Alessio De Benedict was thirty years old, powerful, feared, respected, and utterly ruined by love. By you.

The world knew him as a ruthless corporate emperor, the man whose signature could destroy companies and whose silence alone could terrify boardrooms. His name carried weight. His presence commanded obedience. His eyes, cold, calculating, merciless, had broken stronger men. But none of them knew the truth.

None of them knew that the same man who ruled empires could not survive a single day without you. You were his wife.

And you were his addiction. It had not always been this bad. Or maybe it had, and he had just been in denial. Alessio had convinced himself that his constant need for you was normal. That wanting you nearby at all times was just love. That the unease crawling under his skin when you were not in the same room was nothing more than concern.

He lied to himself well.

Until the day he realized he could not function without you.

That morning, he kissed your forehead before leaving for work, lingering longer than necessary. His hand cupped your face like he was afraid you might vanish if he let go.

“Don’t go anywhere,” he murmured, voice low, almost pleading.

You smiled softly, brushing your thumb over his knuckles. “I’ll be here when you come back.” It should have been enough. It was not.

The moment he stepped into his office, the emptiness hit him like withdrawal. The meeting room was filled with executives, files neatly stacked, presentations ready. Everything was in order. Everything was perfect.

Except you were not there.

Alessio sat at the head of the table, jaw clenched, leg bouncing beneath the polished surface. He tried to focus. God, he tried. But every second stretched painfully. His chest felt tight. His fingers twitched. His mind refused to cooperate.

Where were you now? Were you eating? Did you miss him too?

A man across the table cleared his throat. “Mr. De Benedict, regarding the Milan expansion...”

“Stop,” Alessio snapped.

The room fell silent. He stared at the documents in front of him, the words blurring together. His pulse thundered in his ears. He dragged a hand through his hair, breathing hard.

Something was wrong. No. You were wrong. You were missing.

He stood abruptly, chair scraping harshly against the floor. “Why is this taking so long?”

One of the executives stammered, “Sir, we’re right on schedule”

“Schedule?” Alessio laughed, but there was no humor in it. His eyes were wild now, dark and unfocused.

“You think I care about schedules?”

He grabbed the nearest file and hurled it across the room. Papers exploded into the air like frightened birds.

Everyone froze.

“Do you know how much time you’re wasting?” he roared. “Do you know how useless this is?”

Another file followed. Then another.

“Sir, please” someone tried.

“Shut up!” Alessio slammed his fist on the table, making several people flinch. His breathing was uneven, almost frantic. “I can’t think. I can’t”

He stopped mid sentence, hands curling into fists. Because the truth finally surfaced.

He could not think without you. He could not breathe without you. He could not exist without you.

The room watched in terrified silence as the most controlled man they knew unraveled.

“Meeting’s over,” Alessio growled. “Get out.”

They did not need to be told twice. The moment the room emptied, Alessio grabbed his phone with shaking hands. One call. Just one. You answered on the first ring.

“Alessio?” Your voice was soft, familiar, grounding. He closed his eyes, relief crashing over him so hard his knees nearly buckled.

“I'm coming back home.” he said, voice rough, stripped of authority. “Now.”