Page 38 of Devour
“Wise choice.”
He steps back as I pick up the pen from the table and sign the marriage certificate. I place the pen down without looking at him. I assume the burly man is his lawyer, he’ll probably handle the rest. “Are we done here,” I say flatly.
The man gives Luca a nod of confirmation, then begins packing the documents into his briefcase. The click as it shuts echoes in my chest.That’s it. I’m married to Luca.
The man rises with a grunt, adjusting his suit jacket.
“My name is Marcel. I apologize for this brute’s rudeness,” he says with a smirk. I hear Luca growl low in his throat, but Marcel just grins and keeps going.
“Welcome to the family,” he adds casually, before strolling out the door with his briefcase.
“…Can I see my son now?”
“You can,” Luca replies, “but you need to get ready. We’re leaving within the hour.”
“What do you mean by leaving?” I frown, then finally notice—he’s no longer in his hospital scrubs. Now he’s wearing a crisp shirt and tailored suit pants. I was so out of it earlier, I didn’t see it.
The scrubs are folded neatly over the bed, and there’s a paper bag beside them. He walks over, pulls out a navy-blue tie, and turns toward me as he fastens it around his neck. He had surgery just yesterday. He should still be in pain. But he looks… composed. In control.
“I’ve already had the family doctor arrange a sterile room for Noah,” he says. “He can continue his treatment there.”
“Why can’t he finish his treatment here?” I demand.
“Because I said so,” Luca replies, his tone final. “And that’s the end of it.”
He says it like I’m just supposed to accept it because he said so. Like I’m supposed to nod and fall in line. Like I haven’t been the one sleeping in hospital chairs, clinging to every hopeful word Dr. Eli gave me while Noah was fighting to breathe.
“He’s in good hands with Dr. Eli,” I say, trying to stay calm. “He’s been handling Noah’s treatment since day one, and I don’t trust anyone else to take care of him, especially not your doctors.” Luca’s eyes narrow.
“I trust mine. And they understand that if anything happens to him, heads will roll.”
I open my mouth to respond, but he cuts me off before I can even form a word.
“Nothing you say will change anything.”
So, I shut my mouth. His words don’t ease the knot in my chest, but I know I’m backed into a corner. He’s not giving mea choice, just commands disguised as concern. At the very least, I’m assured Noah will be safe… health-wise.
“I still have to go home to get his things. My things.”
“Everything you need is already at our home. And if there’s anything important, I’ll have my men bring it over.”
I have nothing to say to that. He’s already planned everything down to the last detail, like he always does. So, I just nod and turn to leave.
“One more thing,” he adds, his voice colder now. “You’re to cut all contact with that doctor. No calls. No messages. Nothing. Or you won’t like the ways, I thought of fitting him into a bag when I’m done with him.”
“I’m only letting him off the hook this time because he saved my son,” he continues, voice dropping low, but the menace beneath it is unmistakable. “I can’t promise I’ll be so forgiving next time.”
The lump in my throat is too thick to swallow. I can’t even find words to respond. So, I turn and leave the room in silence.
Few hours later
The sun is beginning to set by the time Luca’s driver pulls up to the mansion. Noah had gone ahead earlier in an ambulance. I’d insisted on riding with him, but Luca was adamant, I had to ride with him instead.
The entire drive, my nerves were strung tight, coiled like a wire ready to snap. Now, I stop just a few steps from the threshold.
My feet won’t move. My eyes shift to Luca, though I’m not really seeing him, I’m too lost in my thoughts. He notices,eyebrows lifting in quiet concern. One hand is already on the door.
“Ariel, are you okay?” he asks, his deep baritone cutting through the fog in my head. Of course I’m not. I’m about to walk into a den of vipers and lions. And by vipers, I mean his mother and anyone else like her.
