LOGINGrace's Pov The small café was a short walk from my house, a cozy spot with mismatched chairs and the lingering smell of roasted coffee beans. It was busy enough that no one would notice a tear-stained, agitated woman slipping into a corner booth far from people's attention.Noah was already there, hunched over a laptop, his usual relaxed posture replaced with a rigid tension that sent a fresh wave of dread through me. He looked up the moment I slid into the seat opposite him. His eyes, the same shade of worried blue as my mother's, scanned my face.“You look like hell, Grace,” he said, not as an insult, but a statement of pure fact.I ignored his comment. “What is it? What was so urgent you couldn’t tell me at home and you had to call me down to this cafe?”He closed the laptop with a decisive snap. The sound was too loud in the background chatter. He leaned forward, dropping his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “It is about Dad.”My heart, already a mess of betrayal and heartach
Grace's PovI was tired of bowling my eyes out and I eventually left my bed to get water from the kitchen because the one by my bed side has finished.I found my mum making food and I was about to turn back before she saw me but she beat me to it. “Don't leave. Get whatever you want,” she said and I entered the kitchen and fetched the jug of water. I was about to leave when she spoke. “I found Silvano waiting outside the door. He said you didn't open the door for him.” I heard him. I heard him call my name, telling me he wanted to talk. Even begging me to open the door for him but I didn't.I didn't feel like talking to him. “Okay,” I said and was about to go when she spoke. “I don't know what happened between you two but you should both talk it out. You are not Grace I know. You are not happy and the last time we talked, you were happy. Talk to him and resolve your issue,” mum said and I nodded. “Mum, did you ever know what dad did exactly? Like his place of work?” I asked her
Silvano's Pov“Is she safe?” I asked the man I sent to watch after her.“Yes boss. She hasn't left her house since she got back there. Though her brother and mother go to work, she doesn't leave the house. And there seem not to be any movement when she is alone,” “Okay. Inform me if there is something I need to know,”“Okay boss,” I said and ended the call. That was the tenth time I was calling him in three days. Three days since Grace left and it feels like three years. I haven't had a decent sleep and I am high on coffee. I have been burying myself in work and finding the bastard that I forget to even eat. “You should just go to her man. You are a working wreck,” Silvano said, typing on his laptop. “Not until I find the bastard.” I said to him, “Stop it man. You need her. And she needs you more than ever. Just go talk to her,” he said but I shook my head.“Let's just get to work.” I dismissed the discussion. I know Giovanni has more to say but he respected my order and I was
Grace's Pov I was hurt. Deeply hurt.If anyone was keeping something from me, it shouldn't be Silvano. I agreed to get married to him. I accepted to do life with me. He shouldn't have lied to me and kept things from me.The door to his office was not a flimsy thing, but I slammed it with all the force my shock and anger could muster. The sound echoed in the silent hallway, a physical manifestation of the crack in my heart.Grace Green.I clung to the name, the one thing he hadn't tainted yet. Gattina. It was his pet name for me, a soft word in a harsh world, but now it felt like a cage, a pretty, velvet-lined trap built on lies.The name doesn't make me feel special anymore. It made me feel stupid.I ran. I didn't care where I was going, only that I had to get away from him, from that office, from the scent of his cologne and the sight of his stunned, speechless face. I wanted to get far away from anything that reminded him of me.The cake tray lay abandoned on his desk, its slice
Grace's Pov Since Elisabetta’s situation, Silvano has been hard on himself. He is working so hard to catch the man. Just when he thinks he has a lead, he will discover it was a bluff.The amount of time he spends with me is also decreasing. He always comes back to the room later in the night when I am asleep. He would cuddle me to sleep or we would make love then early in the morning, he would be off again. Elizabetta didn't have any valid information for Silvano so he kept her in a cell. Luca, Giovanni, Antonio, Harper and Valentina were all busy. Once in a while I see Harper but the rest, it was like they were not in the same house as me. When they order takeouts, they order for me so I know they are in the house with me, just that they are so busy.I kept myself busy also. I watch movies, talk to my family, learn how to cook new foods and learn Italian.Yes, I was learning it. Though I knew the basics, I was still a slow learner. I just finished baking a new recipe for a cak
Grace's Pov I couldn't bear to listen to her screams and cries. I couldn't bear to see her in pain so Silvano took her with him.Where he was taking her to, I didn't know. She was my friend. Even though she hurt me, she was once my friend and I liked her.All I knew was that Silvano was going to question her and punish her. What the punishment was, I didn't know. I was alone in my room, just staring at the ceiling while thinking of everything to go on. It shouldn't have happened. Nothing was supposed to go wrong. I sighed and went to the bathroom. I ran the bathtub, then I stripped my clothes and got into the bathtub.I relaxed my muscles in the water and stayed like that for a long time. It was when Silvano came back, I left the bathroom to meet him. I wrapped the bathroom rope around myself and left the bathroom.He was sitting at the edge of the bed, his head in his hands. I walked to him and lifted his hands before straddling him. He raised his head and I saw the darkness
Grace's Pov I was sitting by the bench, watching the kids play with sand and the adults were standing alongside, keeping an eye on the kids. The sun was kissing my skin and I loved it. I need melanin.Then all of a sudden, someone closed my eyes. I was about to shout in panic, but I got a sniff o
Grace's Pov Our laughter mixed with the sounds of crashing waves. For a moment, it didn’t feel like we were adults or that Silvano was a mafia boss with blood on his hands. It just felt normal and free.Eagle kicked the ball and Silvano pretended to fall dramatically, clutching his chest. “Ah! I h
Grace's pov.The phone rang two times before Soph picked up mum's call.“Soph!” I beamed as her face came into view.“Grace! You landed already?” she asked, excitement lacing her voice as she moved around.“Yes! We just got here. Miami is beautiful but it is not what I expected,” I said, turning the
Grace's povThat night, Antonio came in with a big bowl of popcorn and two cans of soda “Why are you looking like a man about to be executed?” I teased, plopping onto Silvano’s giant bed.“Because I know your mafia lover is going to murder me in my sleep.” Antonio sighed.I laughed. “It is just a m







