Their Wife

Chapter-12

I lazily tried to stretch my arms, the clinking resonance of chains echoed through the air, piercing the stillness surrounding me. Instantly, the remainder of my unfortunate predicament cast a cloud over my thoughts. Why was I in this terrifying room again? Who brought me here? Yet, as soon as my wits returned to me, the inescapable truth gradually emerged with an unsettling clearness. They tricked me. The realization that they had secretly drugged me surged within, igniting an overwhelming urge to throw up everywhere.

My body was caressed by the softness of silk against my skin. Peering downwards, I found out a stunning short pink silk dress adorning my figure. Its alluring deep v-neck did little to preserve my modesty, as the hem obscenely crept higher, teasingly revealing my thighs. A wave of relief washed over me as I felt the presence of underwear. Thankfully, Killian took out the vibrating egg off me. Yet, despite its absence, the lingering vibrations continued to pulse through the depths of my being, a delicious ache that was impossible to ignore. I detested the way my body had become so entangled in their touch, like a puppet controlled by their every move. I had given them enough power to wield against me.

The unexpected sound of the door opening sent shivers down my spine and an immediate rush of adrenaline through my veins, causing me to stop abruptly, frozen in place. The air around me seemed to grow heavy and charged with an unsettling energy as if a malevolent force had been summoned into the room.

Ralph Romano, a haunting man with an air of malevolence, appeared before me, his piercing green-hazel eyes reflecting a merciless wildness. The intensity of his gaze sent a chill down my spine as if I was facing a creature possessed by darkness itself. Every fibre of my being was struck with a foreboding sense of danger as I lay there, motionless, trapped within the clutches of his presence.

He took a predatory step forward, locking the door behind him. My heart skipped a beat with the 'click' of the door.

My memories immediately wandered to that awful night I accompanied Stefan to that exhibition. The exhibition, for within its walls, more than just paintings were up for bidding - a piece of my soul was also on display.

"Why are you here?" I inquired, defying the tremor in my voice, my chin held high. I despised how my hands trembled, desperately clutching at the chains' edges as if I could shatter them with my sheer willpower.

Ralph's eyes gleamed with hostility, only growing more intense with a twisted delight swirling in their depths. A well of darkness lurking behind his words as he muttered. "To get my bride."

"I'm not your bride." There, steadier now. Maybe I could still salvage this situation, and buy myself a little more time.

He arched his eyebrows. "You are. You were."

A sense of fear and an even more uneasy feeling churn inside of me. At the same time, my breath quickened and my skin tingled with a threatening heat that I only experience in his presence. I was fully aware of his physical stature and strength, the way his sturdy muscles move beneath the gentle fabric of his beige T-shirt, and how his light, khaki pants perfectly accentuate his powerful legs. My chest constricted as I caught a glimpse of the markings on his once-flawless skin before diverting my gaze.

"So this is it? Is marrying me worth the blood you shed for two years?" I asked as evenly as I could.

"No, it's not," he answered, his eyes gleaming sardonically. "I told you, Rara. This is not even close to what I want to do to you."

I clenched my jaw. "You...betrayed me, Ralph." Betrayal that still haunts me.

He scoffed, no remorse or guilt in his eyes as he took another threatening step closer. "I did not. 'You' were too blind to see the truth."

"Yes." As I held back the tears that were filling my eyes, memories of that unforgettable night flooded my mind. With a gulp, I acknowledged the overwhelming emotions flowing through me, unable to contain them any longer. "Indeed, I was blind," I uttered, my words trailing off as a whimper escaped from my lips. "Blind to fall for someone as monstrous as you."

With every step Ralph took, he drew nearer, until he was towering above me. My heart froze, captivated, as he bent down, his lips gently brushing against my ear.

"It doesn't matter now. You're here, where you always belonged." Ralph's cruel whispers danced within me, sending shivers cascading across my entire being. No remorse tainted his spirit, for he relished in splintering my fragile heart, betraying the roots of my love, and exploiting my vulnerability in this twisted game of desire and loss. Or perhaps it was the embrace of his breath caressing my neck, the truth lurking in my soul that there was no escape, and the realization that after two years, the curtain was finally descending on this exhilarating high-stakes feud we had been trapped in.

I understand now that these men were always destined to destroy me.

It was written in the stars on the day we met.

"Stop fighting it," As his warm breath brushed against my ear and his gentle touch released its hold on my wrists, a jolt of clashing feelings flooded through my veins. Curiously enough, it was his whispered words that proved to be the unexpected trigger, delegating me to fight the unrelenting allure that flowed through my being. This insidious desire, with its enticing grip, seemed determined to undermine my will, threatening to weaken my knees and taint my decision.

At this very moment, I couldn't help but reflect on the person I used to be, a young and inexperienced nineteen-year-old, whose bravery often swerved into naivety. Though time had undoubtedly passed since then, a subtle part of that fearless girl still lingered within the depths of my being. It was she who now infused me with a remnant of her temerity, her unwavering spirit that refused to be wholly outweighed by the overwhelming fervour that strived to enmesh me.

I swore to preserve myself, to not let these monsters ruin me more than they had.

I jerked, moving back away from his lingering touch, my hands still bound to the chains. His hands tightened over my wrists as he pulled back to stare at me. "So, that's how you want to play?" His words stirred something unsettling. "You know where that will get you, right?"

"You and your psychotic cousins are going to keep me here forever? Marry me and then fuck me until I can't walk?" I spit out venomously. Only if I hadn't let him manipulate me into believing he was my...my what? A strange pain rippled through me as my subconscious scoffed at me. Right. He was never my anything. Nothing.

His smile was the darkest. "No, topolìno. Well, yes to the last one. As tempting the thought is-we'll need to return to Catalonia-and you will join us when we do, as our wife."

If they brought me back to Spain, my brothers would find me, no matter where they kept me, no matter what Tobias would figure out a way to get me out, away from them, and maybe, just maybe-

With his hand covering my abdomen and the silk beneath, I could still sense his resolute grasp, his palm spanning so wide that his fingertips reached both of my hipbones. "Once you give us a child to replace the one taken by your father," he murmured darkly, his eyes sparkling like green emeralds, "that is when we will return. Only then will you no longer feel the desire to escape?"

Despite feeling the warmth of his breath on my neck, a shiver ran down my spine. However, as I regained my composure, I finally understood the real intention concealed within his words.

Their intention was not only to marry me but consummate the marriage...until I give them a child. Only when our child was born and we connected through blood once again, but also a much stronger bond.

"No," I whispered, staring up at him as tears of despair flood my eyes anew. "No, please, Ralph... don't."

He cupped my jaw, tilting my face higher. "I have to," he said, sounding not so regretful, and pressed his lips to mine, kissing me as tenderly as if he hadn't just blown up my world. Pretending like a merciless puppeteer, he dragged me further into the domains of my darkest fears, smothering the fragile ember of hope that flickered within me.

*****

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