MY HUSBAND SMASHED A PLATE AGAINST MY HEAD IN FRONT OF HIS ENTIRE FAMILY—BECAUSE I REFUSED TO GIVE HIS MOTHER MY CONDO / Chapter 13 / 20

Chapter 13 - Silent VowsDeep in the Swiss Alps, snow fell violently over a massive stone castle built onto the cliffside of Mount Titlis. The castle was Alexander Vance’s main base of operations—an impenetrable citadel equipped with radar jamming systems, thirty heavily armed mercenaries, and an underground bunker.

Inside a hidden wooden cabin two miles away, Julian and Maria sat by a roaring fireplace, preparing their equipment for the night strike. Thermal goggles, tactical explosives, suppressed weapons, and hacking devices were laid out neatly on a wooden table.

Julian was stripping down his sidearm, cleaning the barrel. His shirt sleeves were rolled up, revealing the scar on his forearm from Alexander’s knife in Monaco.

Maria walked over, holding a small medical kit. "Sit still. That cut needs fresh bandages."

Julian looked up, allowing her to sit beside him. Maria took his arm gently, cleaning the wound with antiseptic. She was so close he could feel the warmth of her breath, smell the subtle scent of rain and gunpowder that seemed to follow her.

"Why didn't you leave?" Julian asked quietly as she wrapped the white bandage around his arm. "When Alexander offered you millions, when he revealed you were originally sent to spy on me... why stay?"

Maria’s hands paused for a moment. She looked up into Julian’s dark eyes.

"When I first took the contract seven years ago, I thought you were just another arrogant, corrupt billionaire," Maria confessed softly. "But then I watched you work. I watched how you protected your employees, how you rebuilt charities, how deeply you cared for your son when everyone else saw him as an asset. You aren't like them, Julian."

She gently patted the fresh bandage. "I realized... I would rather die protecting a man with a soul than live rich serving monsters."

Julian reached out, his long fingers cupping her jawline. Maria’s breath hitched.

"You saved my son's life, Maria," Julian whispered, his eyes dark with unexpressed emotion. "You saved mine."

"Julian..." Maria began, but her words were cut short as Julian leaned in, pressing his lips against hers in a slow, deep, passionate kiss that seemed to melt the alpine cold outside.

For a long moment, the war, the betrayal, the empire—everything vanished. There was only the heat of the fire and two warriors finding solace in each other's arms before entering the storm.