Safety, I learned, is never free.
It just charges you in ways you don't expect.
The invitation arrived that afternoon—cream cardstock, embossed lettering, no sender listed. It was placed neatly on the breakfast tray like it belonged there.
Charity Gala.
Attendance Requested.
Mr. and Mrs. Knight.
I stared at it longer than necessary.
"I don't want to go," I said when Valerio entered the room.
He didn't pretend to consider it. "You have to."
That answer irritated me more than it should have.
"I thought the point of all this," I said carefully, "was protection. Not parading."
He met my gaze. "Protection works best when people see it."
"So I'm proof," I said. "A symbol."
"Yes."
The honesty stung.
The gala was held downtown, in one of those historic buildings polished to hide how many ugly decisions had been made inside its walls. Cameras flashed the moment we stepped out of the car. Valerio's hand found mine—firm, grounding, unavoidable.
He looked calm. Unbothered.
I felt like I was walking into a room that already knew too much about me.
Inside, the air buzzed with music, laughter, and quiet calculation. I recognized some faces from the last event. Others watched from a distance, eyes lingering too long.
Valerio leaned down slightly. "Stay where I can see you."
That should have sounded protective.
Instead, it sounded like a leash.
I excused myself to the restroom halfway through the evening, needing space, needing to breathe without being watched. When I stepped back into the corridor, heels clicking softly against marble, I felt it before I saw it.
That shift in the air.
"Careful," a familiar voice said behind me. "You walk like someone who forgets she's being observed."
I turned.
Alessia stood there like she belonged—perfect posture, flawless makeup, eyes sharp with amusement. She wore silver tonight. Cold. Deliberate.
"You shouldn't be here," I said.
She smiled. "Neither should you. But look at us. Both invited."
"What do you want?"
She tilted her head, studying me. "I wanted to see you without him."
My pulse quickened. "You've seen me."
"Yes," she said softly. "But not like this."
She stepped closer—not threatening, not touching. "Do you know what it costs to be protected by a man like Valerio?"
"I'm not interested in your version of him."
"That's the problem," Alessia replied. "You think you're protected. What you really are… is expensive."
I stiffened. "Meaning?"
She leaned in just enough for her words to land like a blade. "Every move he makes for you unsettles alliances. Every threat he silences creates another one. And every time he chooses you over strategy—someone else pays."
"Are you threatening me?" I asked.
She laughed quietly. "No. I'm warning you."
Footsteps echoed nearby. Alessia straightened instantly, stepping back with a smile that vanished the moment Valerio appeared.
His eyes moved from her to me.
"What are you doing here?" he asked her.
"Enjoying the party," Alessia replied lightly. "I came to support the cause."
"This isn't your space anymore," he said.
She shrugged. "Neither is she. But you brought her anyway."
Valerio's jaw tightened. "Leave."
Alessia's gaze flicked back to me, something unreadable passing through it. "Be careful," she said. "You don't yet know what it costs him to keep you."
Then she was gone.
The drive home was silent.
Not tense—controlled.
When we entered the house, Valerio removed his jacket slowly, carefully, like he was containing something volatile.
"She doesn't get access to you," he said finally. "Not again."
"I didn't seek her out," I replied. "But she's right about one thing."
He turned to me. "About what?"
"I'm changing things," I said. "Your decisions. Your balance."
His eyes darkened. "That's not your concern."
"But it is," I insisted. "If being with me puts people in danger—"
"It puts me at risk," he interrupted sharply. "And I accepted that the moment you signed."
I stared at him. "Why?"
He didn't answer immediately.
Because saying it would make it real.
"Because walking away from you would cost more," he said at last.
The words settled heavily between us.
I realized then that Valerio's protection wasn't a shield.
It was a gamble.
And the more he chose me, the higher the stakes climbed.
Alessia wasn't just circling.
She was waiting—for the moment when loving me became too expensive.