously, I walked towards the kitchen, and my hands tightened on the doorframe.
In the middle of the kitchen, it was Cassian. The mafia don and the ruthless leader of the Moretti Mafia Family. He was wearing his black tailored suit.
At the sound of my footsteps, he turned his head and stopped his sharp blue eyes onto mine.
For a moment, neither of us moved.
“What are you doing here?”
“Cooking for you!” The words came out of his mouth effortlessly.
I was looking at his forbidden features.
Even the most untouchable Mafia don could be tempted by betrayal. I shook my head at my thoughts.
“What happened?” He raised his left eyebrow as he found me looking at him intensely.
The black apron draped over his shirt clung to his broad frame. Then he wiped his hands with a towel and stepped towards me with confidence.
The next moment he leaned down, and planted a kiss on my forehead.
His strong woodsy scent was spiced with the faint trace of cigar smoke. It hit me first. But there was something else tonight. Something light and floral. Not mine. My chest tightened, my gaze darkened.
“Late night, tesoro?” His deep voice was smooth. It almost disarmed me. “I told Enzo to bring you home. Did he not show? Or did you decide to take a midnight stroll again?”
Before I could answer, he sat down in front of me and slipped off my shoes with deliberate care.
His hands stilled as they touched my icy toes, and a flicker of something passed across his face. Without hesitation, he cupped them in his palms, and his warmth engulfed me.
Even though he was a Mafia boss, he still did those things for me. Earlier I used to feel special as there was a spark and sense of safety. But now, it felt like nothing.
“I needed some air,” I replied coldly. “The neighborhood’s quiet at this hour.”
“Quiet? Maybe.” He slipped on my slippers with a softness that contradicted the cruelty I knew he was capable of. “But safe? That’s another story. Don’t test my patience, Eva. You know it's not safe.”
Without any argument, I nodded absently and calculated his further movements from a distance.
“Guess what I got you this time,” he said, standing up. There was a playful smirk plastered at the corner of his lips. Now, it just felt like a mask.
I said, without looking away. “Another piece of your empire.”
A dark laughter left his lips.“Smart woman. That’s exactly why you’re mine.” The next moment, he rubbed his thumb over my cheek.
“A luxury jewellery store. Exclusive, high-end. They’ve got designs that scream Eva Voss.”
“That’s admirable,” I said, walking past him into the living room.
His grin widened and was predatory now. “Admiration doesn’t even begin to cover it. You’ve got the world at your feet, Eva. And I’ll make sure it stays that way.”
“Speaking of surprises,” I said, my tone playful, though my chest heavy with restrained anger.
“I have something for you, too. You’ll get it in three days. Don’t forget.”
The moment those words came out of my mouth, Cassian knitted his eyebrows together. There was a genuine curiosity that flickered across his face.
“A gift? From you?”
