Page 27 of Bound By Honor

“Save it for Dom.” We pull through the mansion gates. “He’s the one you need to convince.”

The house looms before us, dark and imposing. Two guards flank the entrance, their expressions carefully blank. I’ve never felt more like a prisoner in my own home.

Marco escorts me inside, his grip unyielding. The mansion’s marble floors echo our footsteps like a funeral march, each sound amplified by the oppressive silence. Family portraits line the walls, generations of Salvatores watching with judgmental eyes as I pass. The air feels thicker here, heavy with disappointment and unspoken accusations.

Dominic waits by my window, his back to the door. The silence stretches, thick with tension.

“You’ve ruined everything, Aurora.” His voice is ice, cutting through me with every word. He turns slowly, and I almost wish he’d kept his back turned. The disappointment in his eyes hurts worse than anger would.

“Dom—”

“Don’t.” He holds up a hand. “Just... don’t. Do you have any idea what you’ve done? The position you’ve put this family in?”

I sink onto my bed, legs suddenly weak. “I never meant?—”

“To what? To betray my trust? To risk everything we’ve built?” He runs a hand through his hair, a rare show of agitation. “Luciano was family. He was my brother in everything but blood, and you?—”

“I love him,” I whisper.

The words stop him mid-stride. For a moment, raw pain flashes across his features before the mask slides back into place.

“Love?” He laughs, the sound harsh. “You think that matters? That it justifies this level of betrayal?”

“It wasn’t betrayal.” I stand, finding strength in defending Luciano. “We didn’t plan this. It just... happened.”

“Things don’t just happen in our world.” He moves closer, his presence suffocating. “Every action has consequences. Every choice ripples outward.”

“Then let me face those consequences.” I lift my chin. “But don’t punish Luciano for loving me.”

“Loving you?” His eyes narrow. “Or using you?”

“He wouldn’t?—“

“No?” Dominic pulls out his phone, showing me a photo that makes my blood run cold. It’s a surveillance shot of Luciano meeting with a known Rossi lieutenant in a darkened warehouse. Money changes hands, documents clearly visible.The date stamp shows it was taken just last week, during the height of our family’s conflict with the Rossis.

“What is this?”

“That’s not all.” He swipes to another photo—one that makes my stomach lurch. It’s us outside the club, my body alive with the moment, Luciano’s arm around my hip as we had argued. From this angle, it looks like he’s about to kiss me, the intimacy of the moment captured in a snapshot that twists my gut with equal parts desire and dread.

“Someone’s been watching. Playing us—can’t you see?” I grab his arm, desperate to make him understand. “These photos, the timing... it’s all too perfect.”

“That’s what I’d like to know.” He pockets the phone, his voice hard. “Seems your precious Luciano has been keeping secrets. The same day three of our men disappeared, he’s making deals with our enemies.”

My mind races. “There has to be an explanation.”

“There always is.” He moves toward the door, but I grab his arm.

“Wait—how did you even find us?” The question that’s been nagging at me finally bursts out. “The safe house was secure. No one knew?—”

His phone buzzes, cutting me off. His face darkens as he reads the message. “An anonymous tip. Pictures of you two, sent directly to my phone, along with your location.” His jaw clenches. “Signed with a simple ‘A.’”

I feel the blood drain from my face. Alessandro. He’d been watching us, playing us all along.

“Dom—”

“You’re confined to the house until further notice. Guards will be posted at your door.” He pauses at the threshold. “And Aurora? If Alessandro’s really behind this, nowhere is safe. Remember that.”

But he’s already gone, leaving me alone with all of my questions.

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