"Three Years of Silence, a Broken Vase, and the Terrifying Secret My Billionaire Husband Was Hiding"

"They know about the marriage," Adrian continued, his voice dark and tight. He reached out, his thumb catching a stray lock of my hair and gently tucking it behind my ear, his knuckles grazing the sensitive skin of my neck. "They think you are my vulnerability. They think that if they put a gun to your head, I will sign over my shipping logistics networks in Eastern Europe."

I stared at him, my mind struggling to process the terrifying reality of his words. "But... but we don't even talk! You don't love me, Adrian. This marriage is just a business transaction! If you tell them that—"

"Do you think monsters care about terms and conditions, Clara?" Adrian interrupted, his eyes burning with a dark, terrifying fire. He grabbed my waist, pulling me a fraction of an inch closer, his grip possessive and iron-strong. "They don't care if we sleep in separate rooms. To the outside world, you carry my last name. You wear my ring. That makes you target number one."

"Then why didn't you send me away?" I gasped, my chest pressing against his firm torso with every rapid breath I took. "You could have sent me to a safehouse in Europe!"

"Because the only place in the world where you are truly safe... is right next to me," he growled softly.

For a long, breathless moment, neither of us moved. The rain lashed furiously against the floor-to-ceiling windows, but inside the penthouse, the silence was absolute. I could feel the heat radiating from his body, the steady, heavy thumping of his heart beneath his dress shirt.

For three years, I had believed Adrian Valentino was made of ice. But touching him now, feeling the raw, protective fury rolling off him in waves, I realized I had been completely wrong. He wasn't ice. He was a sleeping volcano.

"Why now?" I whispered, looking up into his eyes, searching for answers. "Why start acting like a husband tonight?"

Adrian’s jaw tightened. He looked down at my lips, his gaze lingering there for a beat that made my head spin, before he slowly released his grip on my waist.

"Because until tonight, I could keep you safe by keeping you invisible," Adrian said quietly, turning toward his study. "Now that they know who you are, the game has changed. Lock your bedroom door tonight, Clara. Tomorrow, your training begins."

"Training?" I called after him, taking a step forward. "Training for what?"