Chapter Thirty-Two Ella
Chapter Thirty-Two
Ella
Seeing Gualtiero’s sinister expression makes me break out in a cold sweat.
My legs give out. I barely register the moment before the floor rushes up to meet me.
Gualtiero’s strong arms catch me.
Before I can react, he throws me over his shoulder and carries me inside like I weigh nothing.
“Put me down.” I struggle, my fists pounding weakly against his back.
He smacks my backside hard. Pain shoots through me, sharp enough to steal my breath, and I go still.
He doesn’t slow, not even up the stairs, until we reach my room. Then I’m airborne and hit the bed hard, the impact jolting through my body as I bounce a few times.
The room spins.
My heart is racing, and my stomach still churns, threatening to revolt again.
I scramble backward, dragging myself across the mattress, desperate to put distance between us.
Gualtiero doesn’t move.
That stillness is scarier than anything I’ve experienced before.
He just watches, his eyes entirely fixed on me.
Then, slowly, deliberately, he reaches for his belt buckle.
My breath stutters.
What is he going to do?
He’s not…
He can’t…
My heart pounds so hard it hurts.
He pulls the belt free from the loops of his pants, the leather sliding out with a soft scrape.
My eyes track every movement of his fingers, my throat closing more and more with each passing second.
Once the belt is loose, he doubles it over and slaps it against his palm.
The crack echoes through the room. Through me.
I flinch, my whole body jerking.
“I’ve been too lenient with you, Ella,” he says, his voice low.
“Gualtiero,” I whisper, nearly choking on my fear.
I stare at him, wide-eyed.
This isn’t a scare tactic. I can feel it.
“I’ve warned you,” he continues, stepping closer. “I told you if you ran again, you wouldn’t like the consequences.”
Panic coils tighter inside me, crawling through my chest, my throat, my veins.
I need to get away from him.
I glance toward the door. It’s not far. And he’s on the other side of the bed.
If I’m fast…
I launch off the mattress and sprint for the door.
He’s on me instantly.
My back slams against the wood, the impact knocking the air from my lungs. His body presses into mine, trapping me. My wrists are yanked above my head, pinned in one of his hands.
I struggle, twisting, trying to break free.
It’s useless.
“Are you really running from me… again?” he murmurs through gritted teeth, disbelief laced through his voice. “Have you not learned anything?”
My chest heaves as I stare up at him, frozen.
“You don’t get to run from me. Ever.” His grip tightens. “You are mine. And you’ll learn to behave like it.”
My vision blurs. All the blood drains from my face.
Still, despite the terror sweeping through my veins, I need to know about Sofia.
“What happened to the girl who tried to help me?” I choke out. “Did Alonso hurt her?”
“You are mine,” he repeats, as if that answers everything. “Nobody, and I mean nobody, touches what’s mine and walks away.”
Cold floods through me. Oh god. He killed her.
“Let me make one thing clear, Ella,” he says, his voice dropping further.
“You. Never. Run. From. Me.”
I swallow hard, my eyes landing on his belt that now lies a few feet away. He must have dropped it when he lunged at me.
“Did you not believe me when I told you that it’s not safe for you outside my protection? That there are people just waiting to take you to get to me? You’ve become an extremely valuable commodity to my enemies. They’ll stop at nothing to get you. And they will hurt you.”
His face is so close, his breath feathers over my skin.
If I hadn’t already been terrified, his words would have done it.
A shiver runs through me. The awareness that I have a target on my back, that I can’t go anywhere without looking over my shoulder, settles deep in my bones.
He sees it.
The fear.
His eyes bore into mine. I’ve never seen him like this, and I never want to again.
“In my circle, Ella, women mean nothing. They warm your bed, entertain you, and the one you marry is to bear your children. You, however, mean everything to me. Despite our short time together, a life without you is unimaginable. But that doesn’t change the fact that you will learn your place.”
His gaze drops to the belt lying on the floor.
His expression goes darker, if that’s even possible. My breath refuses to go all the way in.
“In my world, everybody obeys my word. It’s doubly important that my woman does. Otherwise you make me look weak. I need to be in control at all times. It’s imperative for everyone’s safety and well-being, especially yours.”
His eyes are still on the belt. He’s going to do it.
I feel dizzy, black spots dancing in my vision. I go completely still, afraid that even the smallest movement might push him over the edge.
“You will do as you are told, or there will be consequences. And trust me, princess, you won’t like them.”
His fingers flex around my wrists, tightening just enough to remind me how easily he could follow through. His eyes lift to mine, holding me there, searching, assessing.
“Tell me,” he says after a beat, his voice quieter now, but no less intense. “Was that story about your period your idea… or little Miss Molinaro’s?”
“Who’s that?” I ask, even though I already have a sinking feeling I know the answer.
“Sofia Molinaro. Daughter of Niccolo Molinaro, head of our biggest rival family.”
The words hit like a blow.
I go still.
Sofia…
Understanding crashes over me.
She wasn’t helping me. She was delivering me.
If Alonso hadn’t found me in time…
My stomach turns.
God only knows what they would have done to me.
Gualtiero watches me closely, tracking every shift in my expression.
“That’s right,” he says. “They sent her to lure you away so they could get their hands on you. Lucky for all of us, Alonso thought she looked familiar. When he realized who she was, you were already gone.”
I can’t believe it. She seemed so genuine. So normal. And all along, I was nothing more than a pawn.
A few puzzle pieces click together in my mind.
“Was it Molinaro who tried to run you over the day we met?” I ask.
Gualtiero nods once. “He also killed my father. That family stops at nothing to gain power.”
A chill spreads through me.
His world is darker than I ever imagined. People die. People suffer. And it barely even seems to register.
And I’m trapped right in the middle of it.
Silence stretches between us. It’s suffocating.
He’s still holding me in place.
My pulse pounds in my ears, drowning out everything else as my body braces instinctively, every muscle tensing in anticipation of what’s coming.
He inhales, slow and controlled, but there’s nothing calm about it. His jaw tightens, a muscle ticking, and for a second I’m certain he’s made up his mind.
This is it. He’s going to punish me for trying to escape again.
A moment passes.
Then another.
I hold my breath.
The seconds stretch unbearably, thick with tension, until it feels like the air itself is pressing in on me.
Then something shifts.
Not outwardly. But still I feel it.
His grip loosens, just a fraction at first, then more decisively, as if holding on any longer would tip him past a line he’s fighting not to cross.
A sharp exhale leaves him, and he lets go of me altogether, stepping back abruptly, putting space between us like he needs it to stay in control.
The release is so sudden my legs can’t hold me. I sink to the floor, trembling.
The belt is right in my line of sight, close enough to feel like a threat that hasn’t gone away.
We both look at it.
Neither of us moving.
The moment lingers, heavy and unresolved, as if it could still go either way.
His chest rises and falls, slower now, but no less tense, before he finally turns and strides to the door, yanking it open with more force than necessary.
He pauses there, his back to me, shoulders rigid.
“I’m not known for leniency,” he says, his voice low and hard. “Do not push me again, Ella… ever.”
Then he’s gone.
The door slams shut behind him, the sound echoing through the room.
My hands clutch at my chest, trying to steady the storm inside me.
Now more than ever, I need to escape.
Before this life swallows me whole.