Chapter 151: My heart belongs to only one man.

The door opened quietly. Max stepped inside slowly.

The moment he saw her crying like that, his chest tightened painfully.

"Mila..."

Hearing his voice, she instantly looked up.

The softness vanished from her face, replaced by fury.

"That was your idea, wasn’t it?" she snapped viciously, sitting up. "You asked your father to force me into marriage."

Max stiffened. "No, Mila—"

"You know I love Dominic," she shouted over him. "You know I belong to him. Yet you are trying to take advantage of this situation."

Resentment burned fiercely inside her. "I hate this," she cried. "I hate all of this."

Her eyes turned red from crying. "Listen carefully," she hissed. "Even if someone forces me to marry you, I will never love you."

Every word stabbed into Max’s heart.

"My heart belongs to only one man," she whispered brokenly. "And that’s Dominic."

Max stood there quietly, pain flickering across his face.

Her words hurt far more than he expected.

He had known from the very beginning that she loved Dominic deeply. Yet despite knowing that truth, he had slowly started developing feelings for her.

Not because he wanted to steal her. Not because he wanted to replace Dominic. But because somewhere along the way, he had fallen for her talent, her stubbornness, and the fierce determination she carried in her heart.

And now, seeing her shattered like this made him ache helplessly.

"I never wanted to force you," he said quietly, his voice heavy with disappointment and pain. "Not once."

Mila looked away, tears still falling silently.

"But the danger is real," he continued softly. "Those people won’t spare you if they find out about the baby."

He paused. "When my father described the situation, I agreed to the marriage because it was the safest way to protect you."

His eyes dimmed painfully.

’And maybe... Maybe a selfish part of me hoped I could stay by your side,’ he mused but couldn’t say it out loud.

Mila’s fingers curled tightly around the blanket.

"But I know," Max whispered bitterly, "that no matter what happens, your heart will never belong to me."

Max took a slow step toward her, careful not to agitate her further.

"I’m not asking you to love me back, Mila," he said quietly. "I’m only worried about your safety."

Mila’s chest still burned with anger and grief. But something in his tone, the sincerity behind his words, stopped her from lashing out again.

"I agreed to this marriage only because I want to protect you." His gaze slowly dropped to her stomach. "And the baby."

His expression softened.

"I’ll give my name to your child so no one will suspect the baby is Dominic’s. Please, Mila..." His voice grew gentler. "Think carefully. For yourself. For your baby."

At the mention of the baby, Mila broke down again. A sob tore out of her throat as she clutched her stomach protectively.

Max panicked instantly. "Mila..."

He rushed toward her and wrapped his arms around her carefully.

"Don’t cry like this," he pleaded softly. "Please. I won’t force you into anything. Just calm down."

But Mila couldn’t stop.

All the fear, grief, confusion, and helplessness crushed her at once. She buried her face against his chest and cried miserably, clutching his shirt tightly in her fists.

Max’s heart ached painfully seeing her so broken. He didn’t know how to ease her pain.

"You still have your baby," he whispered gently, stroking her trembling back. "You have to stay strong for the little life growing inside you."

Slowly, Mila’s sobs weakened.

She lifted her tearful eyes toward him. For the first time since he entered the room, there was no hatred in her gaze. Only conflict, fear, and exhaustion.

Max held her gaze steadily.

"This marriage is only for protection," he explained softly. "I won’t demand anything from you. I won’t ask you to fulfill any responsibilities as my wife."

His voice lowered further. "As long as you don’t accept me wholeheartedly, I’ll keep my distance."

Mila looked away silently, her expression troubled.

Seeing her no longer resisting him fiercely, Max quietly exhaled in relief.

"Trust me," he murmured. "I’ll protect you and your baby."

"But this is unfair to you," Mila whispered weakly after a long silence. "You can find someone you truly love, someone who will love you back."

Her fingers curled around the blanket tightly.

"And me... I can give you nothing. I’m carrying another man’s child. Why would you tie yourself to someone like me?"

Max stared at her quietly for a long moment.

’Because the woman I love is you,’ he answered silently in his heart. ’Why wouldn’t I want to marry you? This is my only chance to stay beside you and maybe someday win your heart.’

But he hid those selfish thoughts carefully.

"I don’t care about any of that," he replied calmly. "Right now, your safety matters more."

Deep inside, Max truly believed that with time, Mila would eventually move on from Dominic. And when that day came, maybe she would finally see him.

"I’ll treat your child as my own," he promised sincerely. "Just trust me once, Mila. Everything will be alright."

Mila fell silent. Her mind was a complete mess.

Part of her still stubbornly believed Dominic was alive. But another part couldn’t ignore the danger surrounding her anymore.

This was no longer only about her. There was a baby depending on her now.

Accepting Max’s proposal could protect her child. Yet the thought of marrying another man felt like betraying Dominic, betraying the love they shared.

"I need time," she whispered finally, stepping away from him and creating distance between them again.

Max nodded immediately. "Take all the time you need." His tone remained patient. "Focus on recovering first. Nobody will force you into anything."

He paused briefly. "Even if you refuse to marry me, publicly we’ll still appear as a couple. That alone will stop the enemies from targeting you."

Mila looked away tiredly. Her head throbbed painfully, and her eyes burned from crying so much.

"I want to rest," she muttered quietly. "Please leave me alone for now."

Max hesitated. Every instinct in him wanted to stay close to her, especially in her fragile state. But he knew pushing her further would only make things worse.

"Rest well," he said softly. "I won’t disturb you."

His gaze lingered on her for another second before he finally turned and walked out.

The moment the door closed, Mila quickly grabbed her phone from the bedside table. Her trembling fingers dialed Dominic’s number immediately.

’The number you have dialed is out of service.’

Mila stiffened.

"How can it be out of service?" she whispered in disbelief.

She called again and again. But the result remained the same.

Fear slowly crept into her chest.

"No..." She shook her head stubbornly. "He must be hiding."

Her breathing quickened.

"He is avoiding the enemies, avoiding the police. He must be planning something."

She blinked away her tears fiercely. "I’ll find him," she whispered with determination. "I’ll definitely find him."

Next, she called Valentina. But her number was unreachable too.

Mila frowned at the screen. "What is happening?"

Her anxiety deepened further. Finally, she dialed Lucas’s number despite already knowing the likely outcome.

When his phone also remained unreachable, fresh tears spilled down her cheeks.

Luke’s words echoed mercilessly inside her head. ’His gang is destroyed. Many were killed.’

’Could they all really be dead?’

"No..." she whispered shakily. "No, that can’t happen."

She clung desperately to hope.

"They are hiding," she convinced herself. "Yes... they must all be hiding."

She wiped her tears away firmly. Then suddenly, something flashed through her mind.

A determined look slowly appeared in her eyes.

Dominic loved her obsessively, fiercely. There was no way he would stay hidden if he learned she was marrying another man.

Even if he were wounded, even if enemies were hunting him, he would come for her.

"I need to do this," she whispered. "I need to prove he is alive."

She dialed another number. The call connected instantly.

"I made my decision," she said flatly. "I’ll marry you."

On the other side, Max froze completely.

"Really?" Joy burst inside his chest. "You are really agreeing to marry me?"

"Yes," Mila replied emotionlessly. "But I have conditions."

Max’s smile faded slightly. "What conditions?"

"You will never interfere with my work," Mila said firmly. "You will never question where I go, who I meet, or what I do. I want complete freedom."

Relief immediately returned to Max’s face.

"Done," he agreed without hesitation. "I promise I’ll never stop you. Anything else?"

"You will never force yourself on me," Mila continued coldly. "In public, I’ll act as your wife. But privately, we stay away from each other."

Max fell silent.

"We won’t share a room," she added firmly. "And if you ever break your promise, I’ll divorce you immediately."

Pain flickered briefly across Max’s eyes.

He was finally getting the chance to marry the woman he loved. Yet she still refused to even consider him her husband.

It hurt deeply. But even so, he was willing to accept everything. Because he believed time could change her heart someday.

"If you agree to all this, I’ll marry you."

Max let out a soft chuckle. "I agree. I promise I’ll never force you into anything. I’ll wait patiently until you accept me willingly."

"That will never happen," Mila replied instantly. "I belong only to Dominic."

Her voice trembled slightly. "This marriage is only to protect my baby. The moment Dominic comes back to me, I’ll divorce you and return to him."

Max fell silent.

"Are you still there?" Mila asked.

"You still believe he’ll return?" Max asked grimly.

"Yes," she answered without even a second of hesitation.

Max closed his eyes briefly. He didn’t remind her this time that Dominic was dead.

"Fine," he murmured. "If he really comes back, I’ll step aside."

He inhaled slowly before adding, "We’ll register the marriage once we return home."

The call ended.

Max lowered the phone slowly, a complicated emotion flickering in his eyes.

"We have plenty of time, Mila," he murmured. "I can wait."

His gaze darkened with determination. "But I’ll never give up on you."