Page 280 of Iced Up Love: Part Two
And just like that he turns and walks back out.
His men follow.
The weight he leaves behind lingers. Heavy. Pressing. The second he’s gone, I turn on Christian.
“What did you do?”
He exhales slowly.
And for the first time tonight, he looks… done.
“When they heard you were married,” he says, “they were going to pull the Bellandi’s from the syndicate.”
My stomach drops slightly.
“So I offered myself instead.”
The words don’t land immediately. My brain doesn’t process them fast enough.
“You… what?”
He meets my gaze evenly.
“I accepted the proposal.”
The world narrows.
“You accepted the marriage proposal?” I repeat, my voice lower now, tighter.
He nods once.
“It won’t happen immediately,” he says. “She’s still studying abroad. But when she’s finished… they’ll bring her back. We’ll make the arrangements.”
Something cracks in my chest. Sharp. Unexpected.
“You did that for me.”
It’s not a question. He shrugs slightly, like it’s nothing.
“It’s business.”
Bullshit. And he knows it.
“You didn’t have to do that,” I say, my voice rougher now, the control slipping just slightly.
“Yes,” he replies calmly. “I did.”
Silence stretches between us.
Because we both know what this means. What he just gave up. What he just stepped into. For me. For Lia. For everything I chose.
“I’m sorry,” I say quietly.
The words feel inadequate. Pointless. Too small. He shakes his head.
“It’s a marriage,” he says simply. “Not a death sentence.”
But it’s not just that. And we both know it.
