CHAPTER 423: CHAPTER 423 UNEASINESS

Bella woke slowly, her lashes fluttering as her eyes adjusted to the dim room. For a moment, she lay still, staring at the ceiling, trying to understand why everything felt so quiet. Then she turned her head and realized the space beside her was empty.

"Leo..." she whispered softly, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand.

She waited, listening to the silence, and a tiny frown formed on her face. The bed felt cold without him. She pulled the blanket up to her chin and lay there for a moment, staring ahead with a blank expression, as if trying to gather her thoughts. A long, tired sigh escaped her lips.

She was about to sit up and call his name again when she heard it—the soft sound of footsteps approaching the bed.

Panicking for no reason, she quickly closed her eyes and pretended to still be asleep.

A second later, she felt the mattress dip beside her. Leo leaned over her, his presence warm and comforting, and pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"I thought you woke up," he murmured, his voice low and soft from exhaustion.

Bella fought a smile, keeping her eyes closed. She felt him move closer, his arm sliding around her waist as he pulled her into his chest. His warmth surrounded her instantly, and she melted into it, letting him hold her the way he always did when he wanted her close.

After a few minutes, his breathing slowed, deep and steady—meaning he had drifted into sleep.

Bella waited quietly, counting the beats of his heart against her cheek.

When she was sure he was asleep, she slowly opened her eyes again. Very carefully, she stretched her hand out toward the bedside table and picked up her phone. The screen lit her face with a soft glow.

1:07 AM.

"Oh..." she whispered to herself.

So after shopping... she had fallen asleep on the way home, and she hadn’t woken up since.

She sighed gently and turned again, slipping her arm around Leo’s torso, hugging him softly. His body was warm and heavy beside hers, grounding her, giving her a sense of safety she had never once experienced in her childhood.

She tried closing her eyes.

Tried matching her breathing with his.

Tried letting herself drift back to sleep.

But sleep wouldn’t come.

Something inside her felt unsettled. Like she had missed something. Like something had happened. She held him a little tighter, her face tucked against his chest as she stared into the dark, not noticing the small twitch of Leo’s hand or the way his fingers curled slightly against her waist.

Because he was not asleep.

Leo lay there silently, eyes half-open in the dark, his breathing perfectly controlled to mimic sleep. His arm stayed around her.

But inside him, nothing was silent.

His mind replayed the message from earlier—what his men had sent him.

Her uncle, the man responsible for the worst years of Bella’s life, had escaped eight hours ago as expected. And now he was gone.

Leo inhaled slowly, holding Bella a little closer as he sorted through the truth. The man hadn’t escaped because he was smart or lucky. He had escaped because Leo wanted him to. That pig had been trying to escape for days, so Leo knew he would try again. Leo had left a tiny opening in the security barrier, a false chance of freedom that no desperate man could resist.

And the moment her uncle stepped through that narrow tunnel, the trap activated.

A direct surge of electric current hit him instantly and overwhelmingly.

Leo stared at the ceiling for a long moment, his jaw tightening as memories of Bella’s trembling voice surfaced—her confessions about what her uncle had done to her. He pressed a soft kiss into her hair and let his fingers glide slowly through her strands, calming himself more than her.

How was he supposed to tell her?

How would she look at him when she learned the truth?

Would she feel grateful? Guilty? Angry?

Would she cry? Break down? Or would she simply collapse into him the way she always did when she didn’t know how to hold her emotions alone?

He didn’t know. And he feared each answer in a different way.

Right now, she looked peaceful. Her lashes rested softly against her cheeks, her lips parted slightly with each quiet breath.

Leo closed his eyes briefly and pressed another kiss to her head.

Not tonight.

He would not take this peace away from her.

Maybe after the ballroom, he told himself. Let her shine tomorrow. Let her laugh. Let her have one beautiful night before she learns what happened.

Bella shifted closer in her sleep, her face burrowing deeper into his chest as if she were searching for his warmth. Her hand fisted softly in his shirt, holding him with quiet trust.

Leo let out a slow exhale and wrapped his other arm around her, closing his eyes.

Maybe Bella wouldn’t mind the thought of that man dying. In fact, a quiet part of her would have accepted it easily. That pig had stolen her childhood, her peace, her bruiseless skin. If fate finally took him away, she would never call it a tragedy. She would probably breathe easier knowing he could never come near her again.

But Leo... Leo wasn’t worried about her reaction to the man’s death.

His uneasiness came from something else entirely.

He wasn’t sure why he felt uneasy.

He had been feeling this way since he reached home. That strange restlessness sitting low in his chest, a feeling he couldn’t name but also couldn’t ignore. He tried to shake those thoughts off, telling himself it was only his mind playing tricks after a long day. Nothing should go wrong. Everything was under control. Every step had been calculated. Every threat was already handled.

And even if something did happen, he would handle it calmly, the same way he always did. He reminded himself of that a few times, hoping it would settle the faint discomfort curling under his ribs. But the uneasiness lingered in a quiet corner of his heart, refusing to fade completely.

He looked at Bella again, curled softly against him, her breath warm on his chest, her small hand gripping his shirt as if she trusted him more than anything in the world. That alone eased him more than any logic could. Slowly, his muscles relaxed, and the tightness in his chest loosened just enough for exhaustion to finally slip in.

Thinking about that, he finally fell asleep, holding Bella tightly in his arms.