Chapter: Epilogue (Cara) One Year LaterThe doors open slowly.Light spills down the aisle, soft and warm, and for a moment I forget how to breathe.He’s there.Waiting for me.Giovanni stands at the end of the aisle in a dark suit that fits him like it was tailored not just to his body, but to the man he’s become. His shoulders are squared, his posture calm, but I know him too well to miss the tension in his jaw, the way his hands flex at his sides like he’s holding himself together by sheer will.His eyes meet mine—and everything else disappears.The guests blur. The music fades into something distant and hollow. The only thing that exists is the man who saved my life in so many ways it’s hard to keep count.I take my first step forward.Then another.Each one feels like a heartbeat.I think about the roof.The night air biting into my skin, the city lights too far below, my thoughts louder than the traffic. I remember how small the world felt then, how convinced I was that stepping off would finally quiet the ache inside
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-01-29
Chapter: Chapter Seventy-Two (Giovanni)I tell her it’s nothing special.That’s the first lie of the night.Cara stands in our bedroom, slipping on her coat, glancing at me with that look she gives when she knows I’m being weird but doesn’t yet know why. Her brows pinch together slightly, lips curving in a smile that says she finds my evasiveness more amusing than suspicious.She hums, unconvinced, but lets it go. “Where are we going?”“The bookstore.”Her eyes light up immediately, and guilt pricks at me for a split second, because of course they do. That place means something to her. It means something to both of us. But the guilt fades just as quickly, replaced by certainty.This is right.The drive over is quiet in the best way. Cara hums along to the radio, fingers drumming softly against her thigh, occasionally reaching over to rest her hand on my arm. Every time she does, my chest tightens in that familiar way, like my heart is reminding me who it belongs to.I’ve loved women before. I’ve wanted them, protected them,
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-01-29
Chapter: Chapter Seventy-One (Giovanni)Matteo is dead.Not literally. Unfortunately.But spiritually? If looks could kill, he’d already be haunting the back room of the bookstore.I follow him the second Cara disappears down the aisle toward the poetry section. The moment the bell over the front door jingles and a customer walks in, I grab Matteo by the sleeve and yank him toward the back.“What the hell was that?” I hiss the second the door swings shut behind us.Matteo barely reacts. He takes another sip of his coffee like I didn’t just drag him away from his peaceful existence. “Good morning to you too.”“You almost told her.”“I absolutely did not.”“You implied.”“I speculated.”“You smiled.”He grins wider. “That’s just my face.”I run a hand through my hair, already regretting trusting him with anything. “I told you to keep your mouth shut.”“And it is,” he says, tapping his lips. “Technically.”I lean closer, lowering my voice even more. “You said planning something.”“Those are very common words, Giovanni.”“You s
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-01-28
Chapter: Chapter Seventy (Cara)Giovanni Castellanos is acting weird.Not bad weird. Not ominous weird. Not even broody, closed-off, “I’m about to commit a felony” weird.It’s… cute weird.Which somehow makes it worse.I notice it the second I wake up.Usually, Gio is either already gone—early shift at the bookstore—or half-asleep beside me, one arm thrown over my waist like he’s afraid I might vanish if he lets go. He’s a creature of habit. Predictable in the ways that matter. Grounding.Today?Today he’s sitting up in bed, phone in his hand, staring at the screen like it personally offended him.“What are you doing?” I mumble, rubbing sleep from my eyes.He jolts.Actually jolts.Like I caught him committing a crime.“Nothing,” he says quickly, locking his phone and setting it facedown on the nightstand.I blink at him. “You just flinched.”“I did not.”“You absolutely did.”He rolls his shoulders, trying to look casual. Which would work—if casual didn’t look so unnatural on him this early in the morning. “I was j
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-01-28
Chapter: Chapter Sixty-Nine (Giovanni)I go into work the next morning with a plan.It’s not a good plan.It’s more of a vague emotional intention paired with a cup of bad coffee and the lingering adrenaline of having said the words I want to marry her out loud for the first time.But still. A plan.Matteo is already behind the counter when I arrive, leaning on his elbows, smirking at something on his phone like he personally invented joy.He looks up when he hears me come in. “You look like you’re about to confess to a crime.”“Worse,” I say.His smile sharpens. “Oh. I love worse.”I drop my jacket on the chair behind the counter and take a breath. A real one. The kind that pulls from your chest instead of your lungs.“I’m thinking about proposing to Cara.”Matteo freezes.Not metaphorically.Not dramatically.He goes completely still, like someone hit pause on him mid-breath. His phone slips from his fingers and lands face-down on the counter with a soft thud.I wait.Nothing.“…You okay?” I ask.Slowly, painfully slowly
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-01-27
Chapter: Chapter Sixty-Eight (Giovanni)The bell above the bookstore door chimes for the third time in under five minutes, and I’m already reconsidering my life choices. Not because of the customers. Customers are fine. Harmless. Usually.It’s because Luca is shelving books with the kind of intensity usually reserved for planning crimes or executions, and I’m standing behind the counter holding a small velvet box in my jacket pocket like it might explode if I breathe wrong.I don’t even know why I brought it here. Actually, I do because if I don’t say it out loud to someone soon, I might lose my nerve.“Are you going to tell me why you’ve been staring into space like that for the last ten minutes,” Luca says without looking at me, “or should I start guessing?”“I was not staring into space.”He slides a paperback into place, taps it twice so it lines up perfectly with the others. “You tried to ring up a customer with a bookmark.”“That was a test.”“A test of what.”“Reflexes.”Luca finally looks at me. His expression is fl
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-01-27
Chapter: Chapter Twenty-Eight (Matteo)The bookstore is deceptively calm.
Midday light slants through the front windows, dust motes drifting like everything in the world is exactly where it should be. Luca is behind the counter, sleeves rolled, helping a customer choose a cookbook like this is just another ordinary afternoon.
I hate how convincing it is.
The second the customer leaves, I move closer.
“Anything?” I ask quietly.
Luca doesn’t look up right away. He finishes tapping something into the register, waits until the bell jingles, then reaches into his pocket.
“Yes.”
He pulls out his phone and angles it so only I can see.
The first image hits me like a punch.
Libby’s father.
Older than the last time I saw him in court photos. Thinner. Meaner. That same hollow-eyed stare that makes my skin crawl. The kind of face you don’t forget once you’ve seen it.
The next image is grainier. A security still. Hoodie up. Side profile.
“Local sighting,” Luca says. “Gas station. Two towns over. Yesterday morning.”
My jaw tightens.
“Th
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-02-26
Chapter: Chapter Twenty-Seven (Matteo)Emma is practically vibrating by the time I cut the engine.
“Libby’s here,” she says, already halfway out of her seatbelt.
“Whoa, speed racer,” I laugh, opening my door. “Let’s not face-plant on day one.”
She bolts anyway.
Libby’s outside the bookstore, sleeves rolled up, hair pulled back like she’s been working nonstop. The second she sees Emma, her whole face softens.
“Hey, baby!” she says, dropping to her knees just in time for Emma to crash into her arms.
“It was good!” Emma announces immediately. “Like really good.”
Libby laughs, squeezing her. “Yeah? Tell me everything.”
Emma does.
Every single thing.
She rehashes the entire day with the same enthusiasm she gave me. She talks about Mrs. Hanley, Steve the plant, Lucy and her sparkly shoes, the crayons, the lunchroom. Word for word in places.
I hang back a step, watching them, smiling when I’m supposed to. Nodding when Emma looks to me for confirmation.
Libby glances up at me mid-story.
Her smile fades.
“What’s wrong?” she asks qu
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-02-26
Chapter: Chapter Twenty-Six (Matteo)The door closes behind them.
The apartment goes quiet in that particular way that feels too loud.
I stand there for a second longer than necessary, hand still on the doorframe, like if I don’t move, the moment might rewind itself. Like Libby might suddenly reappear, flushed and smiling, and kiss me again like she did five minutes ago.
Not a peck.
Not a thank-you kiss.
A statement.
I run a hand through my hair and laugh under my breath.
Jesus Christ.
I’ve kissed plenty of women. I’ve been wanted. Desired. Chased. I’ve done the chasing too. None of that is new.
What is new is the way my knees nearly gave out when she whispered in my ear.
What’s new is the way my face heated like I was some teenage idiot instead of a grown man with a reputation.
What’s new is the realization that I didn’t just like that she trusted me.
I needed it.
I walk into the kitchen, still half-dazed, and spot the uneven heart-shaped pancake left behind on a plate. Emma’s doing. Syrup smudge and all.
I stare at it
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-02-26
Chapter: Chapter Twenty-Five (Libby)A week later and Emma is sitting on the living room floor in her pajamas, arms crossed, tears streaming down her face like she’s personally offended by gravity.
“I’m not going,” she announces through sobs.
My chest tightens. “Okay, sweetheart, I know you’re nervous, but—”
“I said I’m NOT GOING,” she cries louder, kicking one sock off her foot like it’s betrayed her.
I glance at the clock. We are officially behind.
My hair is half in a bun, half doing its own thing. I’ve spilled coffee down the front of my shirt. My keys are… somewhere. Probably. Hopefully.
“Emma,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady. “We talked about this. New school can be scary, but—”
“I won’t know anyone,” Emma wails. “And what if they don’t like me? And what if my teacher is mean?”
Oh god.
I crouch down in front of her, heart breaking into about a thousand pieces. “Baby, I promise—”
She dissolves into full sobs.
I squeeze my eyes shut.
I love her so much. I really do. But right now, I feel like I’m failing in ev
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-02-21
Chapter: Chapter Twenty-Four (Matteo) I’ve overseen shipments that cost more than small countries’ GDPs.
I’ve stood in rooms where men decided whether someone lived or disappeared.
I have stared down enemies who would happily gut me for sport.
None of that prepared me for Libby standing in the entryway of the estate, holding a box labeled EMMA – IMPORTANT STUFF, while Emma herself ricocheted off every surface like a feral pinball.
“IS THIS A REAL CASTLE?” Emma shouts, already halfway down the hall.
“It is not a—” I start, then stop when she skids into the formal sitting room. “Emma, sweetheart, maybe don’t touch—”
“There’s a POOL,” she screams, sprinting past a very expensive sculpture. “AND A GARDEN. AND—IS THAT A MOVIE ROOM?”
“She’s been here before,” I say, more for Libby than for Emma. “For the little pool thing I hosted. She’s just… seeing more of it now. She’ll calm down when she gets used to everything.0
“Yeah!” Emma calls back. “Last time Libby said I wasn’t allowed upstairs or in the fancy rooms. This is the WHO
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-02-21
Chapter: Chapter Twenty-Three (Matteo)The bell above the bookstore door jingles, and I decide—right then and there—that it’s too cheerful for the kind of day I’m having.I flip the sign from OPEN to CLOSED knowing that the customers will ignore it and come in anyway.Luca doesn’t look up from the ledger.“Professional,” he says mildly.“I contain multitudes,” I reply, leaning over the counter. “Mostly sarcasm and unresolved trauma.”“Shocking.”The bookstore smells like paper and espresso and calm. Which is a cruel joke, really, because calm is not something I’m currently familiar with. Calm is something other people get. People whose girlfriends don’t have homicidal fathers currently enjoying the perks of being at large.I smile anyway.Because that’s what I do.A woman wanders toward the romance section, and I perk up instantly, slapping on my brightest grin like it’s a designer jacket.“Good morning!” I chirp. “Looking for something spicy, slow-burn, or emotionally devastating?”She blinks. “Uh—”“Dealer’s choice,” I a
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-02-20
Masuk
