Seven Years as His Queen, Three Days to Leave

Domenico went rigid.

A flash of disbelief crossed his eyes, and his brow furrowed deeper than before.

Olimpia froze too. She even forgot to keep crying.

I pulled out a handkerchief, wiped the wine from my hands, then crouched down.

I picked up the shards of glass from the floor one by one, bare-handed, and dropped them into the trash bin nearby.

When I was done, I stood and looked at Domenico.

"My clothes are stained. I'm going upstairs to change."

I turned and walked toward the second floor, my spine perfectly straight.

His gaze stayed glued to my back the entire way.

Back in the bedroom, I shut the door.

I leaned against it and closed my eyes.

Seven years of devotion. Today, that chapter was finally over.

The phone on the nightstand lit up.

An encrypted message from Russo Valente.

"Giuliana, the flight route has been approved. The Valente Family's security detail will arrive in the Capital in three days. Whatever the Corrados owe you, I'll make them pay back tenfold. A hundredfold."

I stared at the message. My eyes burned with heat.

My fingers drifted to the bare space on my right ring finger where the Matriarch's ring had sat for years. The skin there was smooth, lighter than the rest. I pressed it once and let my hand fall.

The bedroom door swung open without warning.

Domenico strode in on those long legs, his sharp gaze locking onto the phone in my hand. Two of his soldiers stood in the hallway behind him, eyes forward, pretending they hadn't followed him up.

He crossed the room in three steps and snatched it away.

The screen went dark at that exact moment.

He didn't try to unlock it. He tossed it onto the soft carpet like it was nothing.

Then he reached out and gripped my chin, forcing my face up toward his.

"Downstairs just now. Why didn't you put up a fight?" His tone was probing, almost suspicious.

I met his eyes. My voice was flat, without a single ripple of emotion.

"You've always said my temper is too much. That I should learn to be more generous. I gave her the ring and the necklace. Isn't that exactly what you wanted?"

Something complicated flickered through his gaze. His thumb moved against the signet ring on his right hand, a slow half-rotation, then stopped.

He released my chin, wrapped both arms around my waist, and pulled me against his chest.

He smelled of faint tobacco and Olimpia's perfume.

The two scents tangled together, and my stomach turned.

Domenico lowered his head, his lips brushing the shell of my ear.

"Giuliana, I know today was hard on you. Olimpia's older sister was crippled saving my life years ago. I owe a blood debt. It falls on me to take care of Olimpia."

"As long as you behave yourself and stay in line, there will always be a place for you in the Corrado family. You'll still be the woman who's been by my side the longest."

He was making me a promise. Delivered from on high, like charity tossed to a beggar.

He actually expected me to be grateful.

A frantic knock came from outside the door.

Olimpia's delicate voice drifted through the wood.

"Domenico, my chest hurts all of a sudden. Can you come be with me?"

His arms dropped from my waist instantly.

Not a second of hesitation. He turned to leave.

At the doorway, he paused and looked back.

"There's a family gala tomorrow night. I'm bringing Olimpia. She just got back to the country and doesn't have a proper gown." His eyes swept over me, utterly matter-of-fact. "That Starlight couture piece in your closet. Have the housekeeper take it to Olimpia tomorrow so it can be altered to fit her."

I stared at him in disbelief.

That Starlight gown. Five years ago, when he first claimed me as his woman before the entire Corrado inner circle, he had flown in a top French designer to create it for me, tailored to every measurement of my body.

Nine hundred and ninety-nine crystals, hand-set along the hem.

I had treated that dress like a treasure. I wouldn't even let the housekeepers touch it.

Once, a new maid had snuck it out to try on. The moment I found out, I had her dismissed and sent packing from the Capital entirely.

Domenico had praised me for it at the time. He said what was mine was mine, and no one else had the right to lay a finger on it.