Chapter: No more runningRomeoThe glass of scotch sitting on the mahogany dresser had been there for ten minutes.This time, I picked it up. I didn’t need it to numb the pain, and I wasn't staring at it out of a desperate need to escape my own mind. I raised the crystal glass and took a smooth, burning swallow.A hand clapped down on my shoulder, nearly making me spill the rest."Easy, Doctor…" Dante’s deep, rumbling voice echoed in the room. I looked at my older brother through the mirror. He looked sharp in his tailored black tuxedo but the entirely uncharacteristic grin on his face ruined his intimidating Loscuro aura completely. "You need to be upright for the ceremony. Galantes don't have the record to pass out before the vows.""I am perfectly sober, Dante." I muttered, setting the glass down and adjusting the cuffs of my crisp white shirt. "And I am not going to pass out.""You are sweating.""It's a heavy suit."Dante didn't look convinced. He leaned against the dresser and crossing his arms. "You
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-06-25
Chapter: YoursIreneJulian stopped right in front of us, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked down at me, his face dead serious.“You are saying yes to this?” Julian asked, gesturing vaguely at Romeo, who was still kneeling in the dirt.My stomach dropped into my shoes.Julian. The man who had spent the last few months actively trying to win my attention. I had pushed him away, completely ditching him every single time he tried to get close because my heart had been entirely trapped by the doctor currently glaring up at him.I braced myself. He was here to blame me. He was going to make a massive scene about how I had led him on, or how I had wasted his time only to run back to the Galante family.For three agonizing seconds, Julian stared at me with a hard, unreadable gaze.Then, a completely ridiculous grin broke across his face."I mean, look at him," Julian joked, his serious facade instantly melting away. "The guy is crying in the dirt, Irene. Are you sure you don't want a do-over? I ow
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-06-25
Chapter: Open skyIreneThe silence of the garden rushed back in, but it didn’t feel suffocating anymore. It felt vast. It felt empty, like a blank canvas waiting for us to finally start writing something new.I looked down at him, this proud, complicated, beautiful man who had spent years running from his own reflection, now completely on his knees in the dirt, offering me his entire soul without a single shield left to hide behind.Adrian had been a cage that demanded my submission. Romeo’s past had been a cage that demanded my silence.But this? The way he was looking at me right now, completely stripped bare, begging me to just let him love me? This wasn’t a cage at all. This was the open sky.“Irene?” he prompted softly, a flicker of panic crossing his face when I didn’t answer right away.A choked, watery laugh broke out of my throat. The tears came fast then, hot and blinding, blurring the image of the ring and the man holding it.“Yes,” I sobbed, stepping forward and instantly dropping to my kn
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-06-25
Chapter: Just you and meIreneThe present opening lasted for another hour.I stayed near the edge of the patio, leaning against a stone pillar, tracking Romeo's every movement. He helped Elara unwrap a massive, intricate dollhouse, handling the fragile plastic pieces with the exact same focus he used in the operating room. But he was still distracted. Twice, he looked around the yard until his eyes found mine, holding my gaze for a long, heavy second before Dante intentionally bumped his shoulder to snap him out of it.Dante gave him a knowing, subtle smirk—a look so rare on my brother-in-law's face it made my internal alarms go off.Then I noticed Isabella. She was watching me from across the lawn, a soft, secret smile playing on her lips. She didn't look confused or detached anymore. She looked like someone who knew a secret I was completely blind to.They are all in on it, I realized, my chest tightening with a sudden, nervous flutter. Whatever is wrong with him, the whole family knows.As the sun final
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-06-25
Chapter: Something was wrongIreneThe Galante estate did not look like a mafia fortress today.Pink and gold balloons floated above the sprawling gardens and the usually quiet stone courtyards echoed with the loud, joyful screams of children running through the grass. Elara was at the center of it all, spinning in a sparkly tulle dress that Dante had probably paid a ridiculous amount of money for.Standing near the patio, I watched Isabella hand out slices of birthday cake. Dante stood right behind her, his hand resting gently on her waist. Isabella was laughing, her eyes bright and clear, back to the woman who held this entire family together.Everything was perfect.Except for Romeo.I took a sip of my sparkling water, my eyes scanning the crowd until I finally spotted him standing near the stone archway of the rose garden.He looked incredible, as always, wearing a crisp white button-down shirt and dark slacks. But something was completely off. The calm doctor who never cracked under pressure was currently
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-06-22
Chapter: Make your moveIreneA month can do a lot to a person. Thirty days of quiet routines, of waking up without the scent of antiseptic burning the back of your throat, of learning how to breathe without waiting for the other shoe to drop.For five years, my life had been dictated by the shifting tides of the Galante estate. But tonight, the world shrank down to the size of my small kitchen table, a mismatched deck of cards on the counter, and the click of wooden chess pieces.“You are stalling…” I said, leaning my chin on my palm.Romeo didn’t look up from the board. He was sitting on one of my cheap wooden chairs, looking entirely out of place and yet completely at ease. Tonight, he was wearing a simple charcoal sweater with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows, exposing the thick veins in his forearms.“I am not stalling, firecracker.” he murmured, his thumb tracing the top of his knight. “I am analyzing. There is a difference.”“You have been analyzing that specific knight for four minutes.”“It’s
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-06-22
Chapter: A stripperAlina“That’s the anything…” I couldn't hear the next words.A stripper.He wanted me to be a stripper.I stared at the stage in absolute horror. Just a few hours ago, I was the perfectly dressed wife of a powerful billionaire. I hosted charity galas and drank expensive champagne. Now, my husband’s uncle was telling me to strip for a room full of outlaws."Gabriel, I... I don't know how to do that," I whispered, panic rising in my chest. "I can clean. I can serve drinks. I can wash the floors…""I already have a janitor…” he cut me off coldly. He leaned closer, resting his forearms on the bar, trapping me in his space. "I don't need a maid. I need you to prove you belong here. This isn't a charity, Alina. These men don't respect tears, and they don't care about your past. They care about what you can offer."“Rules are simple.” He added. “If you step on that stage, there’s no going back. The woman Liam owned dies tonight.” He looked deep into my eyes, searching for any sign of weakn
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-07-06
Chapter: That’s the anythingAlinaStepping over the threshold was like walking into the belly of a beast.It was a massive, warehouse-style space. A long wooden bar stretched across one side, crowded with huge men wearing leather vests patched with the Hellhounds logo.But it wasn't the men that made my stomach turn. It was what was happening right out in the open.In the center of the room, a woman in a tiny skirt was bent over a pool table. A man was pressed tightly behind her, his hands gripping her hips. Other men stood around them, drinking from beer bottles, cheering and laughing. No one looked away. No one hid it.In the corner, another woman was sitting on a man’s lap, openly kissing him while his hands roamed freely over her bare chest.There was no shame. No closed doors.I took a step back, my back hitting the cold metal of the door. My breath came in short, panicked gasps.What have I done?I had never felt more like prey in my entire life.Gabriel didn’t stop to check if I was following. He walked
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-07-05
Chapter: Midnight reaperAlinaThe neon sign above the heavy metal door flickered, casting a blood-red glow over the cracked pavement.Midnight Reapers. It wasn’t a place someone like me belonged. It was the absolute opposite of Liam’s pristine, silent penthouse with its marble floors and polite society rules. I didn’t care. The deafening roar of rock music bleeding through the walls was exactly what I needed. I needed noise. I needed it to drown out the silence of my broken heart and the memory of my parents’ graves.I pushed the heavy door open.A wave of heat, stale beer, and cigarette smoke hit my face. The inside was chaotic and dark. Men in leather vests covered in patches played pool in the corner. Women in tight clothes sat on their laps, laughing loudly.No one looked at me twice as I walked to the long, sticky wooden bar. I climbed onto a cracked leather stool.“What can I get you, sweetheart?” The bartender asked. He had a thick beard and tattoos climbing up his neck.“Whiskey.” I said, my voice ba
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-07-04
Chapter: Divorce agreementLiam’s POVRichard and Cynthia Sterling.All the oxygen rushed out of my lungs. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't move. I just stared at the white lilies resting on the damp grass.Today’s date flashed in my mind right away. It was October 14th. The anniversary.Ten years ago today, a truck ran a red light and smashed into my car. I was trapped inside. Richard and Cynthia Sterling had been in the car behind me. They didn't waste time calling for help. They ran straight into the fire and pulled me out through a shattered window just seconds before the car exploded.I lived. They didn't.And ten years later, now, I was standing in front of their graves, yelling at their orphaned daughter. I called her a jealous stalker. I grabbed her arm and dragged her. I demanded she apologize to another woman while she was mourning the parents who burned to death so I could stand here today.A wave of nausea hit me so hard I stumbled backward."Liam?"Amily’s voice broke through the ringing in my ears.
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-06-05
Chapter: His first loveAlina"Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad." My voice trembled as I knelt on the damp grass of the cemetery.I placed a bouquet of white lilies on the two marble headstones in front of me.Richard and Cynthia Sterling.I traced the letters of their names with my fingers. I had so much to tell them. I wanted to tell them about the baby. I wanted to tell them that their little girl was going to be a mother.But the words stuck in my throat.How could I tell them that the man they saved, the man they died for, didn't love me? How could I tell them that the father of my child didn’t even want the child?I didn't know how much time had passed. But when I looked around, the sky was dark with heavy clouds, in the distance, thunders were blazing. I wiped a tear from my cheek and stood up. I didn't want to leave but I couldn't afford to get sick.I turned around to head back to the main path.As soon as I looked forward, my heart stopped.About fifty feet away, walking under the shadow of an old tree, was a tal
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-06-05
Chapter: For me, for herAlinaTick. Tock. Tick. Tock.It was the sound of my life passing by, waiting for a man who didn't want to come home.I still lay there, staring at the empty space where Liam had stood. My hand was still resting on my stomach. I couldn't sleep. It was long gone.My phone buzzed on the nightstand, making me jump. The screen lit up the dark room, blinding me for a moment.I reached for my phone, my heart doing a nervous flip. It was 2:00 AM. Who would be texting me now?[Message from: Chloe]Chloe was my best friend, the only person in the world who knew how lonely my "fairy tale" marriage actually was. She was out tonight at The Sapphire Lounge, the most exclusive club in the city.I slid the notification and tapped the message.[Chloe: Jules... I don't know if I should send this. But you deserve to know.]My stomach dropped. She never sent me messages this late unless it was important.[Chloe: Sent a photo]I tapped on the image. It took a second to load, and when it did, I felt like
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-06-05
Masuk
