Chapter 107: you were worried about me

The bedroom door to the master suite clicked shut behind Sienna. She stood in the middle of the enormous walk-in closet with both hands on her hips, staring at the impossible amount of designer clothes hanging before her.

Rows upon rows. Dresses. Tailored jackets. Luxury handbags. Shoes she couldn’t even pronounce the names of. Some still had tags attached.

She let out a long sigh. "I don’t even wear half of these."

Aria had insisted they bring several bags back from their shopping trip, claiming that if Sienna was going to be Mrs. Kessler, she had to at least look like she belonged. Unfortunately, there wasn’t any room left. Every shelf was already overflowing.

Every rack was packed. "Seriously?" Sienna muttered. She reached for a row of expensive evening gowns. One by one, she slid them off the rack. Silk. Velvet. Sequins.

Designer labels that cost more than an average person’s yearly salary. She folded them with surprising care before stuffing them into a large canvas sack she’d found in the storage room.

"You’re all beautiful..." She shoved another dress inside. "...but I need space." Another handbag followed. Then three pairs of heels. Another jacket.

Finally, she managed to clear one entire section of the closet. "There." She smiled to herself.

"Now I can set up my monitors." Compared to Viktor’s luxurious wardrobe, her own belongings looked almost pitiful.

A handful of jeans. Simple sweaters. Plain T-shirts. A few hoodies. One black dress. That was all. She carefully arranged everything anyway, taking her time.

For the first time since arriving at the mansion, it felt like a tiny piece of the room actually belonged to her.

She had just finished setting up the extra computer monitors on the corner desk inside the closet when she heard footsteps.

Heavy. Slow. Confident. Each one echoed through the hallway. Thud. Thud. Thud. Sienna froze. She knew those footsteps. She had heard them enough times already.

Viktor. Without realizing it, a small smile tugged at the corner of her lips before she quickly hid it. She stepped out of the closet.

The bedroom door opened almost at the same moment. There he was. Viktor leaned against the doorway, still wearing a black dress shirt stained with fresh blood. His dark hair was slightly messy.

His jaw carried a faint bruise. Yet somehow... He looked ridiculously handsome. In one hand he held a bouquet of white lilies. In the other... A box of expensive chocolates.

His tired face slowly broke into a smile. "I got you these." For a brief second, Sienna forgot to breathe. She looked from the flowers...

...to the chocolates...then finally to the blood soaking through his shirt. Her eyebrows immediately knitted together. "Are you hurt?"

The question escaped before she could stop herself. Viktor’s smile widened.

"So..." he said softly, "you were worried about me." Sienna instantly looked away. "Worried?" She scoffed.

"No." She folded her arms. "I just wanted to know if someone finally beat me to it." A laugh escaped Viktor.

A genuine one. It only lasted a second. His laughter suddenly stopped as he sucked in a sharp breath. His hand instinctively pressed against his side.

Pain flashed across his face before he hid it. Sienna saw everything. Without another word, she walked over. She took the flowers from his hand. Then the chocolates. She tossed both onto the bed behind them.

Her attention had already shifted somewhere else. She reached for the buttons on his shirt. Viktor raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?" A teasing grin spread across his face. "Baby..."

"It seems you really did miss me." His voice carried that familiar arrogance she was beginning to recognize. Sienna didn’t even look up.

"Don’t move." Her fingers worked quickly. One button. Then another. And another. She pulled the blood-soaked shirt off his shoulders.

The moment the fabric fell away, her expression darkened. A deep knife wound stretched across his right side. The bleeding had slowed but hadn’t stopped completely.

She inhaled sharply. "Viktor..."

"It’s nothing." He waved it off casually.

"Just a scratch." Sienna slowly lifted her eyes. The look she gave him could have frozen lava. Without saying another word, she turned toward the dresser.

She yanked open a drawer. Pulled out a first-aid kit. Closed it with more force than necessary. When she returned, Viktor was still smiling. "I didn’t know my wife could be this caring."

He sat obediently on the edge of the bed. "Aren’t you a darling?" Sienna ignored him. She poured antiseptic onto a cotton pad until it was soaked.

Then...she pressed it directly against the wound. "Hell..." Viktor hissed through his teeth.

"Easy."

"That hurts." She didn’t remove the cotton. Instead, she pressed a little harder. "I thought you said it was nothing." Her voice was calm. Dangerously calm. "So what happened?"

"You suddenly want me to be gentle?" Viktor looked at her with amused disbelief.

"You’ve got quite the temper."

"I’m cleaning the wound." She continued disinfecting it carefully despite her harsh words.

"If it hurts, that’s because you decided walking around bleeding was somehow a good idea." The room grew quiet.

Only the faint clinking of medical tools filled the silence. Sienna reached for fresh gauze. Her hands were steady. Too steady.

She hated how relieved she felt knowing he would be fine. She hated that seeing his blood had frightened her. She hated even more that her chest had tightened the moment she’d seen him standing at the door.

When had that started? She had spent days convincing herself Viktor Kessler was nothing more than a dangerous man she happened to be married to.

Someone she should escape from. Someone she absolutely should never trust. Yet here she was... Her fingers moved with incredible gentleness as she wrapped the bandage around his waist.

Almost unconsciously. She frowned. Annoyed with herself. She had always been good at hiding her emotions. At masking fear. At burying affection before anyone noticed it existed.

But this...this was different. This feeling refused to stay buried. Viktor watched her in silence. Every tiny movement. Every crease between her brows. The way her lips pressed together whenever she worried.

She didn’t even realize she was lightly supporting his back so the bandage would sit comfortably.

He smiled. A genuine one this time. Slowly, he reached out. His fingers slipped beneath her chin. He gently lifted her face until their eyes met. There was no teasing now.

Only quiet curiosity. "Are you worried about me?" His voice was softer than before. Almost careful. Sienna held his gaze. For a long moment, neither of them spoke.