Lahat ng Kabanata ng His to Destroy, Mine to Save: Kabanata 21 - Kabanata 30

DANTEThe silence in my office wasn’t peaceful. It pressed in, tight and heavy, wrapping around me like smoke I couldn’t escape. I couldn’t stop thinking about her. Marisol.She wasn’t supposed to matter. This was supposed to be business. But the storm I’d been holding at bay was closing in, and somewhere deep inside, I already knew the move I’d have to make.I traced the edge of the desk. The cool mahogany steadied my hand, but it didn’t touch the war unraveling inside me.This wasn’t just about her. It was about Marcos Montoya, the man who ruled through blood and fear. He’d take this union as a challenge, maybe even a declaration of war. He wasn’t the kind to back down.But danger circled from both sides. Marisol was already hunted. Already marked. Tying her to me wouldn’t make her safe. But it might make them think twice.Can I protect her? Can I survive it myself?Even here, surrounded by steel and glass, she cracked through me in places I thought were sealed for good.Those eyes.

MARISOLThe soft click of heels echoed down the hall. Maria’s rhythm. Steady. Familiar. Safe.I straightened in the chair, breath catching as the sound grew closer. A second later, the door creaked open. She stepped in, the wedding dress draped over one arm, a box of accessories tucked in the other."Good morning," she said, voice steady, reassuring.The room still stole my breath. Floor-to-ceiling windows framed the Pacific Northwest forest: towering firs and cedars stretching into a gray, open sky. Evergreen boughs glowed in the soft morning light.The space radiated rustic luxury: dark wood paneling, thick rugs, a grand four-poster bed.I sat at the vanity, the mirror reflecting the wild landscape behind me. Stylists moved with quiet efficiency, finishing the last touches of my hair and makeup.The soft, familiar scent of my floral perfume clung to my skin, delicate and sweet beneath the sharper tang of hairspray still hanging in the air. My gaze snagged on the fabric draped over M

MARISOLThe wedding ended in a blur of music and champagne, but it was the silence afterward that hit hardest. One by one, the guests slipped away, offering final congratulations before disappearing back into their lives. As the mansion quieted, I found myself alone with Dante for the first time as his wife.He turned to me, a small, mischievous smile tugging at his lips. “I have a surprise for you,” he said, his voice low and laced with intrigue.Curiosity flared in my chest. I followed him, his hand warm and steady in mine. We moved through the mansion, past room after room dressed in modern finery, until he stopped in front of a set of double doors and pushed them open.I had no idea where he was taking me. And for a second, I hated that—being led blindly, held in suspense, again. But his hand stayed anchored in mine, gentle. Not dragging. Not demanding. Just... there. Steady.Every few steps, I glanced at him. Trying to read the slant of his smile, the intent behind his silence.Wh

MARISOLI rejoined them, my heart fluttering with a mix of curiosity and excitement. Dante looked at me, a hint of a smile on his lips."Are you ready?" he asked."Yes," I replied, feeling my pulse skip.I’d expected a car, but when I saw the golf cart with our luggage already loaded, I couldn’t help but laugh."Nice wheels, honey. Very romantic. Are we planning to reach the airport in a few days?"Dante laughed, that low, warm sound curling through me, and even Felix chuckled as he loaded the last bag."We’re taking the golf cart to the airstrip," Dante explained. "The jet’s ready.""Oh," I mumbled, heat creeping up my cheeks.He had his own airstrip. Of course he did.The cool evening air brushed my skin. Useless. My nerves still danced. The flutter of anxiety still stirred under the surface. I glanced at Dante, that familiar clash of excitement and uncertainty tightening in my chest.Everything about him, about this moment, felt like a tightrope walk, thrilling and terrifying at onc

DANTEShe ran ahead, her laughter rose into the air, music only I could hear.The wind spun through her hair, golden strands glinting in the last stretch of daylight.She moved as if she belonged to this place. Or maybe it belonged to her.The sunlight caught her eyes when she turned, and they glowed like liquid amber.My chest ached.Every piece of her, her joy, her ease, the way she opened up without even knowing it, hit me like a tidal wave I hadn’t braced for.Her joy sparked something buried in me.Flashes of another time.My mother’s laugh. The way it lit up my father’s face.Love had made him whole. And then it had broken him.I had spent most of my life swearing I’d never let that happen to me.But here I was, feeling something I couldn’t name.Not quite love.But it was dangerously close.Close enough to make me want it and fear it in the same breath.I couldn’t resist her pull.I didn’t even try.The space between us shrank with every step I took.The world quieted around me,