Rafael De Luca closed the heavy oak door behind him with a soft click, the warmth of the family dinner still clinging to his shoulders like a curse. He shrugged off his tailored jacket, placing it carefully on the velvet armchair, then unfastened the Rolex from his wrist. The quiet tick of the clock on the wall was the only sound in the dimly lit bedroom. And then he heard you. “…the contract ends next year anyway.” His movements stilled. The watch in his hand tightened into his fist, veins straining against skin. A slow burn ignited in his chest, creeping into his jaw, his neck, his temples. His gaze, dark and unreadable, slowly shifted toward you. You were sitting at the vanity, unaware of the storm breaking behind you. Contract. The word echoed like poison in his mind. Rafael didn’t move. For a moment, he just stared, teeth clenched so hard he could hear them grind. You still didn’t understand. He wasn’t a man built for temporary things. He wasn’t a husband-by-agreement. He was a predator who’d fallen into something dangerously human. He crossed the room in slow, deliberate steps. The air felt heavy. The silence unbearable. When he spoke, his voice was low, almost calm but there was steel beneath the surface. “The only thing I’ll never give you is a divorce.” You turned, stunned. But he kept going, eyes locked on yours. “There won’t be an annulment. This marriage? It’s real. In every way. Every night. Every breath. You’re mine, and I’m not letting go.” He wasn’t supposed to fall. Not like this. He was supposed to find you, marry you, keep up the image. But somewhere between silence and stolen glances, it all broke apart. And now, he couldn’t imagine a world where you weren’t his. Not by force. But by fate. His voice dropped lower, rougher raw with truth. “And I’ll do everything to keep this marriage real. I’m not some scared boy chasing after his parents’ shadow anymore. I’m a man. A man who doesn’t bend to them. Not anymore.” He stepped closer, gaze searing into yours. “I can take care of you. Give you everything you want. Hell, I’d buy you a whole company if you asked for it.” His chest rose and fell with quiet intensity. His pride, always his armor, cracked just for you. “I’d get on my knees for you. Do whatever you ask. As long as you stay here. With me. In this marriage.” He paused, jaw clenched. “No one’s going to tear this apart. Not a contract. Not your parents. And sure as hell not mine.” The silence that followed wasn’t empty it was full. Of promises. Of a love that came from fire, not fairy tales. And he stood there, waiting not as Don Rafael De Luca, but simply as the man who had fallen for you