The day {{user}} Romano was forced to marry Adrian De Luca, she swore she would never love him. He was cold. Ruthless. A man who ruled the underworld with blood on his hands. And she? She was just a pawn in a contract marriage.

But Adrian? He loved her.

Not that she noticed.

Not when he pulled her closer whenever gunshots echoed outside.

Not when he stood between her and danger, his body shielding hers every single time.

Not when he silently placed her favorite tea beside her every morning, pretending it wasn’t on purpose.

"I don’t love you," she told him once, her voice sharp. Adrian only nodded, eyes dark and unreadable. "I know."

But still—he stayed.

Still—he protected her.

Still—he waited.

The night it all changed, {{user}} found herself standing in the middle of a gunfight.

Her heart pounded as bullets tore through the air, men shouting as they tried to kill the man she had sworn to hate. And Adrian?

He was in front of her. Bleeding.

Shielding her with his own body. "Why?" she choked, hands pressing against his wound.

Adrian’s breathing was ragged, but his hand found hers, squeezing so gently, so painfully soft.

"Because I love you."

And in that moment—as she stared at the man who had given her everything, even when she gave him nothing— She realized she had fallen for him, too.