Mag-log in107RaffaelI can’t do this again.I can’t. I can’t. I can’t.Theo’s blood was still wet on my hands as I ran to her, the warmth of it clinging to my skin like a reminder I couldn’t escape.Adrian staggered back, the gun slipping from his fingers as though the weight of what he’d done had finally caught up to him, but I didn’t stop. I didn’t even look at him.“Ronan! The car!” I shouted, my voice raw as it tore through the ringing in my ears. My heart pounded violently against my chest, so hard it felt like it might give out at any second.I dropped beside her, my hands shaking as I gathered her into my arms, ignoring the sharp burn tearing through my side where one bullet had gone in.Warm blood soaked through my shirt, mixing with hers, but barely registered it. “Baby, you’re okay. You’re okay,” I whispered, even as the blood spread between us, even as I felt how fragile she was in my grip.No. I couldn’t lose another person. Not like this. Not again.“God…” The word felt foreign, a
106Emilia“But how could you live and have no story to tell?”Those were the words my father drilled into me every time I messed up and felt like absolute shit.He’d be surprised by the number of stories I have now.Raffael’s blood soaked into my hair, warm and heavy as it slid down my scalp and into my clothes. His grip around me tightened each time I tried to move, holding me close and blocking my view of everything happening around us.I couldn’t see it.But I could hear it.Gunshots rang out one after the other. Bodies hit the ground with dull, final thuds. Men shouted over each other, their voices cut short too quickly.It was chaos.“Raffael, we need to help,” I whispered, my voice shaking as another tear slipped down my cheek. Fear sat heavy in my chest, sharp and suffocating.I was scared. So fucking scared.There was no way out this time. Enzo didn’t know where we were, and at the rate bodies were dropping, it was clear how this would end.Dead.Or barely alive.“Stop crying
105BiancaLoving Raffael’s father was the most exquisite form of self-destruction.The kind you walk into with open eyes, fully aware it will ruin you, and choosing it anyway. I used to wonder, in the quiet hours of the night, what possessed me to stay in a life I never truly wanted.Maybe it was ambition Or maybe, deep down, I simply enjoyed the slow, inevitable burn of becoming something I could never undo.I spent years beside him, carving myself into the perfect woman, quiet when needed, sharp when required, beautiful always. I learned his moods, memorized his silences, and worshiped the space he occupied.And still, it was never me.It was always her.Raffael’s mother owned his soul when she was alive, and even in death, she never loosened her grip. I was just the woman who warmed his bed… never the one who held his heart.“Move.”The command came with a shove, sharp and unnecessary, forcing me forward before I could brace myself.My heel scraped harshly against the ground, but
104RaffaelOf course, I wasn’t the one drugged and tied up in the fucking warehouse.I glanced at Rosella, watching as she chewed on her fingers, her leg bouncing anxiously like she could already feel something going wrong.The tension in her body was almost contagious, but I ignored it, moving through the warehouse slowly, my eyes scanning every exit, every corner, every blind spot.“Nothing is going to happen to you, Rosella. You have my word,” I said, my voice steady, controlled like I hadn’t already planned for every possible outcome.She scoffed, dragging a hand through her already messy hair, the strands catching between her fingers as she let out a shaky breath. “You don’t know how much of a psychopath he is.”“He’s made plans for my child… and the woman who owns my heart.”I let my gaze sweep across the warehouse again before settling on her, calm and unreadable, like none of this was new to me.“Whatever you think he is, Rosella, tonight, I’m worse.”I didn’t miss the way he
103AdriánThe problem with history is that nobody ever really learns from it.At least in my case.“Coffee?” the air hostess asked Emilia, holding a tray in front of her.She shook her head, clutching her belly as she stared out the window.She wasn’t stupid enough to travel unattended. At least five of her best men were on this flight with her.“Adrian, honey, thank you so much for letting us borrow your plane to go to America,” Emilia’s mother said, placing her hand on top of mine.I flashed her a polite smile.I hadn’t planned on re-entering their lives so soon. Rosella was only supposed to be a temporary tool.But during one of my visits to the psychiatric ward, Emilia’s mother saw me. Apparently she was on prescribed Anti-depressants.The moment she did, she rushed toward me like a drowning person spotting land.Yes, I started medication.Because sometimes the distractions fail, and I have to face the simple truth that I am just as sick as I’ve always been.“We have a plane too,
102RaffaelOf all the ways to lose a person, death is the kindest.Emilia was alive, but out of my reach.“At least I know you guys are in a better place,” I whispered, brushing away sand and small stones from my parents’ gravestone.Rolland de Luca and Gisele de Luca.My brother’s gravestone stood right beside theirs. Rosella was crouched in front of it, removing the dead flowers and replacing them with fresh ones while humming softly under her breath.Was she really guilty of the things Emilia was saying?Adrián and Rosella.None of it made any sense.“Remember when we used to dance so they’d buy us ice cream?” she said, turning to face me with a smile.I laughed softly at the memory. I could still picture us in striped pajamas, trying to choreograph to earn ice cream for dinner instead of whatever healthy concoction Mama had found on the internet.“Back when Pamela was alive,” she sighed.We fell silent at the mention of her name. Pamela had been her older sister, the one who died
17RaffaeleDo I have to put a bullet in myself to get her to touch me again?“What are you up to, Tempesta?” I whispered to myself, watching the live footage of my house on my phone.I didn’t know how she’d done it, but she’d found the blind spots in my house. Now I couldn’t see what she was up to
16EmiliaBeing held captive was full of surprises, but today offered two I wasn't prepared for."Puppy!" A little girl screamed, lunging for my dog, who wagged its tail excitedly at her.First: Finding out Rafaelle had a daughter."I said no, Theo!" Rafaelle snapped, tossing the bandage and meds
19RafaelleI tried not to overanalyze Adrian’s absence as I stared at Emilia standing in front of me.I mean… It was my wedding.She was a vision in white lace and silk, an angel sent to pay for a devil’s sins.The priest cleared his throat, and Emilia finally tore her gaze away from her family.“
14RaffaeleI smiled at the sight of my car’s shattered windows and windshield.Another display of defiance from Emilia.“Damn,” Theo chuckled from beside me. “She’s a real piece of work, isn’t she?”She had become a bit more… difficult since she’d been forced to sign the contract.Another step in







