Chapter 5

Sienna sat in her room, a heavy silence pressing down on her. The days were beginning to blur together, each one feeling like the last—isolated, suffocating. Her meals, however reluctantly consumed, were followed by endless hours of confinement. She wasn’t allowed out, and Luca had made it clear that he had no interest in her company beyond the basic needs he forced upon her.

But the silence—oh, the silence—was almost as oppressive as his presence.

It was late in the evening when she heard it.

The faint sound of raised voices reached her ears through the thick walls of the mansion. She froze, straining to listen. It wasn’t unusual to hear conversation in the house, but this felt different—more tense, more urgent.

Her instincts flared.

Sienna pressed her ear against the door, waiting. The voices grew clearer, but she couldn’t make out all the words. She had learned the layout of the mansion during her time here—knew exactly where the study was, where Luca often met with his men, and where his private meetings took place.

This conversation, though, was happening outside her room. The voices were muffled by the walls, but she could hear one name repeated: betrayal.

Betrayal?

Sienna’s heart skipped a beat. Was someone planning against him? The thought filled her with dread. Her mind raced.

Suddenly, she heard a door slam shut, followed by the distinct sound of footsteps approaching.

Panicking, Sienna scrambled away from the door and darted to the window, pressing her face against the cool glass. She wasn’t sure why she did it, but a deep, unexplainable curiosity gnawed at her.

Then she saw them.

Luca.

And two of his men.

They were leading someone through the garden—someone who seemed to be trembling. A man. His hands were tied, and his face was pale, stricken with fear. Luca’s expression was unreadable, but his posture was rigid with the unmistakable aura of danger.

Sienna held her breath, watching from the window. She had to know what was happening.

Her pulse quickened as they neared a secluded part of the estate, far from any prying eyes. She knew Luca didn’t hesitate when it came to punishing those who wronged him. But she didn’t think it would be so… swift.

She couldn’t stop herself. Sienna knew it was risky, knew that she could be caught, but something inside her pulled her forward. She slipped out of her room as quietly as she could, creeping down the hallway toward the back of the mansion.

She reached the hallway leading to the back garden. Her breathing was shallow, the quiet rhythm of her footsteps the only sound filling her ears.

Then, she saw them.

Luca stood in the center of the garden, a few feet away from the trembling man. The two men who had accompanied him stood silently by, watching.

The traitor was on his knees now, his head bowed in defeat.

“Please, Luca… I didn’t mean to betray you. It was a mistake. A mistake.”

The plea came too late.

Luca remained still, his gaze dark and unwavering. “A mistake, Vittorio?” His voice was a quiet, lethal rasp. “You were paid to be loyal. That’s not a mistake. That’s a choice.”

The traitor's eyes filled with tears. “I swear, I didn’t want this—”

Before he could finish, Luca’s men stepped forward, holding the traitor down. The sound of a gunshot cracked through the air, sharp and final.

Sienna gasped, her hand flying to her mouth to stifle the sound.

She felt like she was suffocating.

Luca didn’t even flinch. The body fell to the ground, lifeless, crumpled like a broken doll.

The men stepped back, but Luca remained where he stood, staring down at the fallen man. Slowly, deliberately, he wiped his hands on the side of his pants, the blood glistening in the moonlight.

It was the way he did it—the cold, detached way he cleaned his hands—as if he had just wiped away some dirt, not the life of a man he had once trusted.

Sienna felt her legs give way beneath her. She sank to the ground, her heart pounding violently in her chest.

This is who he is.

She had known Luca was dangerous, but this… This was something else. She had seen the ruthlessness in his eyes before, but never so clearly. Never so… personal.

Her breath came in ragged gasps as she struggled to steady herself. She hadn’t even realized that she had moved, her body trembling with fear and revulsion.

The scene outside the window was seared into her mind—Luca’s cold demeanor, the blood, the lifeless body.

She didn’t hear him approach.

One moment, she was alone in the hallway, trying to steady her breath, and the next, Luca’s shadow loomed over her.

Her heart stopped.

She looked up to find his gaze piercing through her, his expression unreadable. He didn’t say anything at first.

Then, in a voice so calm it sent a shiver down her spine, he said, “You shouldn’t have seen that.”

Sienna scrambled back, her body stiff with fear. She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

Luca knelt down in front of her, his eyes softening, though there was still a coldness to his gaze. “You’re afraid of me now, aren’t you?”

Sienna didn’t answer. Her mind raced, her pulse thundering in her ears.

“You don’t need to be afraid,” Luca continued, his voice quiet and almost soothing. “You don’t have to fear me, Sienna.”

She swallowed, her throat dry.

“I love you,” he said, his words as unexpected as they were chilling. “You have nothing to be afraid of. I won’t hurt you.”

The words hung in the air, impossibly soft and terrifying.

Sienna’s chest tightened. She couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think.

His love…

His love was the thing she feared most.

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