Chapter: Epilogue Skylar’s PovThe hospital smelled like new beginnings and disinfectant.Outside, snowflakes danced against the window, soft and silent, just like the night Ryans proposed to me. The clock on the wall ticked lazily past midnight, but time didn’t matter anymore.What mattered was the tiny heartbeat echoing faintly through the room.And Ryans’ hand, gripping mine like he was the one about to push a whole human into the world.“Breathe, Sky,” the nurse said gently.“Tell him that,” I groaned through a contraction, shooting Ryans a glare.He flinched, eyes wide, hair messy like he’d wrestled a bear on the way here. “I am breathing!”“Not enough!” I hissed.The nurse laughed softly. “You’re doing great, honey. Just one more push.”That phrase — just one more push — felt like a cosmic joke. I’d been pushing for what felt like seven years.But then, the room shifted. The air thickened with something raw and holy.And a cry — sharp and perfect — split the quiet.My breath hitched.The doctor smiled, holdin
Last Updated: 2025-11-03
Chapter: Chapter 136 Skylar’s PovOne year later.Boston always smells like promise and coffee.Always. A year after graduation and it was what I kept thinking about today. From the floor-to-ceiling window of our apartment, I can see the sky dusted in gold, the Charles River glinting like it’s showing off. Somewhere below, someone’s playing a saxophone, the kind that sounds both lonely and beautiful.The apartment I was in right now with Ryan's wasn’t fancy. It’s warm. Lived in. There’s paint on the walls from my late-night creative bursts, and hockey gear in places it absolutely shouldn’t be… like beside the shoe rack for instance. It was home for the both of us. “Sky,” Ryans called from the kitchen. “Have you seen my tie?”“Check the microwave,” I replied without looking up from my sketchpad.He poked his head out from behind the counter, grinning. “Please tell me that’s a joke.”“Depends,” I said, doodling the last line of a curve. “Did you check the bathroom mirror first?”He laughed, shaking his head. “You’re
Last Updated: 2025-11-03
Chapter: Chapter 135 Skylar’s PovPeace feels strange at first.Like learning how to breathe after you’ve forgotten what air tastes like.After everything that had happened — the breakup, the truth about our fathers, the chaos and peace of the championship, Coach Donovan’s sickness—I kept expecting something else to fall apart.But nothing did.Ryans and I fell into something steady, quiet, and terrifyingly beautiful.Mornings meant coffee and his hoodie draped over my shoulders as he teased me about the paint on my fingers while I painted. Afternoons meant me sketching designs on the floor of his dorm while he paced, muttering about strategies for next season. That if he was not reading.And nights… nights meant peace. Not the loud, desperate kind. It was the simple, wordless kind that comes when you’re beside someone who knows your silences.Sometimes I’d catch him watching me when he thought I wasn’t looking — a small smile tugging at his lips, as though he couldn’t quite believe I was real…that we were true. It w
Last Updated: 2025-11-03
Chapter: Chapter 134 Ryan's PovThe rink was silent again.No crowd. No flashbulbs. No chants.Just the faint hum of the overhead lights and the echo of my own footsteps against the ice as I walked on the rink. My skates dangled from one hand, blades clinking softly like chimes. I’d told the team I’d lock up tonight, though what I really wanted was to stand in this place — this temple of noise now hushed — and remember what winning had felt like.Funny thing about victory was that it’s loud in the moment but afterward, it leaves you hollow.Especially when you don’t have the one person you want to share it with.The ice glowed faintly under the arena lights and felt like a vast mirror that reflected my solitude. I took a few steps forward even as I inhaled the smell of cold metal and disinfectant that was thick in the air. My throat tightened, the weight of everything — Coach’s illness, Skylar, the endless noise, the ache in my chest — pressing down on me again.I had won only hours ago and yet, my heart was still
Last Updated: 2025-11-03
Chapter: Chapter 133 Ryan's PovThe days leading up to the championship game blurred together and were an endless loop of cold rinks, early mornings, late nights, and the persistent pounding rhythm of skates against ice.And pain. Of course, pain. Every morning, I woke before sunrise. The arena would still be empty, dim light spilling through the high glass panels as I stepped onto the frozen surface. The world was quiet there and so it was usually just me, my reflection, and the echo of my blades slicing through the silence.It should’ve been peaceful. But it wasn’t.Because every stroke, every breath, every ounce of sweat reminded me of her.Skylar.Even her name…even thinking of it burned my soul. She hadn’t answered my calls no matter how many I sent. Not my messages. Not a single voicemail in days. Not since that day at the rink when she looked at me like I was something she couldn’t bear to love anymore and whispered the words that broke my world in half—> “We can’t be together. We’re siblings.”Those words
Last Updated: 2025-11-03
Chapter: Chapter 132 Ryan's PovThe rink didn’t feel like home anymore these days. Not at all. Rather, it felt heavy with frustrations. Too many mistakes and the sound of blades scraping ice were more from irritation than rhythm.It had been one week since everything fell apart — since Skylar walked away from me with that look in her eyes that I still saw every time I blinked. Since Coach Donovan’s diagnosis. Since the team started falling apart like a badly built house.Now the championship was less than two weeks away, and the once-synchronized sound of our skates had turned into chaos. Missed passes. Poor timing. Arguments flaring for no damn reason.I was sure Caleb and his team were going to have a good laugh at us at the championship if we were to continue this way. Reports reaching us said that they were preparing really hard and really good for the championship.Damn it. “Fuck!” Liam said as he slammed his stick against the wall after missing yet another shot. “What’s the point, Ry? We’re dead out there!
Last Updated: 2025-11-03
The Mafia's Forbidden Bride
"Matteo, please..." I whispered.
"Beg louder," he commanded, his lips brushing my ear as his free hand squeezed my breast, pinching the nipple until I gasped.
"Please, Matteo. I need you."
He smirked, satisfied, before sinking to his knees. His mouth replaced his fingers, his tongue parting me, slow and devastating. My hands flew into his hair, pulling, guiding, but he held me still, forcing me to endure every languid lick, every tease. When he finally sucked my clit into his mouth, I screamed, my legs trembling around his shoulders.
"Come for me, piccola," he growled against my slick heat. The vibrations of his voice shattered me, pleasure ripping through me so violently I nearly collapsed, but he held me firm, drawing out every last wave until I was shaking.
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Chapter: Chapter 72 Isla's PovChapter Seventy-TwoIsla's POV"I'm sorry you have to go through all that. Somehow, I blame myself brought for suggesting that you run away or you wouldn't have been caught in the crossfire with my brother. I apologize for everything he did, and all the troubles that he put you through. I hope you find peace, and time to heal, Isla."I smiled at Lucia's words. I thought she would blame me for the death of her brother, but she was actually grateful. It turns out she has been planning to kill him herself. Ever since she let me escape, and knew Damian was planning to bring me back, she knew her brother was getting out of control, and she wasn't wrong. I am glad that all this is over. I just wished it could have gone some other way then I wouldn't have lost a lot of people that I cared about."I think this is the first time you are ever calling my name. It feels weird," I said. "What about the Russo business? What is going to happen to it since Damian is no longer alive? Are you going to
Last Updated: 2025-12-10
Chapter: Chapter 71 Isla's PovChapter Seventy-OneIsla's POV"Promise me that whatever happens, you would stay in this car, you wouldn't get out. I'm going in to get our daughter. Don't open the car to anyone, and only use the gun if there is a need for it," Mateo instructed. He moved to get down from the car, but I held him back, pulling him into a hug just to calm my pounding heart. I had no idea what Damian had installed for both of us inside that warehouse. When he sent me a picture of Nova tied to a chair, her face a little bruised, I almost went crazy. I had no idea who struck me at the back of my head and took my daughter away from me. I just hoped she is alive. Damian didn't look to happy in the video that he made. He was urging me to come back home to our happy life, and he will forgive me for all that I did— for running away, for letting myself be captured as he called, and he would willingly forgive me for my infidelity. It was quite the bold accusation considering every bit of lie he told me. I wou
Last Updated: 2025-12-10
Chapter: Chapter 70 Damian's PovChapter SeventyDamian's POVThis was a losing battle. I know I should have listened to Raymond and waited it out, but I couldn't do that; not when Isla's life was in danger. I know she was waiting for me to come, and save her. There was no way she was comfortable with Mateo, and even if she was, she is mine, and I am here to take her back.I was beginning to lose hope seeing half of my men lying dead. I never knew that Mateo would be prepared for us. He was totally wiping out my men one after the other. I had no other option than to retreat even though I couldn't get Isla. I thought I had an impenetratable fortress until I saw the De Luca estate. He really wanted to keep me out, but I still pushed my way in. Getting into the house was not easy but we finally succeeded. I thought I would see Isla somewhere around the house, but it seemed as if she wasn't home. I also couldn't find Mateo. I had no other option than to leave, returning back home. I felt like a failure. I couldn't get
Last Updated: 2025-12-10
Chapter: Chapter 69 Matteo’s PovChapter Sixty-NineMateo's POVI was saddened to see Isla looking so down. The girl I knew was always so lively and cheerful. Damian seemed to have really broken her. She barely said a word as she sat in her room by the window, looking so confused. The only person that could get her to smile was Nova. I still can't believe that I was a father. This was the best gift Isla has ever given to me. I knew I had a job to do and that was to bring her out of her shell. There was no way I was letting Damian win. He may have broken her, but I was going to fix her. She will go back to being the strong woman she once was. This was fate giving me another chance at love, and I wasn't going to throw it away or ruin my chances this time.It all seemed like a coincidence. A few days after my divorce, I found the love of my life, alive and well. If it wasn't for her losing her memories, it would have been complete. I felt so relieved yesterday when she hugged me, but today she was a little withdrawn a
Last Updated: 2025-12-10
Chapter: Chapter 68 Damian's PovChapter Sixty-EightDamian's POV "Why haven't I heard any news yet?" I barked. "Why are you slacking, Raymond?"This is so unlike him. I know he had always wanted Isla to leave me. Is that why he has been stalling? "I told you that I need every man working for the Russo's. I don't care their of their age, I need to bring hell to Mateo. How hard is that for you to carry out?" Raymond bowed his head in apology, but that wasn't what I wanted right now. I just needed Isla by my side. She was the only one I needed. I couldn't sleep last night. Even though we never slept in the same room, but I was happy knowing that she was in the same house with me. When I wake up, I would see her, and before I go to bed, she would be the last person I see. I couldn't kiss Nova goodnight anymore, and the thought of not having them here was driving me insane. I was going to do something reckless if this keeps on."I'm sorry Damian, but it isn't as easy as it seems. I had someone scout the De Luca estat
Last Updated: 2025-12-10
Chapter: Chapter 67 Isla's PovChapter Sixty-SevenIsla's POV All this seems familiar to me, but no matter how much I tried, no matter how much I forced myself to actually remember something, it just wasn't working. When Mateo called me piccolo, it felt so familiar. I knew he was the one I constantly heard in my head. I thought it was a lie at first, and he was just trying to make me turn against Damian; but Mateo convinced me. He showed me my bedroom, and he wasn't wrong. All my pictures, even from when I was a little girl, the ones we took together when were still kids, the university I attended, all my clothes, my high school graduation pictures, my high school yearbook— everything about me was in this room. This was the kind of prove I needed from Damian when I first woke up in the hospital, when he took me home, and told me that I was his wife.He didn't have anything to show. Why did he do this to me? All these years I have been living a lie, thinking that I was his wife. Damian ruined my life, keeping me l
Last Updated: 2025-12-10
Icing The Heart
Rory Callahan never wanted to be a headline. She only wanted to play hockey.
As the first woman signed to the professional Titans hockey team, she has spent two brutal seasons fighting for her place in a world determined to push her out. Her greatest obstacle is Jaxon Kane, the team’s arrogant captain, whose cold glares and cutting words make it clear that he believes she does not belong.
But when a public scandal threatens Jaxon’s career and Rory is once again painted as angry and impossible to coach, management forces them into the perfect lie: a fake relationship.
Now, the man who once humiliated her is holding her hand before cameras, sharing an apartment with her, defending her to the press and standing too close under the excuse of fixing her stance on the ice. Rory knows better than to trust him but the longer they pretend, the harder it becomes to tell where the act ends and the truth begins.
Then she discovers the secret buried in Jaxon’s contract: a five-million-dollar bonus tied to her failure.
Caught between betrayal, ambition, pregnancy and a love she no longer knows how to trust, Rory must decide whether to walk away quietly or expose the system that tried to destroy her.
But when the man who was supposed to ruin her becomes the only one willing to burn everything down for her, can Rory risk trusting Jaxon Kane again?
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Chapter: Chapter 65 Elena Callahan's Pov“The right question,” I then said, “is why they started looking for her again.”Bennett went still.“They?”“Yes.”“Who?”I looked toward the window.The blinds were closed.They had been closed when I arrived.I could still see the street through the smallest gap.A dark sedan had been parked there when I pulled up.It was gone now.That did not make me feel better.It meant the person inside it had seen enough.“They know I am here,” I said.Bennett's hand moved toward her earpiece.“I need perimeter—”“No.”She stopped.“Do not call anyone.”“That is not your decision.”“It is if you want Lila alive.”The words came out before I could soften them.Bennett stared at me.Then she asked,“Why?”“Because the moment you tell the wrong person that I am here, they will stop watching the house.”She frowned.“That makes no sense.”“It will.”I looked at her.“You think the people watching you want Lila.”“They do.”“No.”I shook my head.“They want me.”Bennett did not speak.I could almos
Last Updated: 2026-09-12
Chapter: Chapter 64 Elena Callahan PovThe first thing I learned about lying was that you should never make the lie bigger than the truth.The second thing I learned was that sometimes the truth was so dangerous that the only way to keep someone alive was to make yourself look insane.So when the young man at the door asked me who Lila was, I looked at him and said,“I have never had a daughter.”He stared at me.Behind him, I could see the hallway.Two men.One woman.Another agent near the stairs.All of them pretending they were not watching my hands.I kept them where they could see them.Open.Still.Ordinary.The way a frightened mother might hold them.The way an innocent woman might stand when strangers with weapons surrounded the child she had spent years protecting.The way someone who had nothing to hide might behave.I had learned a long time ago that innocence was mostly posture.The young man swallowed.“Ma’am, we have verified your identity.”“I know.”“Your driver's licence matches.”“I know.”“Your address
Last Updated: 2026-09-12
Chapter: Chapter 63 Jaxon’s PovMy father’s voice changed when he heard the voice. “Evan,” he said. Evan’s entire body went still.“You know me?”“I remember you.”Evan laughed once.There was nothing amused in it.“Of course you do.”“I came back for you.”“No.”Evan took another step forward.“You came back after the fire. There is a difference.”My father did not answer.Evan continued.“You came back after everyone else was gone. You came back to a building full of smoke and ash, and you found one kid hiding behind shelves.”“I found you alive.”“You found me terrified.”“I know.”“You gave me a blanket.”The words changed Evan’s face.Not softer.More exposed.Then he looked at the door.“You said you would come back.”The silence that followed felt like something breaking.My father spoke quietly.“I did.”“No.”Evan’s voice cracked.“You came back one time. Then Mara took me away. Then she put me somewhere else. Then people found us. Then I came back here because there was nowhere else to go.”Mara covered
Last Updated: 2026-09-10
Chapter: Chapter 62 Jaxon’s PovI knew my father’s voice before I knew what it was saying.That was the cruel part.I had not heard it in years.Not properly.There were old recordings somewhere in Evelyn’s house. A few videos from my childhood. Some interviews he had given before he disappeared from the public part of our lives. A voicemail he had left for Amelia on her sixteenth birthday that Evelyn kept stored on an old phone no one had the courage to delete.But none of those things had prepared me for this.For his voice coming through a crack in a metal door beneath a library floor.For the tiredness in it.For the urgency.For the fact that some part of me still recognised him before I could stop myself.“Rory,” he said again.“Please do not let them open that door.”The words moved through me like a blade.I stood completely still.Everyone else seemed to disappear for a second.Bennett.Mara.Evan.Rory beside me.The broken glass across the floor.The red warning light above the door.All of it blurred at
Last Updated: 2026-09-10
Chapter: Chapter 61 Rory's PovI looked at Mara.“What happened to him?” I asked. Mara’s mouth trembled slightly.“We tried to move him.”Evan laughed.“You tried to move me once.”“Evan—”“You gave me a new name. A new address. You gave me a room in a house with a woman who was supposed to be my aunt. Then someone found us.”Mara’s face crumpled for one second.Then she forced it back into place.“She died protecting you.”“She died because you put us somewhere you thought was safe.”The words struck harder than any of us expected.I understood him.That was the terrible part.I understood why he had locked the doors.Why he had watched us arrive.Why he had stood upstairs clapping while the lights went out.He wanted control.Not in the way Victor wanted it.Not to own us.To survive us.To prove he would never again be the child behind the locked door while everyone else chose what happened next.“Why are we here?” I asked.Evan’s eyes returned to me.“You are here because you were going to go below ground.”I
Last Updated: 2026-09-10
Chapter: Chapter 60 Rory's PovThe clapping stopped after the fifth sound.One.Two.Three.Four.Five.Slow.Measured.Almost polite.Then the library went silent again.I could hear glass settling around us.Tiny pieces still dropping from the ceiling in distant corners of the room. Rain tapping against the windows. My own breath. Jaxon’s breath somewhere close behind me.The whole building seemed to be holding itself still.Waiting.“Show yourself,” Bennett said.Her voice cut through the dark.Nothing answered.I stood with my hand against my stomach and my other hand still holding the edge of the ledger. The page beneath my fingers felt cold. Too cold. I could not stop looking at the words written there.Unregistered third-generation subject.Expected date of expression unknown.My child had been reduced to a line in someone else’s book.A possibility.A forecast.A thing waiting to become useful to people who had spent years deciding that other human beings were materials.The thought should have made me feel
Last Updated: 2026-09-10
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