LOGINARIELLA Luca laughed as he shook his head. “ It's not that big of a deal. We’ll find another reason, instead of the truth,” he said. “We could say she’s too young. Or that Leon is too… enamoured with her.” I couldn’t help the small smile. “As I told you,” he added, “Luca doesn’t even want her wo
ARIELLA Asher shook his head. “Nothing to be concerned about. Just family drama between him and his sister. You know how siblings can be.” I gave a small, humourless smile. “I wouldn’t know. I never had any.” He looked at me. “You’re lucky. You were an only child.” “I never thought so,” I sai
ARIELLA Leon wouldn’t shut up about Sia. He was telling everyone, at every single moment, as if they hadn’t already heard. Margaret, of course, mentioned she had cooked for Luca and Sia's parents when they visited the Don, but she didn’t know Sia that well. So, during lunch, I turned to Maria. “
ARIELLA “She is Luca’s sister. Sia. She’s really good with kids, apart from her job at the elementary school, she also teaches Sunday school. I won’t say much more, you’ll learn the rest from her. But she’s a nice girl. She used to come to the house with Luca when he visited with his parents.” I n
ARIELLA I leaned slightly against the wall. “I think when he first got here, everything distracted him. The house, the change… everything. But I know eventually that won’t be enough.” Maria nodded. “It’s good you’re giving him something stable.” “Exactly.” She smiled. “Alright. I’ll let you go
ARIELLA We left the dining room and walked toward Asher’s office. “So,” I asked, “what are you doing today?” “I’m going to see Luca at the famiglia house,” he said as he walked behind his desk and picked up a few documents. “To do what?” “To find more details about Yuri and his brother,” he sai
"Ariella, you can’t keep this baby." "Yes, I can," I answered flatly, not missing a beat. "Listen to me—" "No. I don’t want to talk to you. I’m not talking to you," I snapped. "What do you want me to do? You want me to have an abortion?" "Ariella, your father’s life and mine are at stake. The fa
The moment she saw me, her eyes lit up with concern. “Ariella, how are you feeling?” she asked quickly, rushing toward me and wrapping me in a hug. I froze. That was new. I looked at her, confused and quietly heartbroken. “I’m fine,” I answered softly. “Why wouldn’t I be?” "Because of Asher," s
I got to my bedroom, slammed the door shut, and threw my bag onto the floor. Then I climbed into bed, pulling the blanket over me, hoping it could somehow shut everything out. My mind raced with everything that had happened—what I’d done, what I couldn’t undo. Then the door creaked open. I looked
I walk forward — towel still wrapped around me, still damp from the shower — but none of that matters. All that matters is Asher. All that matters is the way he watches me. When I reach the edge of the bed, he reaches out his uninjured hand to me. Without hesitation, I take it. He gently tugs me cl







