Page 74 of The Bonventi Rise
"Sorry," Marco says, and blows on my cuts. "Hopefully that helps."
He continues, his touch becoming even lighter. "I'll be as gentle as I can."
"You don't have to do this," I murmur. "I can?—"
"Alina," he interrupts. "Stop. Let me take care of you."
I fall silent, letting him help me. The tender presses of the cotton ball almost feel comforting.
"You scared me tonight," he admits quietly.
My eyes shoot open, surprised. "I scaredyou?"
"Yes." His jaw tightens, and he looks away for a moment before returning his focus to me. "When you didn't answer, and then when those doors opened and I saw you there, covered in blood..." He exhales sharply. "You're everything to me, Firefly. If I lost you…"
For the first time, I see a genuine crack in his armor. The ruthless, confident man who exudes power is vulnerable—because of me.
"You didn't lose me," I say softly. "I'm right here."
He nods, but his expression remains somber. "And I'll make sure nothing like this ever happens again. Do you hear me, Alina? No one will ever get close enough to hurt you."
I reach out, my hand resting on his cheek. His eyes close briefly at my touch, and I feel the tension in his body ease.
"I trust you," I say.
His eyes open, locking onto mine. "Good. Because I won't let anything happen to you. Ever again."
There's a tone in his voice, one that tells me that, no matter what it costs, he'll keep that promise. It's surprising, considering not even my family has ever shown me that kind of support or care. I never get phone calls from my parents asking how I'm doing or if I'm safe, especially from my dad. The thought makes me realize just how much I need this man in my life.
As Marco continues to tend to my wounds with gentleness, making sure to be extra careful. The warmth of his fingers against my skin keeps me calm and somehow makes the sting of the antiseptic disappear.
Once he's satisfied, he tosses the cotton balls into a nearby trashcan and takes out a few bandages. As he works, I can't help but study his face. The furrowed brow, the tightness around his eyes—I can tell his mind is swirling with thoughts.
"There," he says softly, applying the last bandage to a cut on my cheek. "All done."
But he doesn't move away. Instead, his hand lingers on my face, his thumb gently stroking my cheek just below the bandage.
"Alina," he starts, his voice low and deep. "Tonight, I've never been so scared in all my life," he says, pausing before continuing, "it made me realize something. Something I should have known all along."
My heart pounds in my chest, and I sit up straight. "What?" I manage to get out.
"I love you, Alina," he says, taking a deep breath. "And the idea of a world without you in it," he shakes his head, "it's unthinkable."
For a moment, I can't speak. A thousand emotions crash through me at once, leaving me dizzy and breathless. No one has ever said anything like that to me before—not in a way that felt this real. He isn't just saying the words; he's carving them into my soul. And I know this isn't part of our arrangement or some calculated political move. Marco truly, deeply loves me.
"I…" I start, but words fail me. How do I express what I'm feeling? How do I tell him that when I was hiding, terrified for my life, all I could think about was him?
"When I was there, in my apartment," I finally manage, my voice shaky, "hiding from that man, I thought—I thought I might die." Tears well up in my eyes, and Marco wipes them away gently with his thumb. "And all I could think about was you. That I might never see you again. That I'd never get to tell you…"
I stop and wipe my eyes to clear my vision.
"I love you too, Marco. God help me, I do. If what I'm feeling isn't love, then it doesn't exist."
A smile breaks across Marco's face—not his usual smirk or his charming political grin, but a genuine, heartfelt smile that lights up his entire face. He cups my face in his hands, careful of my injuries, and brings his forehead to rest against mine.
"Say it again," he says.
"I love you," I repeat, and this time the words come easily. "I love you, Marco Bonventi."
