Chapter Two
Crystabella's POV
Romano's hand rested on my waist.
It used to feel comforting. Warm. Steady. Proud.
Now, it felt like a shackle.
Especially after Leo looked at me like he already owned me.
The worst part?
My body responded before my mind could reason.
I sat beside Romano at the long dining table, surrounded by family and carefully chosen guests. Laughter floated through the air. Soft music played in the background. But I couldn't hear any of it.
My skin still burned from Leo's gaze. My lips tingled, betraying me in silence.
Across from me, Alice leaned too close to Romano, her laughter a little too sweet. She had always been friendly, or so I used to believe. But tonight, I noticed everything. The way Romano's eyes flicked toward her neckline when he thought I wasn't looking. The way they exchanged glances. Small. Sharp. Secretive.
Something twisted in my chest.
Romano and I had never crossed certain lines. We had agreed to wait until after the wedding. He said he respected me. That love should be patient. Sacred.
I believed him.
But now I wondered if that vow had only applied to me. And if someone else... someone like Alice... had already taken what I was saving.
A smile stayed plastered on my face as dessert was served. I nodded along to a compliment from Romano's uncle, but my eyes kept drifting down the table.
To the man seated at the far end. Silent. Composed. Watching only me.
Leo Whitewood.
He didn't look away. Not once.
When Romano leaned in to whisper something to me, Leo's jaw flexed.
When I laughed politely at the mayor's joke, Leo's eyes darkened.
And when Alice "accidentally" laid a hand on Romano's knee under the table, Leo's stare sharpened like a blade.
My breath caught. A jagged tightness gripped my chest, fighting the heat that crept across my skin.
I wasn't supposed to feel this way.
Not for a man who disappeared for ten years and returned without warning.
Not when I was engaged to someone else.
But Leo wasn't just any man.
He was a storm that remembered me.
He stood suddenly. Slow and sure. His movements effortless. His eyes never left mine.
No one noticed. Not Romano. Not my parents. Not even Alice.
Just me.
He walked out the ballroom door.
And I followed.
The hallway was dim, lit only by scattered wall lamps. My heels echoed softly on the polished floor as I searched for him, heart pounding.
"Crystabella."
His voice curled around me like smoke.
Leo stepped from the shadows. Tall and quiet. His gaze steady. He didn't touch me. He didn't have to. His presence alone was overwhelming.
"You came," he said, voice low. "I hoped you would."
I swallowed hard. "You shouldn't be here."
"I should be the only one here," he said. "With you."
He took a step closer. My breath hitched.
"He doesn't see you," Leo said. "Not really. He thinks he can keep you without knowing what you need."
His voice dropped even lower.
"But I see it. I saw it the moment your eyes met mine."
I tried to speak. "Leo…"
"I haven't laid a hand on you," he whispered. "But don't mistake that for a lack of desire."
The air between us felt dangerous.
"I won't move until you ask me to. Until you look at me and admit that this thing between us... is real."
"I can't," I whispered.
He stepped close enough for me to feel the heat of him.
"Then I'll wait," he murmured. "But not forever."
And just like that, he turned and walked away, leaving me breathless in the darkened hall.
I didn't sleep.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Leo.
Standing in that corridor.
Waiting for me to break first.
By morning, I was wrapped in silk sheets, but I felt like I was tangled in his memory.
I tried to wash it away under scalding water.
But the damage had already been done.
Leo Whitewood wasn't just in my thoughts.
He was under my skin.
"You look tired," Alice said the next morning, sipping espresso from a dainty porcelain cup.
We were seated on the garden patio, roses blooming behind us. The table was set with perfect fruit trays and polished silverware. Everything was lovely, but her words felt sharp.
"Didn't sleep well," I said simply.
She tilted her head. "Second thoughts already?"
I paused. "Why would you say that?"
"Just something in your eyes." Her tone was light, but her stare wasn't. "Or maybe... someone."
She smiled slowly.
"Leo Whitewood."
I blinked. "What about him?"
She shrugged. "He wasn't here just to be seen, was he?"
I didn't respond.
She leaned forward. "Be careful, Bella. Power like his? It never knocks. It takes."
Something about her voice made my skin crawl.
Later that afternoon, I found myself in the greenhouse, surrounded by orchids and damp air.
Romano found me there, slipping his arms around me from behind.
"You've been quiet lately," he murmured, pressing a kiss to my shoulder.
I tensed.
"I'm just... thinking," I said.
He smiled, touching my hand. "About what?"
About the look you gave Alice last night. About what Leo whispered in the hall. About how everything I trusted feels like it's cracking beneath my feet.
"The wedding," I lied.
"You'll be the most beautiful bride," he said, brushing his lips to my cheek.
I tried to believe him. Tried to feel what I used to. But something had changed.
Then my phone buzzed.
A single message. No name. No introduction.
Leo: Come outside.
My heart stopped.
I pulled away from Romano with a quick excuse, walking faster than I meant to.
Leo stood by a black car at the edge of the estate. A quiet presence, dangerous in his stillness. One hand in his pocket, the other holding a cigarette he hadn't lit.
"You shouldn't be here," I said, breath catching.
"And yet you came," he said softly.
I folded my arms. "You can't keep showing up like this."
"But you never tell me to leave."
He stepped closer, voice like velvet and steel.
"Tell me your heart doesn't race. Tell me you don't feel this... whatever this is."
I didn't answer.
His eyes searched mine.
"He's not who you think he is, Bella. Neither is she. I won't let them hurt you."
He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. A simple touch, yet my whole body responded.
"I'll wait," he said again. "But not forever."
He opened the car door and slid inside.
And I stood frozen, knowing everything was about to change.