Page 84 of Shadows of Steel

After my morning routine, I spent the better part of two hours downstairs in the gym, taking out my frustrations on the punching bag. My fists stung, muscles burned, but it was the kind of ache that kept me grounded. Kept me from overthinking.

When I finally stepped out of the gym, rolling my shoulders, Piero was already there.

Waiting.

His posture was easy, relaxed, yet I knew better. He was always watching, always anticipating.

“Signora, your appointment is in an hour.” He informed me smoothly.

I arched a brow, grabbing a towel and dabbing the sweat from my neck. “Appointment?”

Piero inclined his head. “A full spa day.”

I blinked, then exhaled through my nose. Dante hadn’t just told me to go. He had taken it upon himself to make the arrangements. Of course he had.

My voice was dry as I muttered, “He really wasn’t lying when he said I should spoil myself.”

Piero didn’t comment, just waited patiently.

A quiet warmth unfurls in my chest. It wasn’t much, just a day at the spa, but the fact that he’d gone through the trouble of arranging it himself…

I pushed the thought aside before it could take root. This wasn’t sentimental. This was Dante. Control was second nature to him.

Still, a part of me didn’t mind. I appreciated that he considered me, even in his own domineering way.

I nodded at Piero. “Very well. I’ll be ready.”

He gave a curt nod and stepped aside as I walked past him. When I stepped into our bedroom, I stilled.

Resting elegantly atop the vanity was a bouquet of violet calla lilies, their rich, velvety petals exuding an air of quiet opulence.

A breath hitched in my throat, my pulse faltering for a beat. These were the very same flowers from my wedding. For a fleeting moment, I hesitated. The bouquet hadn’t been here when I left. Something inside me prickled with warning.

Slowly, I approached, my eyes flicking to the small note nestled between the petals. My fingers hovered over the edge of the paper before I finally picked it up.

Enjoy yourself. Spare no expense.

Don’t keep me waiting tonight.

The note read, the handwriting bold and elegant.

The words were simple, but something about them was both beautiful and commanding, dark.

Dante.

A quiet breath escaped me as I shook off the apprehension. Of course, it was him. The tautness in my shoulders loosened as I traced the edge of the note with my thumb. Not everything was a threat. Not everything had to be hypervigilance.

I brought the flowers to my nose, inhaling their scent. They were beautiful. And despite myself, a foreign sensation settled within me.

This man was becoming a danger to my heart, a temptation I couldn’t afford.

Now, I find myself being pampered from every angle. The faint hum of soothing music drifts through the air as a skilled pair of hands works over the tension in my shoulders.I’m lounging on a plush massage chair, my feet soaking in warm water, while a second aesthetician shapes my nails with meticulous care.

Yet, no matter how I try to occupy my thoughts, they keep drifting back, to my husband, the flowers, and the quiet, insidious way he’s been weaving himself beneath my skin. A distraction is in order.

As if on cue, my phone vibrates.

My screen lights up with an incoming FaceTime call, and Sofia’s bright, mischievous face fills the screen the moment I swipe to answer.