Same Contract, Same Rules; Who's lying?

Darkness peeled away slowly, dragging me back to a world I didn’t want.

The first thing I noticed was the bed. Soft. Too soft. The sheets smelled faintly of smoke and salt. My chest rose and fell in uneven jerks, each breath scraping my throat raw.

And then—him.

Dino Moretti.

He sat shirtless on a stool in the corner, his arms draped over his knees as if he owned the air I breathed. The lamp behind him threw long shadows, carving his tattoos into shapes I didn’t want to recognize. His chest was broader than I remembered, cut with muscle, ink crawling over him like vines. On his side, just under the ribs, a scar glared white against his olive skin—the bullet wound Alessandro had left him.

He smiled when he saw my eyes widen. “You lookin’, mia Sera? Don’t be shy now. This body’s been built on pain. And you know what?” He thumped his chest with one fist. “Still standin’. Still breathin’. Still the one everybody fears.”

As if I cared if he ever got shot or dead. I couldn’t speak. My throat tightened, my pulse hammering so fast I felt it in my ears.

“You scared, huh?” He leaned forward, elbows on his thighs, eyes gleaming. “Don’t need to answer. Fear’s drippin’ off you like sweat. Same little girl, same weak heart. Some things don’t change.”

I swallowed, forcing words out. “Please… let me go.”

Dino chuckled low, shaking his head. “There she goes, beggin’. Just like back then. Only difference now—Alessandro ain’t here to play hero. He’s still that scared little bitch hidin’ behind grandpa’s name. I’m still the dictator. And you? You’re still the fragile princess who faints when the wind blows too hard.”

I pressed my palm against my chest, my breath uneven. “He… he’s not scared. He’s not—”

Dino cut me off with a snarl. “Don’t gimme that. You saw him runnin’ from me in that club. Think about it, he had his gun, he could have just ended me…”

He might be right. But I dismissed it. 

“You saw his hands shakin’ when I looked at him. That boy’s been livin’ in my shadow since we were kids. And he still is.”

He pushed off the stool, rising to his feet. Bigger now. Broader. His tattoos writhed in the lamplight as if alive. My stomach clenched as he walked toward me, slow, deliberate.

“You know what’s funny?” he said, crouching beside the bed, his face inches from mine. “You been passed around the same game. Same script, different actor. He told you what? That you got 365 days to fall in love or you walk? Yeah?”

My eyes widened. I tried to sit up, but his hand pressed against the mattress, pinning me in place without even touching me.

“How… how do you know that?” I whispered.

His grin widened, cruel. “Because it’s my line, baby girl. My playbook. Kidnap ‘em, wine ‘em, dine ‘em, fuck ‘em, then chain ‘em with a contract. Makes ‘em think it’s love. Makes ‘em think it’s fate. But it’s just business.”

My stomach turned. “No… you’re lying.”

“Am I?” He laughed, a sharp, ugly sound. “Alessandro been watchin’ me since we were kids. Wanted my power, my swagger, my girls. And he copied every damn move. Only thing he never copied was my balls and the size of my dick.”

“Stop,” I begged.

“You wanna know what happens after some days?” He tilted his head, mocking pity. “When I get bored, when the pussy don’t hit no more? I toss the girl into a house like that, far away, and leave her there for my enemies to pick clean. That’s the end of the fairytale, mia Sera.”

Tears blurred my vision. My voice cracked. “You’re lying. He—he loves me.”

“Love?” Dino barked out a laugh, throwing his head back. “You think Alessandro Torricelli knows love? Nah. He knows obsession. He knows possession. But love?” He spat on the floor. “That thug used you, Sera. Used your heart problem, used your weakness, used your pussy. And you gave it up easy, didn’t you? First night, and he already laid you off.”

“Stop!” I screamed, choking on my tears. “That’s not true!”

Dino leaned closer, his breath hot against my cheek. “Maybe the couchie wasn’t what he expected, huh? Maybe that’s why he sent you off so quick. Couldn’t keep him satisfied, could you?”

“Liar!” My voice cracked. My hands fisted in the sheets, shaking.

He smirked. “Say what you want, baby girl. But deep down, you know I’m right. Alessandro don’t save people. He saves himself. Always has.”

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a folded paper. He dropped it onto my lap with a flick of his wrist.

“There’s your contract. Same words, same game. Difference is, I don’t sugarcoat it. You got 365 days to love me, or I’ll let you walk. That’s how I play. That’s how I always played.”

I stared at the paper, the ink swimming before my eyes. My mind screamed to tear it apart, but my body was frozen.

He straightened, towering over me again, his grin wicked. “Maybe I’m your messiah now. Maybe I’m the only one who’ll tell you the truth.”

He turned and walked toward the door.

“You’ll think about it,” he called over his shoulder. “Trust me, you ain’t got a choice.”

The door slammed behind him, leaving the room vibrating with his absence.

The paper shook in my hands. My heart twisted painfully, a jagged knife turning in my chest.

Could it be true?

Mark’s betrayal. Alessandro’s contract. And now Dino’s words, seeping into the cracks of my mind like poison.

I thought I had it. I thought I had love. I thought I had scrutinized every bit of him to be sure he loved me truly, only to be fooled again. 

“No!” I screamed. My chest convulsed. The air thinned. My heartbeat thundered, uneven, frantic. 

Once.

Twice. 

Thrice… then, the skip again. 

I thought I was going to faint, but I didn't. My heart stopped. 

I pressed my hand to my sternum, but it was useless. The drumbeat and consecutive silence grew louder, heavier, choking me from the inside. My lungs burned, each breath shorter, sharper. The ceiling spun.

I fell back onto the bed, staring at the dark beams above, my vision narrowing. The sheets clung to my damp skin. My fingers twitched, reaching for something—anything.

Death whispered, and for the first time, I didn’t fight it.

Maybe it would be easier. No more games. No more contracts. No more betrayals.

My lips trembled, Alessandro’s face flashing in my fading vision. Then Dino’s words replayed, sharp and mocking, digging deeper.

Mark. Alessandro.

One betrayal after another.

My chest seized. The pain exploded, blinding. I arched, mouth open in a silent scream, and as the darkness pulled me under, a face loomed above me.

Not Alessandro’s.

Not Mark’s.

Dino Moretti.

His shadow fell across me as my heart gave its last frantic flutter, and I realized with horror—he wasn’t done.

I thought I would die. Not yet.