Novel-novel oleh Jeane

Emily giggled, her tiny toes digging into the soft grains, squealing every time the water splashed against them. River held her securely in one arm while Jace held River’s hand with the other, creating a perfect circle of warmth, love, and protection. The three of them had been through so much, fought so many battles, and yet here they were, alive, whole, and together.River looked down at Emily’s small, cherubic face, her eyes wide with wonder as she pointed at the waves. “Look, Daddy! Water!” she squealed. Her little voice made River’s chest tighten with love. He bent slightly to kiss her forehead.“You love the water, huh, baby girl?” River whispered. Emily responded with a squeal and clutched his neck tighter, making him laugh softly.Jace watched the scene unfold and felt a warmth fill his chest. He couldn’t help but smile at how natural this felt. “You’ve got her wrapped around your finger already,” he said teasingly, ruffling River’s hair.River chuckled, careful not to disturb

Mirinda paced around her small living room with slow, angry steps. Her hands trembled even though she kept telling herself she had done the right thing. Emily was asleep on the couch, wrapped in a soft blanket Mirinda had found in her closet. She hadn’t hurt the baby. She couldn’t. Emily was innocent. But every time Mirinda looked at the child’s small face, something twisted inside her chest.“That baby should have been mine,” she whispered to herself, voice shaking. “River should have been mine. We were supposed to start over.”But River had chosen Jace. And Mirinda could not accept that.She knelt beside the couch and stared at Emily again. The baby exhaled gently and moved one of her tiny hands. Mirinda softened a little.“I’m not a monster,” she whispered. “I took care of you. I fed you. I kept you warm. I didn’t hurt you.”Her words didn’t comfort her. Deep inside, she knew she had crossed a line she could never return from. But she was lonely, broken, and desperate. And desperat

The morning started so peacefully it almost felt unreal. Jace was in the living room feeding Emily her oatmeal, humming quietly while she kicked her tiny feet. The apartment was warm from the sunlight coming through the wide glass windows. River was upstairs taking a quick shower before heading to a meeting.Everything was calm.Everything felt safe.And Jace had no idea that danger was already standing outside his door.A soft knock echoed from the front entrance.Jace frowned. “Who could that be…?”He wasn’t expecting anyone. Sasha and Leo always texted before coming. The cleaners weren’t due until next week. He wasn’t ordering anything.Emily babbled, smearing oatmeal on her face.“Hold on, baby,” Jace said gently.He carried Emily in his arms and walked toward the door. He looked through the peephole.A woman stood there. Tall. Slim. Pretty. Long dark hair. Serious eyes. She held a small purse in front of her and looked calm, almost too calm.Jace unlocked the first latch but kept

As the weeks passed, River noticed something else too, he missed Jace.Not the man holding bottles, not the man panicking about diapers, not the man humming lullabies at 3 a.m.He missed his husband.The man he kissed slowly. The man who made him blush. The man who whispered things that made his heart race. The man he married with so much love he thought he might explode from it.And every night, when they finally collapsed into bed, Emily asleep in her crib beside them, they were both too tired to even talk. Sometimes River reached out to hold Jace’s hand, but even that tiny movement felt heavy.One evening, after Emily finally drifted off, River lay on his back staring at the ceiling. Jace lay beside him, eyes half-open, looking like a very tired angel.“We need time alone,” River said suddenly.Jace blinked. “What time?”“Some time. Any time.”Jace rubbed his face. “River, I haven’t slept properly in two weeks. If we get alone time, I might just pass out.”River let out a small lau

River thought he had faced hard things in his life. He had survived military missions, gunfire, pain, and even long nights alone in strange countries. But nothing prepared him for waking up at 3 a.m. to the high-pitched cries of a tiny baby with lungs stronger than a siren.He shot up from the bed, disoriented at first. The room was dark. The city lights glowed faintly through the curtains. Beside him, Jace groaned, rolling over and pulling the pillow over his head.“It’s your turn,” Jace mumbled, voice muffled.River snorted. “My turn was two hours ago.”“…Are you sure?” Jace asked weakly.“Yes,” River said, already standing.He was still half-asleep when he made it to the nursery. Emily’s face was red, scrunched like she was furious at the whole world. Her tiny hands waved in the air as she screamed.River lifted her gently, patting her back. “Hey, sweetheart. It’s okay. Daddy’s here.”Emily did not care. She kept crying as if she was telling the house a dramatic story.Jace entered

The morning sun streamed into the penthouse, warm and soft, and Jace woke up slowly with River’s arms wrapped tightly around him. Married life made River even more clingy in the mornings, and honestly, Jace loved it. He turned a little, facing River, and brushed his fingers gently against his cheek. River’s eyes blinked open instantly.“You’re staring again,” River murmured, voice rough with sleep.“I’m admiring,” Jace corrected with a shy smile.River kissed him softly. “Good. Admire your husband all you want.”They stayed like that for a moment, warm and quiet, before Jace finally took a deep breath. “River… can we talk about something important?”River sat up, suddenly alert. “Are you okay?”“Yes. I’m perfect,” Jace said quickly. His fingers played nervously with the bedsheet. “I was just thinking. About… our future.”River’s face softened. “Tell me.”Jace breathed out. “I want us to build something bigger. More… complete. Something that belongs to us both.”River reached out, hold

"You don't have to say anything you don't want to," Dante said, keeping his hands on Luca's shoulders. "But he needs to see that you're alive."Luca pulled away from him, wrapping his arms around himself. "I don't want him to see me like this. I don't want him to know what happened to me.""He's going to know something happened. He's not stupid.""Then tell him I'm sick. Tell him I need rest and can't see visitors." Luca's voice rose, becoming desperate. "Tell him anything except the truth.""I'm not going to lie to your brother.""Why not? You're good at lying. You lied to me for six months about what I meant to you."The accusation landed like a punch. Before Dante could respond, the sound of a car engine came from the front of the villa. Tires on gravel. A car door slamming."He's here," Dante said.Luca's face went even paler. He looked around like he was searching for an escape route. "I can't do this.""You can and you will." Dante grabbed Luca's wrist and started pulling him ba

Dante grabbed the plate of pasta from the tray and scooped up a forkful. He held it to Luca's mouth, his other hand gripping Luca's jaw."Open."Luca pressed his lips together, glaring up at him."I said open your mouth." Dante's fingers tightened on Luca's jaw, pressing hard enough to force his mouth open. He shoved the fork in before Luca could react.Luca choked, his body jerking. For a moment Dante thought he might spit it out, but then Luca swallowed, his throat working painfully. Tears leaked from the corners of his eyes."Good," Dante said, loading another forkful. "Again."This time Luca opened his mouth without being forced. He swallowed the second bite, then a third. His hands were shaking, his whole body trembling from weakness and hunger. Dante kept feeding him, until half the plate was gone."Enough," Luca finally gasped, turning his face away. "I can't—I'll be sick."Dante set the plate down but didn't let go of Luca's arm. "You'll eat more in two hours. And you'll eat e

The question hung in the air between them. Dante felt his hands curl into fists against his thighs."Every single day," he said, his voice low and hard. "I searched for you every single day for five years."Luca's laugh was bitter and sharp. "You searched? Really?" He turned fully in his seat to face Dante, and there was fire in his eyes now, the first real emotion besides hatred that Dante had seen. "Then why didn't you find me? I was sold seven times, Dante. Seven. Passed between different owners like I was nothing. And you, with all your power and money and connections, couldn't find me once?""I tried everything. Every contact, every informant, every—""Not hard enough." Luca's voice cut through his words sharp. "You didn't try hard enough, or you would have found me. Maybe you didn't want to. Maybe it was easier to just let me disappear after you threw me away like garbage."Dante grabbed Luca's wrist, pulling him closer. "I tore the underworld apart looking for you. I tortured p

The private jet cut through the night sky toward Italy. Dante sat in one of the leather seats with Luca buckled in beside him. His arm rested across Luca's waist, possessive and protective at the same time. Luca stared out the window at the darkness, his face reflected in the glass. He hadn't said a word since they'd left Vienna an hour ago.Dante reached for the bottle of water on the small table and held it out. "Drink this."Luca didn't move. Didn't even glance at the bottle."Luca, you need water."Still nothing. It was like talking to a statue.Dante's jaw tightened. He'd spent twenty-five million euros to get Luca back, had signed ownership papers that made his stomach turn, had walked away from his chance to kill Viktor Kozlov. And now Luca was treating him like he didn't exist."I'm not asking," Dante said, his voice harder now. "Drink it.""No."The single word hung in the air between them. Luca's eyes remained fixed on the window.Dante set the bottle down with more force th

"Twenty million euros."Dante Salvatore's voice cut through the murmur of the auction hall. Around him, wealthy men in expensive suits shifted in their velvet chairs. The air was thick with cigar smoke and the kind of silence that came when serious money entered the room.The auctioneer, a thin man with wire-rimmed glasses, paused. His gavel hung in the air. "Twenty million euros to the gentleman in black. Going once—"Dante didn't look at the other bidders. He kept his eyes on the stage, on the figure standing under the harsh spotlight. His heart slammed against his ribs so hard he thought it might crack through bone.Luca Romano stood there, barely dressed, his body stripped down to loose pants that looked ready to fall off his narrow hips. Five years had carved him down to something skeletal. His skin was pale, marked with shadows that Dante knew were bruises in various stages of healing. But it was the eyes that hit hardest. Those eyes that used to look at Dante with warmth and wo