I couldn't sleep. How could I? The coldness of his eyes made my heart ache, the harshness of his words. I deserved it all. I'd told him far worse, and he still fought for me. So I wasn’t giving up on him—on us—not now, not when he needed someone to be by him, for once.“You’re back.” Luca stood by the door, looking me up and down, then, he glanced at my bags."I made him food," I shrugged, lifting the food bag up.He stepped aside, I entered."Good, 'cause he's been throwing up those poorly made ones." He smiled. I couldn't help but smile too.I knocked once on Vince's door and stepped into his room. I'd expected him to be in his wheelchair, but he wasn't, he was on his bed, wearing a soft cotton shirt and plaid pants, glaring at a blueprint.“Hey,” I said softly, shutting the door behind me.He turned to look at me, then his eyes fell to my hands.“I brought breakfast. I made it myself.”I tried to smile, but it wavered under his hard gaze.He said nothing, just returned to glaring a
“It’s a critical condition, Miss Reese,” the doctor had said, voice calm but words devastating. “The bullet hit below the femoral artery and shattered bone. He’ll survive, yes—but he may not walk again for at least a year. If ever.”If ever.Those words left me devastated.I sat on the edge of my bed, staring down at my trembling hands. It had been two days since the rescue. Two days since Vince fell off that building—because of me. He saved Lily. He saved my sister. I should have been grateful. But instead, all I’d done was scream at him. Hate him. Call him selfish.And now he couldn't walk.Because of me.Because I made him choose.I recalled the coldness in his eyes when he said those words before he left: “After that, I’m done with you.”He hadn’t even looked back.And now, I didn’t know if I could look him in the eyes.The bedroom door creaked open behind me, and Joyce stepped in with Lily. My sister hadn’t let her daughter out of her sight since they reunited.They looked trauma
~~VINCENZO~~ She'd looked at me like I was a monster. Her words echoed in my head. “You were trying to save your possession. And for that, you’ve lost it.” I had saved her life. I had chosen her. And now, she hated me for it. I sat in the SUV’s front seat, one hand pressed against my temple, my eyes staring blankly at the floor as Luca drove. Lily was in the passenger seat, wrapped in a blanket. Jessica sat beside her, holding her tightly. She didn’t say a word to me, her face stuck in a perpetual frown. I didn’t need thanks. But I didn’t deserve to be hated either. Yes, I had chosen Jessica over the girl. And truthfully, I would do it again. Not because I didn’t care about Lily—but because losing Jessica would’ve destroyed me. She didn’t understand that, and she probably never would. "You're not like Luca," she had said. Why did she always compare me with him? Had I been delusional all this while? Did she love him and not me? I sighed and looked out the window. Th
I couldn’t believe what had just happened two minutes ago. It felt like something straight out of an action movie. Lily’s rope had snapped—and so had my heart. I thought she was gone, but someone saved her. Luca. My knight in shining armor. He was kneeling on the ground, breathing heavily, holding Lily tight to his chest like she was his little girl. His eyes stayed on me, nodding slowly, as if trying to tell me he’d always be here to save the day. I reached for Lily, and Luca quickly handed her over. My little niece latched onto my neck like she was scared to ever let go, trembling so hard it made me shake. “I thought I lost you,” I whispered to her, tears streaming down my cheeks as I kissed her hair. We stayed like that for several seconds until I turned to look at him. Vince. He was kneeling beside me, still holding the rope he’d cut off my rope despite my desperate pleas to save my niece first. He looked at me like he expected me to run into his arms. Like I should than
~~VINCENZO~~The plan was set. Although it wasn’t foolproof, it could work. We just needed to be quick and smart.I had the rides in place, eyes and ears already stationed at Jericho’s mansion. I armed myself with pistols and a knife. I was ready. I just needed to assure her that everything would be alright before leaving.I went down the hallway toward the room where I’d locked her up. I knew it was a terrible idea, but it was the only way I could keep her safe. She might not approve, but I was doing this to protect her. I had a team, a plan, firepower, and one goal—get Lily out alive. And I didn’t need her throwing herself into a goddamn lion’s den.I unlocked the door and swung it open.“Jessica?” I called, stepping inside.There was no response.She wasn’t in sight.I scanned every corner, under the tables, the curtains—until my eyes snapped to the vent. The cover was gone. The chair below was tipped over. There was a broken lamp on the floor.“No,” I whispered. “No, no, no—”I st
"VINCE!" I screamed, slamming my fists against the door. The hardness made the sides of my palms sting. "Open the damn door!"I kept yelling, but all I heard was silence on the other side. He was gone.Eventually, I stopped. I broke into tears, my knees hitting the floor, my forehead pressing to the hardwood.Lily. My little Lily.Images of her flooded my mind—her round cheeks, her dimples when she laughed, the way she clung to me like I was her whole world.And now… God knows what Jericho was going to do to her if I didn’t show up.I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t just stay in here. I was her only hope! I couldn’t fail her or Joyce.I inhaled and poured out a shaky breath. I had to be strong.I stood up and scanned the room. The windows were bolted shut. There wasn’t much in the room—just a dresser, a chair, and an old bookshelf.And when I looked up to the left, I spotted it.The vent.I looked around, searching for something to unscrew the metal cover. I found a broken lamp lying on