Page 184 of Ruined Vows
I spin around. “You’re disgusting.”
He grins. “I’m honest.”
“You’re arrogant.”
“And you’re wet.”
My slap is fast. He catches my wrist before it lands. Holds it there between us, tension coiled like a fuse.
“Let go.”
“Tell me to stop wanting you. Say it like you mean it.”
I open my mouth, but nothing comes out.
He lowers his mouth to my ear.
“That’s what I thought.”
Then he steps back. Releasing me, and I hate him for it.
Because it makes me want him more, and I’m the one who can’t breathe.
He senses the shift and pulls me into his kiss as his lips devour mine.
“I’m going to fuck you until you’re exhausted.”
And god help me, he does just that.
63
BIANCA
WITH THESE HANDS
Vukan told me to wear white. It’s not the color of surrender, it’s the color of command and strength. The couture white silk formal dress has a high collar, and is slit to the thigh. It commands attention.
I wanted them to see me and choke on every assumption they ever made about what it means to be a Borrelli woman.
I was never just the sister. Never just the pawn.
And now, I am no longer just his.
We enter the ballroom, and for once, I don’t walk a step behind him. I walk beside him, knowing that they stare and whisper.
This is what it was all for—not vengeance or legacy but freedom—freedom to live my life on my terms. I run the family foundation, and I love it. Running the non-profit is my passion.
When I talk to donors, I don’t play coy. I don’t soften my voice when I speak to the press. I talk about rebuilding, expanding the shelter, and putting power in the hands of women and children who never had it.
I speak like a woman who’s been through fire and learned how to command her own damn throne.
When Vukan stands beside me, silent and unwavering, I know: he didn’t make me strong. He just saw it before I did.
And now the whole world will too. Peace doesn’t feel like I thought it would. It’s not soft, and it’s not the still quiet we’ve known. It’s tense, sharp, focused, and at times, restless. It’s like a battlefield that hasn’t decided whether the war is truly over.
Vukan, beside me, is everything.
We step out together—his hand in mine. Our enemies are gone, and our allies are always watching.
