LOGINADRIANA’S POV“Make sure you eat something today,” Cassian said. “And don’t forget to call me when you get there. Have a nice day, Adriana.” And with that the call ended. I stared down at my phone for a moment, a small smile touching my lips despite everything. I could still hear the concern in his voice. For the past week, that had become normal. Cassian checking on me, Cassian making sure Luca was okay, Cassian reminding me that I wasn’t completely alone.I ended the call with Cassian and slipped the new phone into my bag as I set out to leave for the hospital. Luca had been admitted back into the hospital two days ago after collapsing unexpectedly. The doctors said his condition had stabilized, but that didn’t stop the fear that lived permanently inside my chest. Every phone call terrified me. Every hospital visit felt like walking toward a possible goodbye. I hated it. God, I hated it. I just wanted my son healthy, I just wanted one normal day.I flagged down a taxi and climbed
ALESSANDRO’S POVI sat behind my desk in the dim light of my office and stared at the photograph on the screen. Adriana walked beside that doctor in the market, her head slightly tilted as she listened to him. Cassian looked at her with open adoration in his eyes, the kind of look that made my blood simmer. It’s been one week. She had run from me seven days ago and already another man hovered close enough to smile at her like she belonged to him. I gripped the edge of the desk until the wood creaked. No one had the right to look at her that way. Not while she still carried my mark on her skin and my ring on her finger, even if she had tried to sell it.The tracker in that ring had led my men straight to the jeweler. They recovered it within hours. She thought she could erase me so easily. The thought brought a cold smile to my lips before the anger returned. I enlarged the photo and studied Cassian’s face again. He wanted her. I could see it in the way he angled his body toward her,
ADRIANA’S POVI leaned my head against the cool car window and watched the city lights streak by as Cassian drove us deeper into a quieter neighborhood. Luca had finally dozed off in my arms, his small body heavy with exhaustion after the chaotic escape. I kept one hand wrapped around his and glanced through the rear window every few seconds. No headlights followed us. Still, my heart refused to slow down. Every shadow on the sidewalk made my stomach twist. I had dragged this kind doctor and his sister into my nightmare, and the guilt already ate at me. Cassian pulled into the driveway of a modest two-story house with warm lights glowing from the windows. A woman stepped out onto the porch as soon as we arrived. She looked a few years older than him, with the same sharp jawline and practical short hair. She carried blankets and moved with purpose. “You must be Adriana,” she said quietly, her eyes flicking over my disheveled clothes and the sleeping boy in my arms. “I’m Laura, Cassi
ALESSANDRO’S POVI sat at the head of the long mahogany table and barely heard a word the men said. The senior syndicate members of the Orsini Syndicate filled the room with their smoke and opinions while Valentino leaned back in his chair like he owned the place. I kept my face blank and rolled the dragon head ring around my finger with my thumb. The heavy gold felt cool against my skin. My mind refused to leave that breakfast table where I had ordered Adriana locked away. A son. She had hidden a child all this time. The question gnawed at me. How many people knew and kept their mouths shut while I chased ghosts for five fucking years?Valentino cleared his throat and spoke directly to me. “Don Vincenzo, you cannot marry Adriana. She is second-hand goods now. She’s damaged, and used. You saw it yourself she got married to Roman, and after five years, she ran away from her husband’s house. She will do the same thing to you, she has done it before. Vaelina on the other hand, brings fr
ADRIANA’S POVI paced the locked room like a trapped animal, my bare feet silent on the cold marble floor. The guards had shoved me inside and slammed the heavy door, the click of the lock echoing like a final judgment. My chest tightened until each breath hurt. Luca. My little boy lay in that hospital bed, and I could not reach him. The thought clawed at my insides worse than any chain Alessandro had used on me. I pressed my forehead against the window glass and stared at the distant grounds below. It was too high. Jumping would shatter every bone in my body. I remembered the night I fled Roman’s fortress, Luca strapped tightly to my back in a makeshift carrier. I had twisted my ankle on landing and still ran through the woods with blood in my mouth. But this window offered no mercy. One wrong move and my son would lose his mother forever. I sank onto the edge of the bed and buried my face in my hands. Tears came hot and angry. Alessandro knew about Luca. He had thrown the truth at
ALESSANDRO’S POVI walked out of that room and left her chained on the bed without a backward glance. My dick throbbed painfully against my trousers with every step down the corridor. Each movement sent a fresh wave of frustration through my body. I wanted nothing more than to turn around, bury my dick deep inside her, and fuck her until she screamed my name loud enough for the entire estate to hear. But I refused, because giving in would show her she still held power over me after five long years. I would never let her see that weakness again. I reached my bedroom, slammed the door behind me with enough force to rattle the frame, and stripped off my clothes. The fabric felt too rough against my heated skin. Steam quickly filled the bathroom as I turned the shower to scalding hot. The moment I stepped under the spray, the water burned like fire across my shoulders and back, but the pain felt good. It grounded me and reminded me that I was still in control. I braced one hand against
ALESSANDRO’S POVThe back seat of the car was thick with tension and her scent. Adriana sat beside me in that emerald dress, silk stretched tight over her breasts and hips, the hem riding high on her thighs. My blood ran molten. The remote felt heavy in my pocket, a promise and a weapon. I remembe
ADRIANA’S POV I lingered near the top of the stairs when I heard Alessandro’s voice rise slightly from the hallway below. His face had changed during that phone call earlier. I caught the shift in his expression from the corner of my eye, the way his jaw tightened and his eyes went flat and danger
ALESSANDRO’S POVI turned to Adriana. She sat completely still, eyes fixed on her untouched plate. “The stylist team will arrive at three. Be ready to receive them.”“What?” Vaelina yelled as she pushed her chair back so hard it scraped loudly against the marble. “You arranged a stylist team for he
ADRIANA’S POVI stood alone in that forbidden room after Alessandro walked out, my arms wrapped tightly around my bare body as if I could hide the marks he had seen. The portrait of me above the bed stared down like a cruel reminder of who I used to be. My hands trembled while I gathered my clothes







