Aria's POV

He began to move, and the world broke into pieces.

Every thrust was a punishment and a gift. The hard wall scraped my back, but I did not care. His body slammed into mine, over and over, chasing the wild feeling building inside me. It was too fast, too hard, too much. I could not think. I could only feel.

"You feel that?" he growled into my neck. "You feel how much I want you?"

I could only nod, my nails digging into his shoulders. My breath came in short, sharp gasps that matched his rhythm. 

He kissed me again, his tongue pushing into my mouth, claiming that too. His hands gripped my hips, holding me steady for his deep, hard pushes. I felt myself stretching around him, burning and melting at the same time.

Something was gathering low in my stomach, a tight, hot coil. I had felt it before, alone in the dark, but never like this. Never with someone else. It felt scary and huge. My hips jerked, trying to get closer, trying to make it happen.

He noticed. Of course he noticed.

His eyes locked on mine, dark and knowing. "That's it," he urged, his voice rough. "Chase it, Let me see you fall."

But it was like running toward a cliff in the dark. I got close, so close my whole body shook, and then... nothing. The feeling slipped away, leaving me empty and frustrated. A sob caught in my throat.

He stopped moving, still deep inside me. He studied my face. "What?"

"Nothing," I whispered, my cheeks burning with shame.

"That wasn't nothing." He pulled out of me suddenly, and I felt cold and abandoned. He set me on my feet, my legs wobbly. He fixed his pants with quick, angry motions. "Come with me."

"Where?"

"Somewhere you can scream."

He grabbed my hand and pulled me down the hall, past a shocked looking security guard, and out a private exit. A black car was waiting, its engine running. He pushed me into the back seat and slid in beside me.

"The penthouse," he told the driver.

The car moved silently through the night. I stared out the window. My body was still buzzing, still aching. I could smell him on my skin.

"Talk," he said, not looking at me.

"About what?"

"About why you stopped. About why you look like you're about to cry after the best fuck of your life."

I turned to him. The interior of the car was dark, but I could see the sharp line of his jaw. "It wasn't... I didn't..."

"You didn't finish," he stated, his voice flat.

The words hung in the air, humiliating and true. I looked down at my hands in my lap. "No."

"With him? Your fiancé?"

A bitter laugh escaped me. "With anyone."

The silence that followed was so thick I could taste it. I felt his stare like a physical weight. 

His expression had changed. The anger was gone, replaced by something hotter, something more intense. His eyes gleamed in the dim light. "Never?"

I shook my head, my throat too tight to speak.

A slow, dangerous smile spread across his face. It was not a nice smile. It was the smile of a hunter who found exactly what he was looking for. "Mine," he whispered, more to himself than to me.

The car stopped. We were in front of a tall, glass building. He got out and pulled me with him, Then we went to a private elevator. The doors closed, and we were alone again.

He pushed me against the mirror, his body pressing into mine. He kissed me, deeply, slowly this time. His hand cupped my breast, his thumb rubbing my nipple through the thin fabric of my dress. The feeling I had before rushed back, and I couldn't stop thinking about it.

The elevator opened directly into his home. It was all dark floors and huge windows showing the whole sparkling city. The ceiling was high. The place felt powerful, like him.

He did not turn on the lights. City glow lit the room. He walked me backward until my legs hit the edge of a huge, low sofa.

"Take off your dress."

His voice was quiet, but it was not a request. My fingers trembled as I found the zipper. I stood before him in only my torn lace panties. The night air from the open windows kissed my skin, raising goosebumps.

He looked at me, his gaze traveling over every inch. "Beautiful," he said, and it sounded like a fact. He took off his jacket and then his shirt. His chest looked strong and wide. I could see scars on his skin, like shiny lines that glowed in the dim light.

He closed the distance between us. His hands were hot on my waist. He kissed my shoulder, my collarbone, the space between my breasts. His mouth was soft, which surprised me. He laid me back on the soft cushions and knelt on the floor between my legs.

He hooked his fingers in my panties and pulled them off, his eyes never leaving mine. Then he lowered his head.

His mouth on me was a shock. Hot, wet, perfect. I cried out, my back bowing off the sofa. He licked a slow, firm stripe through my folds, and my hands flew to his hair, tangling in the dark strands.

"Dante..."

He did not answer with words. He answered with his tongue, circling that tight, desperate nerve, then sucking it gently between his lips.

Pleasure, sharp and bright, shot through me. It was different than before. It was not a gathering storm. It was lightning, straight to my core. He held my hips down, keeping me still for his mouth. His tongue flicked and pressed and stroked. He slid one finger inside me, then two, curling them just right.

I was panting, begging, words I did not recognize falling from my lips. The coil in my stomach wound tighter, tighter. I could feel it, the edge of that cliff, right there.

He lifted his head, his chin looked shiny. "Look at me, Aria. Look at me when you let go."

His fingers pushed deep, and his mouth found me again. His eyes, dark and commanding, locked onto mine.

I stared back, falling into that storm. The pressure built, unbearable, wonderful. My thighs trembled. A sound, a raw, broken scream, tore from my throat as the world exploded into white hot light. Pleasure crashed over me, wave after wave, shaking me apart. I gripped him, sobbing, as it went on and on.

Slowly, it faded. I went limp, boneless, gasping for air. He crawled up my body, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He looked proud, with a wild look in his eyes.

"Mine," he said again, and kissed me. I could taste myself on his lips, salty and sweet.

He was still hard, pressing against my thigh. He positioned himself at my entrance. I was soft and open and still trembling from the finish. He pushed inside, a slow, It felt like everything was being taken over, that made me moan.

He started to move again, long, deep strokes. It felt different now. Softer, but somehow more intense. Every slide brushed a place inside me that made me see stars. I wrapped my legs around him, pulling him closer.

"Again," he whispered against my lips. "I want to feel you come again. With me inside you."

He reached between us, his thumb finding that sensitive bundle of nerves. The touch, combined with his deep thrusts, was too much. A second, sharper climax ripped through me, stealing my breath. I clenched around him, my body milking his.

With a rough groan, he drove into me one last, hard time. I felt him pulse, hot and deep, as his own finish took him. He collapsed on top of me, his weight heavy and perfect.

For a long time, we just breathed. 

Then, he rolled to the side, taking me with him, keeping me close. His fingers traced idle patterns on my arm.

"That mug," he said suddenly, his voice calm in the dark. "The one your sister gave him."

My body went stiff. "What about it?"

"I want you to get it back."

I propped myself up on an elbow to look at him. "What? Why?"

He looked at me, his face serious. "Because it's yours. And I don't like other men holding what's yours." He paused. "Especially when they don't appreciate it."

"It's just a mug," I said, repeating Catherine's words, but they felt like a lie.

"No," he said, his hand sliding down to cup my backside possessively. "It's not. And tomorrow, you're going to walk into your parents' house, and you're going to take it. And then you're going to bring it to me."

The idea was crazy. Terrifying. After what happened, facing Rhys again...

"I can't," I whispered.

His eyes glinted. "You can. Because if you don't..." He leaned in, his lips brushing my ear. "I'll go with you. And I promise, I will make what happened in that hallway look like a polite hello." He pulled back, his gaze holding a dark promise.

Aria's POV

Sunlight pushed through the curtains and landed on my face. I blinked and pulled the sheet higher, my heart thumping fast. My body felt sore in a strange way. Memories rushed back, bright and messy. Dante's voice. His hands. The way he looked at me like I mattered.

I sat up quickly, the sheet slipping to my waist.

The bed beside me was empty.

The room held his scent, rain mixed with smoke, warm and sharp. My cheeks heated as I remembered how close we had been. How bold I had felt. How free. A smile tried to form, but worry followed right after.

He was gone.

No note, No message, Nothing.

I pressed my fingers to my lips. They still tingled. My chest felt tight, not with regret, but with questions. What if Rhys found out? He would not just shout. He would punish. Still, another thought whispered louder.

Last night, I felt alive.

I slid out of bed and walked to the bathroom, wrapping the sheet around me. The mirror showed faint marks on my neck. My eyes widened. I touched them softly. My heart raced. This was careless, This was dangerous.

The shower helped clear my head. Warm water ran over my skin, calming and sharp at the same time. When I finished, I dressed in yesterday's clothes. The dress looked tired, like me.

My phone waited on the table. Ten missed calls, All from Rhys.

My stomach twisted. I placed the phone in my bag without calling back and left the room.

The hotel lobby buzzed with voices and rolling suitcases. I kept my head low. Outside, a familiar car waited. Jameson stood by the door, calm as always.

"Miss Belmont," he said, opening the door. "Everything alright?"

"Yes," I replied, sliding inside. "Just a long night. Please take me home."

The city passed by in flashes of glass and steel. I stared through the window, but my thoughts stayed elsewhere. Dante's dark eyes followed me in my mind. He felt nothing like Rhys. Strong, quiet, watchful.

My phone buzzed again. I answered.

"Where are you?" Rhys snapped.

"Out with a friend," I said. The lie came easily, which surprised me.

"You disappeared," he said. "Dinner tonight, Wear something decent."

The call ended.

The house came into view, tall and cold. Jameson stopped the car. 

"Thank you," I said.

Inside, the halls felt empty. I went straight to my room and locked the door. My body sank onto the bed. I closed my eyes, but sleep would not come. Dante's face filled the dark.

A knock broke the quiet.

"Aria?" Catherine's voice called. Sweet, Fake.

"What?" I asked.

She entered anyway, dressed perfectly, hair shining. Her eyes scanned me.

"Rhys called," she said. "You ran off again."

"Mind your own life," I replied.

She laughed and sat near the window. "Big dinner tonight, Important talk do not ruin it."

"Important how?" I asked.

"Business," she said. "You would not understand."

She stood and looked me over. "Wear blue and hide those marks."

My breath caught. She left before I could speak.

I rushed to the mirror and covered my neck as best I could. My hands shook. Dinner with Rhys felt like a storm waiting to break.

That night, candles lit the long table. Voices filled the room. I sat beside Rhys. His hand rested on my knee, gripping too tight.

"So," he said, smiling for show. "How was your day?"

"Quiet," I answered. He leaned closer. "You smell different."

I stiffened. "You are imagining things."

Across the table, my parents watched. Catherine laughed with Victor Granger.

"Contracts are ready," Victor said. "The land deal stands."

"Yes," my father replied. "And the Blackwood promise."

My heart skipped. Blackwood. I said nothing, but my thoughts raced.

After dinner, Rhys pulled me outside. The garden glowed under the moon.

"Tell me the truth," he said. "Now." 

"I did nothing wrong," I replied. His hand struck my face, Pain flashed bright.

"You belong to me," he hissed.

Anger burst free. "No, I do not."

He grabbed my wrist. "Your family needs this, You cannot leave."

I pulled away and ran. Then I saw Dante stood near the trees, calm and solid. My breath caught.

"Aria," he said. Rhys turned. "You again?"Dante stepped forward. "Let her go."

Rhys laughed. "You think you can take what is mine?"

"I am not his," I said.

Rhys lunged, Dante moved fast. A punch landed. Rhys fell back, shocked.

Then a blade flashed in his hand. I screamed.

Dante tackled him. The knife flew away. They struggled until sirens sounded.

Catherine ran out, shouting. My parents followed. Police lights painted the garden red and blue.

Dante held Rhys down. "It ends here."

Rhys laughed through blood. "Ask her about the pact. Ask him why he is here."

I looked at Dante. His face went still. He leaned close and whispered, "Trust me."

My heart raced as the officers stepped forward.

Aria's POV

Eyes Everywhere.

The police cars drove away, taking Rhys with them. The red and blue lights faded, but the noise did not. My head was still spinning. My cheek burned, and my wrist ached. The night air felt too cold for the way my body felt hot and angry.

I stood in the garden, staring at the spot where Rhys had been. The grass was crushed from where he had stepped. The flowers near the path smelled sweet, but my mind only smelled fear.

Catherine watched me like she was watching a show.

My mother rushed forward, her hands shaking. "Aria, come inside. You need rest."

My father stayed near the doorway, his face stone. He did not speak. He did not move. He looked like he was waiting for something to explode.

Rhys's voice came from the police car, loud and sharp. "You will pay for this!"

The door slammed. Silence followed, heavy and strange.

Catherine stepped forward, her smile fake and bright. "Oh, darling," she said softly. "You made a scene."

I swallowed hard. "He hit me."

Catherine blinked slowly, like she was surprised. "That is not what happened, You were rude to him."

I stared at her. "He slapped me."

She laughed, quiet and cruel. "You always act like you are the victim, You do not deserve sympathy."

My mother gasped. My father's jaw tightened.

Dante stood near the gate, his hands in his pockets, watching me with a calm face. He looked like he had been carved out of stone. Even in the dark, his eyes seemed bright.

He spoke for the first time since the police left. "She is not the victim."

Catherine's eyes snapped to him. "Who are you?"

Dante did not answer her. He looked at me. "Are you okay?"

I wanted to say no. I wanted to say I was tired of being scared, I wanted to say I was done with all of them.

Instead, I said, "I am fine."

Dante shook his head slightly. "No, you are not."

My mother stepped closer. "Aria, please, come inside."

I felt trapped between them all. Between my parents, between Catherine, between Rhys, and now between this stranger who felt like a storm.

I turned to Dante. "Why are you here?"

He looked at me for a moment, like he was trying to decide how much to tell. "Because I saw you."

"Do not act like you saved me," I snapped. "You did not. The police did."

He did not respond.

Catherine crossed her arms. "You two have some kind of story, do you?"

I shook my head. "No."

She smiled, but it was sharp. "You think he cares? He is just another rich man who likes to play."

Dante's eyes narrowed. "Do not speak to her like that."

Catherine stepped closer to me, her voice quiet. "You belong to our family, You do not belong to him."

I felt something in me snap. "I do not belong to anyone."

Catherine's face changed for a moment. The smile disappeared, Something dark passed through her eyes.

"You will regret this," she said softly.

Then she turned and walked back toward the house, her heels clicking on the path. She did not look back.

My mother watched her go, then looked at me with worry. "Aria, your father is going to be furious."

I looked at my father. His eyes were fixed on the house, not on me. He looked like he was thinking about something I could not see.

Dante stepped closer. "You should not go back inside right now."

"Where else can I go?" I asked. He glanced at the house. "My car."

My heart raced. "No."

"Aria," he said, his voice gentle. "You are not safe here tonight."

I stared at him. "Safe from what?"

He looked away, as if he did not want to say the words. "From people like him."

I swallowed hard. "I am not a child."

"I know," he replied. "That is why I am telling you."

I looked at my parents again. My mother's face was pale. My father looked like he wanted to speak but could not. Catherine was gone, Rhys was in the police car. The house felt empty, but it still held me like a cage.

My phone buzzed. A message from an unknown number flashed on the screen.

"You ruined everything."

My hands trembled. I looked at Dante. "Do you know who that is?"

He shook his head. "No, But it is not good."

More messages came.

"Your family is angry."

You will pay, You think you can hide? I felt a cold wave in my stomach.

My mother took the phone from my hands without asking. She read the messages, then looked up at me with eyes full of fear.

"Who sent this?" she whispered. I shook my head. "I do not know."

Dante spoke quietly. "We should leave."

My mother looked at him. "Who are you to tell us what to do?"

He turned his gaze to her, calm but firm. "Someone who does not want her to get hurt."

My father finally spoke. "Aria is my daughter, I will decide."

The words sounded like a threat.

Dante stepped back. "Then you decide. But do not pretend you care when you do not."

My father's face tightened. He looked at me, then at Dante, then at the house.

"You can leave," he said to Dante. "But do not bring trouble to my door."

Dante did not move. "I will not bring trouble, He will."

My father stared at him, then nodded once. It was not approval, It was a warning.

Dante looked at me again. "Are you coming?"

I hesitated.

My mother spoke quickly, her voice trembling. "Aria, if you leave with him, you will never be allowed back."

I looked at her. "You think I care?"

My mother flinched. "I am trying to protect you."

I felt anger rise. "Protect me from what? From living?" My mother's eyes filled with tears. "From ruin."

My father stepped forward. "Do not speak like that. You are the one who ruined everything."

I stared at him. "I did not ruin anything. He hit me, You let him."

My father's face went hard. "That is enough."

Catherine appeared at the doorway again. Her face looked different now. Not smiling, Not bright. Her eyes looked like she had been crying.

"Aria," she said softly. "You should not leave."

I looked at her. "Why are you crying?"

She swallowed. "Because you are making us look weak." My chest tightened.

"What do you want?" I asked. Catherine's eyes flashed. "I want what is best for the family."

I laughed, bitter. "You mean what is best for you."

She took a step closer. "You do not understand. Rhys is the only way our family stays powerful."

I stared at her. "You mean he is the only way you stay powerful."

Catherine's lips pressed together. "You are the one who is naive."

Dante stepped in front of me. "She is not going anywhere tonight."

Catherine's eyes widened. "Who are you to stop her?"

Dante looked at her with cold calm. "I am the person she chose."

Catherine's face turned red. "You think she chose you?"

Dante's voice stayed steady. "Yes."

Catherine laughed loudly, but it sounded broken. "She is yours now? You think you can take her from us?"

Rhys's voice came from the police car again, louder than before. "You will see. You will all see."

My heart jumped. He was still there. Dante looked at the car. "He is not finished."

I felt fear for the first time since the fight. I looked at my family, I looked at Dante. I looked at the dark sky.

I felt like I was standing on the edge of something that could break.

The front door opened.

A man stepped out. He was tall, dressed in a suit, and he had a camera in his hand. He looked like he belonged in the same world as Rhys.

He pointed the camera at us.

"Aria Belmont," he called. "Is it true your fiancé assaulted you?" My breath stopped.

My mother tried to speak, but her voice broke. My father stepped forward, his face angry.

The man continued. "Is it true you were seen with a strange man tonight?" My cheeks burned.

Catherine looked at me with a smile that made me feel sick. The camera clicked again.

The man stepped closer. "We are live. Miss Belmont, do you have anything to say?" My mouth went dry.

Dante moved in front of me. "That is enough." The man smiled. "Who are you?"

Dante did not answer. The camera continued to flash.

My heart pounded. I felt like I was trapped inside a glass box, with everyone watching.

I turned to Dante. "What do we do?" He looked at me, his eyes serious. "We do not answer."

The camera kept filming.

The man spoke again. "Miss Belmont, your family is powerful. Why did this happen? Is it true you are leaving the Belmont name?"

My mother gasped. My father looked like he wanted to punch the man.

Catherine smiled.

The camera kept rolling. I felt like I was drowning.

Dante's hand found mine. His touch was steady, strong.

He leaned closer and whispered in my ear, "Stay with me. Do not let them take your voice."

My heart raced. I looked at the camera, then at my family, then at Dante. I knew something was changing, I knew nothing would ever be the same.

And then, the man with the camera said the words that made my blood freeze.

"Miss Belmont, your fiancé is not the only one who was arrested tonight."

My heart dropped. "What?" I whispered.

The camera man smiled, like he was waiting for my reaction.

"You are under investigation," he said. "For the attack on Rhys Granger."

My legs went weak. I stared at Dante, but his face stayed calm.

Then a police officer stepped forward, handcuffs in his grip. He looked at me and said, clear and cold:

"Aria Belmont, you are under arrest."