The morning after was different.
For the first time since Isabella stepped into Luca's world, she woke up before him.
She lay quietly, staring at the man beside her, trying to understand how someone who was supposed to be nothing more than a dangerous distraction had slowly become the person she searched for in every quiet moment.
Luca was always surrounded by power. Fear followed him everywhere. People listened when he spoke, obeyed when he gave orders, and disappeared when they crossed him.
But here, in the silence of the room, he looked different.
Not weaker.
Just human.
Isabella had spent days discovering the man behind the rumors. The world knew Luca as a ruthless businessman, a man with connections nobody questioned. They saw the cold expression, the expensive suits, the authority.
They didn't see the way he looked at her when he thought she wasn't watching.
They didn't see the way his hand always found hers when they walked together.
They didn't see the moments when his walls came down.
And that scared her more than anything.
Because Isabella was starting to realize that she wasn't only attracted to Luca's darkness.
She was falling for the person hidden beneath it.
A soft sound came from the bedside table, pulling her from her thoughts.
Luca's phone.
The screen lit up.
One name appeared.
Marco.
The change in Luca's expression was immediate.
The warmth disappeared.
The softness vanished.
In seconds, the man beside her became the Luca everyone feared.
Isabella watched silently as he answered.
"What happened?"
His voice was colder than she had ever heard.
A pause.
Then his jaw tightened.
"Where?"
Another pause.
"I'll handle it."
He ended the call and sat up.
The sudden shift unsettled her.
"What happened?" Isabella asked.
Luca looked at her for a moment, almost as if deciding whether to tell her the truth.
"It's nothing you need to worry about."
She frowned.
That answer bothered her more than the silence.
"Luca, I'm not a child."
His eyes met hers.
And for a moment, neither of them spoke.
"You're right," he finally said quietly. "You're not."
He reached for her hand.
"But my world is dangerous, Isabella."
The seriousness in his voice made her heart slow.
"This isn't just expensive cars and beautiful rooms. There are people who would hurt you just to get to me."
She swallowed.
A part of her wanted to step back.
But another part the part that had seen the man beneath the danger wanted to understand him.
"Then why bring me into it?"
The question stayed between them.
For the first time, Luca looked like he didn't have an answer.
Because Luca had always controlled everything.
Except her.
"You were never supposed to matter this much," he admitted.
The words hit harder than she expected.
Isabella looked away, trying to hide the emotion building inside her.
But Luca noticed.
He always noticed.
He moved closer, lifting her chin gently.
"Isabella."
She looked at him.
"I don't know how to do this."
The honesty shocked her.
A man like Luca admitting uncertainty felt impossible.
"Do what?"
"Care."
The single word carried more weight than any promise.
For a moment, the dangerous mafia king disappeared.
And Isabella saw the man who had spent his entire life protecting himself from feeling anything.
She placed her hand against his chest.
"Maybe you don't have to control everything."
A small smile touched his lips.
"You have no idea what you're asking from me."
"Maybe I do."
The silence between them changed.
It wasn't only desire anymore.
It was something deeper.
Something neither of them was ready to name.
But before Luca could answer, his phone rang again.
This time, his expression changed completely.
He stood.
"Stay here."
Immediately, Isabella knew something was wrong.
"Luca…"
His eyes met hers.
"I mean it."
And then he walked away.
Leaving Isabella alone with a question she couldn't ignore.
Who was Luca before she met him?
And what secrets was he still hiding?
Because she was beginning to understand something dangerous.
The 90 days were supposed to reveal her desires.
But maybe they were also revealing Luca's secrets.
And some secrets were never meant to be uncovered.