Novels by Diana Abi

Damon’s POVThree months earlier“So, you got a new tattoo?”The voice of the therapist pulled me out of my thoughts, and I pulled my gaze away from the window facing the garden, looking down at the still-fresh tattoo on my arm.“Yeah..” I murmured, tracing a finger across the face on the tattoo, lingering around the eyes that stared back at me.“When?” The female therapist asked, and I shrugged, not taking my eyes off the tattoo.“Just a few weeks back, I guess.”“Really? Can I see?”“Sure,” I mumbled, heaving a sigh.She rose to her feet and moved around her desk, coming over to where I sat and leaning forward behind me.“Wow,” she exclaimed quietly, a little amazement in her voice. “That’s a unique face. A pretty one, at that.”“Yeah, I know right?” I replied, the corners of my lips tilting up in a small smile. “It’s a face I keep seeing in my dreams, Andrea.”Andrea, my therapist, stood back then and observed me closely, almost lik

Iris’s POVA year laterI stood at the floor-to-ceiling window on the balcony of the condo, admiring the beautiful night view, my mind a melancholic mess.It had been that way since that night after Damon had fallen off that cliff.And we hadn’t seen him since.There was nowhere we hadn’t looked.But Damon was nowhere to be found.I’d cried and cried for months, but to my greatest despair, that was all I could do.Sometimes I wished Luca hadn’t showed up with Gary when he did, because then I’d have been killed too, and I wouldn’t have to deal with this pain.At least I’d be dead and buried, probably alongside him.It was as I’d seen him falling off that cliff that I knew I was in love with Damon Vyon, my heart falling right out with him.And I never got a chance to tell him how I felt…“What are you thinking about?”I whirled around to see Luca standing at the balcony door, watching me with a sober expression on his face.He too, had not remained the same ever since Damon disappeared

Iris’s POVThe gun fell out of my trembling hand, clattering to the floor.Did he just ask me to shoot Damon?No, no. I couldn’t.Sighing and pushing his fingers through his hair, Zach bent down and picked up the gun, approaching me menacingly. “Don’t piss me off, pretty girl,” he snapped, his tone laced with derision, as he pressed the gun into my hand again. “Shoot him, I said.”“No!” I screamed now, intentionally throwing the gun far from me, and as it tumbled over the cliff, Zach let out a deep growl and whirling around, he struck me heavily across the cheek.“Fucking bastard!” Damon yelled, struggling viciously to break free of his chains, and tears blurring my vision, I stared down at him, knowing very well that this would end badly.How could we possibly get out of this?What miracle could happen?“Hey you,” Zach snapped his fingers at one of his men, “get me another gun.” They quickly came forward, presenting him with a new gun, and he took it, observing it closely.“Now,” he

Damon’s POVI stared up at the chief coward—Zach, was it?—my vision blurring.Ah. So it was him? The one I’d replaced?This story he recounted.. triggered the memory of a day I’d kept buried and locked up, unconsciously, the pain coming right back and whipping me emotionally.That little boy from back then. I stared at the scar on his chest, remembering how I’d felt seeing him bleed out on the floor that day.“You seem to be getting your fucking memories back, don’t you?” Zach spat, his eyes growing darker than they were already.Of course, that day had been a fucking bloody day. So how could I forget?*****Fifteen years ago“W-what are you doing here?” The man who called himself my father stuttered, staring at me with a fear I’d never seen in his eyes before.We stood facing each other on the rooftop of his new law firm, a stick of cigar in his hand, dark circles underneath his eyes.Had he even been sleeping? Well, how could he sleep, after he sold me off to that maniac of a mafia

Damon’s POVHe glared at me for a long time, saying nothing, his eyes taking on a distant look. Then rising to his feet, he cleared his throat.“It’s your money, quite alright,” he started, shoving his fingers in his pocket, alongside the flash drive, “but this money is nothing compared to what you stole from me, Damon.”What the heck was he talking about? What exactly would I steal from a stranger like him? Someone I knew nothing about?He stopped pacing for a while, staring down at me. “You might have forgotten,” he scoffed, “seeing how fucking clueless you look right now.”“Look,” I started, frustration climbing into my tone, against my will, “I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about, or how you got your hands on that. But if it’s the money you want, you can keep it.” “Just let her go,” I added, nodding in Iris’s direction. “She has nothing to do with any of this.”He looked back at her for a moment, then threw his head back in a maniacal laughter, shaking his head.“Who sai

Damon’s POVThe slap of the wind on my face was what woke me up this time. Slowly, I peeled my eyes open, every part of my body aching, my head throbbing painfully.Where was I now?Fuck…Iris..There was no time, and here I was..lying around, letting that weird woman keep putting me down.Looking around, I slowly realized where I was. On a cliff? How come? How did I get here? That weird woman couldn’t have carried me here all alone, right?This was a cliff..had to be. That was one explanation for this much breeze and open space.Grunting, I tried to move around, and I was a bit disappointed to find that I was still bound by wrists and ankles. What was I expecting?I tried to turn around then, and someone’s foot pressed into my back, pushing me back to the ground.“Well, well,” an unfamiliar voice rang out from behind me, cold and rusty, and excited, “look who we have here.”I tried to turn around, to see who had joined us, but the person that had their stinky foot on my back pressed i

Epilogue.Iris's Pov.Six years later.“Come on baby, two more steps to go.” I held her tiny hand as we entered the jet. Her quiet laughter filled the entire jet.I rubbed my stomach and sat down on one of the couches, asking the flight attendant for a cup of coffee while I rested.“Mommy!”My daughter came rushing to the couch, rubbing her eyes and yawning.“What is it, baby?”“Can I sleep beside you?” She rubbed her eyes again and got on the couch when I nodded. She made sure to stay a few inches away from my stomach while she slept. It's something I taught her during my pregnancy because she's a rough sleeper.I rubbed her back and tangled my fingers in her curly hair, watching as her back rose and fell.Her lips were slightly open as shallow breaths left her mouth.Andrea Maree King is turning five tomorrow and we're all traveling to Italy to spend some time with the entire family.We ended up moving to New York permanently five years ago after Andrea was born.“Mommy!” A voice ye

Iris's Pov.The ball had long since ended and we were all seated around the long table in the dining room, having a celebratory dinner with just our close family and friends. Xander was sitting on my right and Emilia was on my left. In front of us were my parents actively talking with Xander and then Julian, Angelo, and Marissa.In the middle of the dinner, I let my napkin fall onto Xander's lap. He glanced at me but returned his attention to the conversation he was having with my parents. I moved my hand to pick it up at the same time grazing it across his crotch.His jaw clenched but he didn't turn his head. Well, I wasn't done with having my fun, not until I got a reaction. The fact that he just proposed to me and the pregnancy I'm carrying, made me all too horny for him.Everyone was busy chatting, laughing, and occasionally asking to see the ring, especially Emilia so I kept my ring head on the table solely for her benefit while I put my other hand on Xander's muscled thigh. The

Iris's Pov.Xander refused to host this ball at our place because according to him, it was too small. Instead, it was hosted at the other mansion and when we arrived, it was already crowded with graceful suits and expensive dresses. There was a babble of voices, the conversations filling the huge room. The rest was outside in the garden.Xander squeezed my waist and I moved my gaze to him. He was already looking at me, a soft smile playing on his lips.“Are you ready for tonight?” He asked.I nodded even though I was confused at his question. Wasn't this just like every other party he had taken me to?He chuckled.“Why don't you go be with Emilia and I'll be with you in just a second, okay?”“Where are you going?” I frowned.“I have to find Julian and Angelo. They're helping me with something and I need to make sure it's done. I promise I'll find you.” He kissed my temple and then walked off. I returned my gaze to the mass of people and slowly made my way through the crowd. Some peopl

Iris's Pov.It's been almost two months since I last got my period. It's not unusual for me to miss it due to stress but there has been no reason for me to be stressed.Emilia saw the realization dawn on my face and stood up abruptly.“Put on your shoes.”“Why?” I asked, furrowing my brows in confusion.“We're going to get you a pregnancy test.” She said, a little too excited.“I don't think I'm pregnant. It's not like I've been throwing up every morning or feeling any other symptoms. That has only happened once.” I said, remembering the time I fell ill back in Russia.But I've been fine after that.“Pregnancy is different for everyone. Not everyone has obvious symptoms. Come on!” She urged me.“What do we say to the guys.” I asked, pointing up the stairs in the direction where Xander and Julian walked off to.“Don't worry. I'll text Julian that we're going out for an evening stroll. So come on.”I released a sigh and stood up. I doubted I was pregnant but even as I had this tiny fl

Xander's POV.I had hosted meetings with some of the most dangerous men you could ever think of but none of them made me as nervous as I was tonight.We had gotten back from Russia the previous day, and Julian and Emilia would soon be coming over for the double date.I was pacing around the living room like a goddamn idiot.“Will you stop doing that?”I glanced over my shoulder to look at Iris sitting on one of the couches, a glass of fresh orange juice in her hands and amusement dancing in her beautiful eyes.“What am I doing?” I asked innocently.“Pacing. You've walked past me thirteen times.”“I believe I've counted only ten.”She laughed.“You just proved my point.”God, I love the sound of her laughter. I walked over and leaned down, pressing a kiss on the top of her head.Iris set her glass down and wrapped her arms around my waist. The simple touch immediately eased some of the tension in my shoulders.“You need to stop overthinking this.”“I'm not overthinking.”She cocked an

Iris's Pov.I spent the whole evening with Iris. I didn't want her to feel alone as she wasn't feeling okay. We stayed in the living room most of the time and I did my best to make sure she was comfortable.When it got dark out, signaling that it was time for bed, I carried her to the bedroom as she was half asleep. I carefully put her down on the mattress which caused her to stir. I sat down beside her as she lay on her side. My hand caressed her hair, feeling the silky touch between my fingers.“Do you want to take a quick bath before bed?” I asked her.She nodded and looked up at me with a soft smile. I leaned down to kiss her before walking into the adjoining bathroom where I sat on the edge of the tub to start filling it up. When I turned my head towards the door, I saw her walking inside in only her underwear.My eyes drifted across her smooth skin, lingering on her wide hips a few seconds longer. I smiled when she stepped closer to stand between my widened legs. She still looke