Page 117 of Vicious Kingdom

She was clear-headed and unflappable. I drew deep breaths to match her serenity.

My wife’s ribcage was a canvas of pain, yet she was the one soothing me. She was bruised, so fragile, yet she played the part of peacekeeper. I’d let the bastard think his words bit, but in reality, Hertz was collateral damage.

Annaliese knew it.

She’d always known it.

As we threaded through the crowd in the direction of the grand exit, I refocused on her. She deserved my full attention. “So, do you want to get a hotel room with a soaking tub? Or should we stop by my brother’s house and use his?”

She hesitated, dragging her heels. Exhaustion weighed on her now that the watchful gaze of society was cut off. “Um, that’s a little weird, don’t you think?”

I shook my head, trying to anticipate her needs. “No. It’s my house too.”

Not my home. Not a place I could exist. But use secretly? That I could do some of the time.

Annaliese bit her lip, weighing the options for a moment. “Honest, I’d just like to go home, Leo.”

Home.The place we dwelled in together.

She kept surprising me at every turn.

“Are you sure? We can—” I started.

“Yes, I want to go to our home,” she said.

An idea tickled my brain, a scene began to paint itself at her words. I lived in the penthouse because it was close to the office. It was efficient, practical, expected of a CEO clawing his way up the corporate ladder. But it was not a proper dwelling. Not a space meant for two. For us. Maybe it was time to change that. Maybe it was time to find a palace fit for a queen. The kind of house our enemies would glance at and know we were united.

Because despite everything, at the very core of our relationship, we were exactly that.

I made a silent vow to start acting like a better man. One who might someday deserve her.

“Okay, cara mia, let’s go.”

Annaliese smiled. Her eyes brightened, a hint of relief in their depths, and she kissed my arm. “Thank you.”

Chapter 42 – Annaliese

The elevator glided up and up, thirty-eight stories in a black-mirrored tube, and every floor it passed had that distinct little shiver. There was no reason to feel uneasy. Here, I was safe; Leo wouldn’t let anything happen to me. I kept my eyes fixed on the numbers, but Leo’s hand never left the small of my back. His thumb traced back and forth, soft and gentle, and for the briefest seconds—maybe only in the hush of the elevator’s glow—I let myself imagine we were just people, going home together.

It was almost real.

But reality threw a harsh glow over the otherwise mundane setting. His discovery in the bathroom meant the secrets swirled around us. I thought I could keep him from seeing my body, from realizing what happened. Shame radiated through me. The logical thing to do was to tell him everything. Hell, he might be able to fix the problem!

Years of abuse kept my tongue tied.

How could I admit how bad things were? Leo would look at me differently.

I let my fears and insecurities keep the chasm between us wide. If I admitted the truth, he would look at me differently. A man like him didn’t want a broken, fragile wife.

No, I had to stay strong, brush off the incident. So far, I’d managed to throw Leo off the scent. And I just had to keep the secrets bottled tight, evading the truth until it vanished.

Leo was warm behind me, heat radiating through that immaculate suit. I resisted the urge to lean into him, to let him hold me upright.

I am strong.

His voice low and promising, whispered, “We are almost there, cara mia. Just a few more seconds.”

His lips brushed the top of my ear, and I shuddered, not just from the ache still locked in my muscles but because it was all so normal, and I knew that never lasted.