87 – WE HAVE TO KILL HIM

Book:A Deal With My Billionaire Husband Published:2024-12-11

HELENA’S POV
The water was colder than I imagined, sharp and biting, and I felt it burrow into my skin, freezing me from the inside out. As the surface swallowed me whole, a single, panicked thought clawed through my mind: I can’t swim. The screws in my hip made sure of that. Every kick of my legs felt heavy, like I was dragging chains beneath me. But it was the only way.
It was the only way to escape Dante-because I knew if I stayed, he wouldn’t just drag me out of there by my hair. He’d kill Matteo, and every ounce of defiance I’d summoned would have been for nothing.
The pressure of the water wrapped around me like a fist, squeezing my lungs. My chest burned, desperate for air. I flailed my arms, trying to stay afloat, but my body betrayed me, weighted down by both the freezing cold and my own limits. Panic clawed at my throat, but I forced myself to think. Stay calm, Helena. Just keep moving. Help will come.
I didn’t have to wait long.
A splash rippled through the water near me, and before I could fully process what was happening, a strong arm grabbed mine. I felt myself being hauled upward, my face breaking the surface as I gasped for air, coughing violently. My lungs burned as I choked out the water I’d swallowed, each breath scraping like sandpaper in my throat.
“Don’t ever do that again!” Matteo’s voice broke through my coughing fits, sharp and trembling with something I didn’t expect: fear.
His hands were firm as he pulled me onto solid ground, the cold night air wrapping around me as I shivered violently. My clothes clung to my skin, soaked and plastered to me like a second layer. My hair dripped in thick, heavy strands against my scalp. Matteo wasn’t much better off-his shirt was plastered to his chest, his hair slicked back, and his eyes… they burned. With anger, yes, but something else simmered beneath the surface.
“It was the only way,” I rasped, my voice weak and hoarse. My lips twitched into a smirk, though it probably looked pathetic given my current state. “He would’ve killed you, Matteo. And all of this-” I gestured weakly, “-would’ve been for nothing.”
His jaw tightened, and his hands flexed at his sides. “Let me handle that next time, Helena. You knew you couldn’t swim. What if I couldn’t get to you in time? What then? Fuck!”
The heat in his words almost warmed me. Almost.
I sighed, not meeting his eyes, as I tried to steady my breathing. My body felt like lead, and the pain in my hip was starting to blossom-a slow, radiating ache that made me grit my teeth. “Where is he?” I managed to ask.
“I don’t know,” Matteo replied, shrugging. “I didn’t wait to find out if he left before I jumped in after you. But we need to get out of here. You need dry clothes, and we need to figure out our next move.”
He didn’t wait for me to protest, scooping me up in his arms as if I weighed nothing. I clung to his soaked shirt, partly for balance and partly to brace against the pain stabbing up my leg. Every step he took jostled me slightly, sending another sharp pang shooting through me, but I bit down hard and stayed silent.
“Don’t ever do that again,” Matteo muttered as he carried me toward the car. His voice was quieter now, but no less firm. “I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if something happened to you.”
By the time we reached his penthouse, I was half-asleep, my body trembling uncontrollably from the cold. I jolted awake when he carried me inside, the warmth of his home like a balm against my frozen skin. He set me down gently on the sofa, immediately covering me with a thick blanket before disappearing into the kitchen.
The sound of cabinets opening and closing filled the silence as I pulled the blanket tighter around me. The room felt impossibly large, but Matteo’s presence anchored me. When he returned with a steaming mug of tea, I took it gratefully, wrapping my hands around it to chase away the chill.
I took a sip, savoring the warmth as it spread through me, but then my gaze dropped to my hand. My bare hand.
“My ring!” I exclaimed, panic flaring in my chest. I twisted my fingers, searching desperately for the familiar weight of my wedding band, but it was gone. “It’s missing. I must’ve lost it in the water.”
Matteo frowned, his eyes flicking to my hand before meeting mine. “What does it matter?” he asked softly.
“That ring is worth millions,” I said, my voice tinged with frustration. “Dante’s going to want it back. He’ll use it as leverage to get me back. I know how that bastard thinks.”
Matteo’s expression darkened, his jaw tightening as he leaned forward. His eyes locked onto mine, sharp and unyielding. “Then we have only one option,” he said.
There was a weight to his words that made my chest tighten. “What option?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
His gaze didn’t waver, didn’t soften. “We have to kill him.”
The words hung in the air between us, heavy and unrelenting. I stared at him, my heart pounding in my chest as I tried to process what he’d just said.
He couldn’t mean it. Could he?
“Matteo…” I began, but I didn’t know how to finish. My thoughts were a storm, and my emotions weren’t far behind.
“It’s the only way, Helena,” he said, his voice low but steady. “He’ll never stop. You know that. And as long as he’s alive, he’ll always find a way to pull you back. To hurt you. To hurt us.”
I shook my head, trying to form words, trying to make sense of the chaos swirling around me. But deep down, I knew he was right. Dante wouldn’t stop. He never did.
And that terrified me more than Matteo’s words ever could.