로그인FIORELLA’S POVThe meaning hit me a heartbeat too late.Horror shot through me.I let out a strangled scream and threw myself out of his hold so fast I almost hit the passenger door.“You fucking disgusting pervert,” I snapped, wiping at my shoulder as though I could erase the feeling. “A little body contact and you can’t even control yourself?”Rhys scoffed. “As if I’d ever get hard for you. I’ve never been softer.”My eyes widened as the meaning registered.If that had only been its sleeping form, then what would—Absolutely not.I shoved the thought out of my head. “That is unnecessary information. Just shut up until we get home.”“No,” he replied, shooting me an irritated look before turning his attention back to the road. “And it was necessary information. I can’t have you walking around thinking I wanted you.”I rolled my eyes. “Oh, please.”“If you don’t believe me, I can prove it. I can show you.”I turned my head toward the window so fast that my neck hurt, another wave of di
FIORELLA’S POVThe moment I jumped off that railing, my life was in Rhys’s hands. My heart jumped out of my body, and regret hit before I had even fallen halfway down.What had I done?I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for the impact, but opened them a second later. That was when I passed Rhys’s and our eyes met. He had a vengeful look in his eyes and a smirk on his face. “Rhys!” I screamed. “Help me!”He didn’t move to catch me. Panic swallowed every coherent thought I had, followed by a brief moment of acceptance. Just before I hit the ground, his hand shot out and caught a fistful of my robe, leaving me hanging an inch above the concrete.Relief crashed through me so fast. “You’re welcome,” he said.I stared at him in disbelief. “I’m welcome? For what? Have you forgotten this is all your fault?”His smirk disappeared. “Such an ungrateful thing.”Then he let go.I hit the pavement with a heavy thud. “Ouch.”Pain shot through my hip, and the back of my head bounced against th
FIORELLA’S POV Air finally reached my lungs again. I hadn’t realized how difficult breathing became whenever he crowded my space until that moment. I stepped out after him and walked into a room with a man sitting on the couch, drinks on the table in front of him. The man smiled when he saw Rhys. “The Don finally decided to grace me with his presence,” he said as he stood up and bowed. “It’s an honour to have you.” Rhys returned the smile and sat across from him. “I would hope so. Because it seemed like you’ve been avoiding me, Massimo.” I sat beside him and tried to distract myself by looking around the place. Marble floors reflected the chandeliers overhead while expensive paintings lined the walls. “I would never,” Massimo responded, sitting back down. “It’s just that my health restricted me from leaving the house. But I planned to pay my respects when I recovered. Is this our new Donna?” That snapped my attention back to them. I forced a smile. “It’s nice to meet y
FIORELLA’S POV Rhys stood by the door, wearing a fitted black T-shirt that stretched across his broad shoulders and muscular chest, paired with blue jeans. Every muscle in my body went stiff with fear and anticipation. So this was it. His eyes swept over me without the slightest attempt to hide their appreciation. The urge to cover myself hit so hard. I wanted to snatch the nearest blanket, throw it over my body, and poke his eyes with something sharp while I was at it. He crossed the room until he stood in front of me. “Has anyone ever told you yellow is your colour?” I held his gaze and tried not to look intimidated. “I have no interest in taking fashion advice from you.” Rhys didn’t look offended. I searched for another smart remark to hide my nerves, but before I could find one, his fingers brushed along my arm. “It brings out the gold in your skin,” he murmured. “A true Sicilian beauty.” I fought the urge to slap his hand away. Then caved and did.
FIORELLA’S POVThere was no way I was kissing Rhys. No chance in hell. I’d rather go through another public embarrassment and fall down the flight of stairs before I’d ever think about kissing him. Rhys looked like he had other plans.He reached up and lifted the veil.With my heart pounding in my chest, I watched him step beneath the veil with me before letting it fall around us both.The air caught in my lungs.He was so close that every breath he took brushed against my skin. With his face this close, I noticed a muted steel-blue ring buried beneath the black of his irises, his gaze never leaving mine.It felt like the whole church disappeared around us. Slowly, he leaned in until his forehead and the tip of his nose grazed mine.Then another inch.And another.My pulse pounded so loudly that I couldn’t hear the applause beginning around us.Just when I braced myself for his mouth, his lips brushed against my cheek to my ears instead. “Don’t mistake appearances for affection,
FIORELLA’S POVA shocked gasp rippled through the church.I wanted to die right there on the spot. My mother swayed at the end of the aisle, a half-empty bottle dangling from her fingers. “Who doesn’t invite their own mother to their wedding? Tell me!”Beside me, Rhys went still. He lifted a finger, and security moved. “You’re a bad daughter,” she kept going. “You invite your father and his family but not your own mother?”Humiliation burned through me as every head in the church turned in my direction. The bride’s drunken mother crashing the wedding was far more entertaining than the ceremony itself.I stood there like a statue while my entire life unraveled in front of an audience.“I carried you for nine months!” she shouted, pointing the bottle at me. “Nine months! And this is how you repay me? By pretending I don’t exist?”The guards tried to help her out, but she kept struggling with them. When she swung the bottle at them, their patience ran out.They seized her by the arm
FIORELLA’S POVRhys didn’t respond. Again. His eyes moved down my body, and I followed his gaze to see I was straddling him in nothing but my bra and my underwear. Warmth crept up my face. “You pervert.”“I’m not the one half-naked and trying to rape her ex-boyfriend,” he said defensively. His
FIORELLA’S POVI had lived through more horrors than most people would see in a lifetime, but nothing could have prepared me for the scene in front of me.Rhys lifted the axe and drove it into one of the men’s chests. The sound that followed—both from the act and his scream— would haunt me for the
FIORELLA’S POV PRESENT With a sigh, I locked the restaurant and stood back to stare at the CLOSED sign. It had taken almost four years of planning, sleepless nights, and more tears than I would ever admit, but I had finally fulfilled my dream of opening my own restaurant. And just in time
RHYS’S POV FOURTEEN YEARS AGO I had come to Naples to find my half-brother after the news of our father’s death reached me. But instead, I found love. I lifted the bouquet to my nose and took a soft breath in, then pulled away. “Perfect.” Marigolds, gold chrysanthemums, ranunculus, and







