Page 210 of Ruins
Santo’s expression hardens. “Alright, what do you plan on doing?” His voice shifts, cold and sharp, edged with authority. “I can resend them, but there weren’t any extra details—just a date, time, and location.”
Tension tightens the air between us as he listens in silence. Then, his jaw clenches. “Yeah, I’ll do it now.”
My heart shatters.Now. That means he has to go.
He ends the call and pockets his phone, turning to me with an apologetic look. But it’s too late—the dam breaks. Tears blur my vision and spill freely down my cheeks.
Santo’s face twists in horror, almost comical if I weren’t so devastated. He brushes a strand of hair behind my ear, crouching to eye level, his lips pressing warm, featherlight kisses along my tear-streaked cheeks.
“Dea,” he whispers, soothing. “Why are you crying?”
Through shaky breaths, I try to explain—how my heart aches at the thought of him leaving me so soon. But instead of a sympathetic response, he lets out a low chuckle.
I blink at him, caught off guard.
Straightening, he takes my hand and leads me toward his office.
“I’m not leaving, Dea,” he says, amusement laced in his voice. “I’m just sending an email.”
Relief floods through me, but I can’t stop the sniffles as I wipe my tears. I follow him down the hall, only to pause at the threshold of his office.
He unlocks the sensor with his thumb pushing the door open. But I don’t move. I drop his hand, hesitating.
Santo turns, his brows furrowing. “What are you doing?”
“I’m waiting,” I say softly.
His gaze softens in an instant.
“Telling you you couldn’t come in here was a mistake.” His voice is firm, resolute. “You’re my wife. There’s nothing in this house you don’t have a right to.”
Pulling out his phone, he opens an app and takes my hand, pressing my thumb to the door handle. It beeps. Just like the elevator, I now have access.
To him. To everything.
Santo’s home office mirrors the one at NovaRael, but instead of a sleek glass desk, this one is solid wood—warm, familiar. I trail my fingers across the grain, the texture grounding me.
“Is this…?” I start to ask, feeling him move in behind me, his presence a steady heat.
“It is,” he confirms, his hands covering mine on the desk, his body pressing flush against my back.
I turn to face him, searching his unreadable gaze. “When did you do this? I thought you got rid of it.”
“After you left the office, I called my men. Had them track it down and bring it here.”
My breath hitches. “Santo…”
Moving around the desk, I crouch beneath it, my heart stuttering when I see what’s carved into the wood. Right where I used to hide as a child—my initials. And beside them,his.
I peek up at him from across the desk. “You put your initials here too?”
He smirks, shrugging like it’s nothing, but there’s a knowing warmth in his eyes. “You did say the wood was magical when two lovers carved their initials in it.” His gaze locks onto mine, steady. “Guess that means you’re stuck with me forever.”
A smile breaks across my face as I run into his arms, letting him lift me into a soft kiss. Santo sinks into his chair, settling me onto his lap. “I still have that email to send. Give me a second, Dea.”
His monitor flickers on as he navigates through files. I rest my head on his shoulder, arms draped around his neck, content just being here, feeling him.
I watch as he sends a file over to Maksim—the QUEEN file.
