I was so full of rage I could’ve killed her right then and there. Seeing her naked with him made my most primal side take over. Now I understood my grandfather when he said that love and desire are a double-edged blade.I looked at her. She was right next to me, crying and begging—for him. She was pleading for that bastard, and I hated hearing his name leave her mouth—a mouth that belonged to me. It tore me apart to imagine him touching a body that was mine.Damn it. I hated the idea of her beneath him.“Please, Valentino, I beg you… Please don’t hurt them. I swear on our children I won’t run again.”I covered her mouth with my hand and pressed. Her eyes, already large, now looked huge and bloodshot from crying.“How dare you swear on my children? Because they belong only to me. So be grateful you carry them inside you, or I would’ve already put a bullet in your forehead,” I said.Her gaze trembled as her tears fell on the back of my hand. I let her go and leaned back in my seat. She
I ran. I ran as much as I could until I crashed into a man in the middle of the sidewalk.“Please, help me,” I begged, my voice trembling, but the man looked at me as if I were crazy and quickly walked away.I looked around desperately, searching for help. I needed to get out of there. I needed to go back to Boston.“Please, help…” I cried between sobs.I felt a hand on my shoulder and I froze. My whole body started to shake. I knew he had found me.“Are you okay?”I turned around abruptly and it wasn’t Valentino. It was an older man looking at me with genuine concern.“I escaped. Please, help me,” I pleaded. The man’s eyes widened and he nodded. He took my hand and pulled me with him into an alley.“Where did you escape from? Do you want me to call the police?” he asked. I shook my head instantly.“Not the police… please. They’re with him,” I said, still trembling. The man nodded, frowning.“Do you want me to call someone?”I nodded firmly. He took out his phone and I snatched it wit
Morning came faster than I wanted. Beside me, in the enormous bed, he was sleeping peacefully, his lips slightly parted."Stop staring at me," he said suddenly, startling me.I pulled back on the bed, nearly falling, but Valentino moved quickly and caught me before I could."Can you be more careful? You're carrying my child," he scolded, his voice rough from sleep.I pushed his hands away and adjusted myself brusquely."You should leave already. Seeing you annoys me," I snapped.Valentino grabbed my jaw firmly and kissed me. I froze, feeling how his lips devoured mine with hunger. I pushed him away and got out of bed."I told you not to touch me ever again!"He stood up and came closer. I tried to flee, but he grabbed my waist and pulled me against his bare chest."Your body, soul, and thoughts belong to me. So don’t say again that I can’t touch you, because I do whatever I want with what’s mine.""I'm not a thing, Valentino!" I shouted, panic rising in my throat."Believe me, right n
I tried to ignore Valentino for the rest of the day, but it was nearly impossible. That man has a presence that seeps under your skin, like a slow burn that smolders inside. He has the kind of energy that wraps around you without asking, and even if you hate looking at him… you end up doing it anyway."You should get dressed. We’re leaving soon," he said in his cold, commanding tone.I shot him a glare. As if ruining my morning with that ridiculous wedding wasn’t enough, now he had plans for the afternoon too?"I don’t have clothes and I’m not interested in going anywhere with you. So please, leave me alone… and screw you," I snapped, annoyed, settling into the bed without looking at him."Your clothes are in the closet. So get changed… or I’ll drag you out in that awful dress," he replied without flinching.I looked down in disgust. The white dress I was still wearing felt like a bad joke. Did someone really think that was appropriate for a wedding? It was offensive even to the fabri
After the incident with that despicable woman, we both went up to the room. I looked at him and gave him an annoyed gesture.Valentino was a damn pain in the ass, and his presence only awakened in me a terrible urge to punch him in the face."Can you stop looking at me like that?" he asked, not taking his eyes off me.I looked away and sat on the edge of the bed. I carefully observed the room. It was huge, with a massive balcony and a decidedly masculine decor. Dark, sober... cold. Just like him."I'm not sleeping with you," I clarified firmly."Then you'll sleep in the garden. I won’t let you use another room in my house."Could anyone be more of an asshole and cruel? I seriously doubted it."You should go with her... She's already waiting for you in her bed," I spat, savoring every word.Valentino laughed—that deep, arrogant sound that made my blood boil—and started approaching. I climbed onto the bed, backing away as far as I could."Stay away or I swear..."I didn’t finish the thr
I never thought I could hate someone as much as I hated Valentino. That man had arrived like a hurricane, destroying everything I was, everything I believed, everything I felt… And judging by that damn smile on his face, he seemed to enjoy every second of my downfall.I turned around to leave that garden. The air was suffocating me. Everything was suffocating me. I wanted to lock myself up, curl into a corner, and disappear. Cry until I was empty. Or scream until my throat bled. I didn’t know what I wanted more… maybe both at the same time."Where are you going, pup?"I froze. My heart skipped a beat. I turned, and there he was, with that wide, shameless smile. Had he just called me pup?The word hit me hard, igniting something visceral inside me. Rage ran through me like fire in my veins. I wanted to run up to him and rip that damn smile off his face."You're a bastard!" I shouted, my voice full of hatred, of helplessness, of a pain too big for my chest.I ran toward him and pushed h
William carefully cleaned the bite on Ginevra’s arm before starting to stitch her up. She lay curled up on the examination table, sobbing and trembling like a leaf."I can’t take this anymore," she cried between sobs.I took a deep breath. I hated dealing with other people’s emotions. I couldn’t stand the crying, the pleading. It messed with my head. But seeing her like that… made me feel something else. Something I didn’t like admitting to: concern."Stop crying," I told her calmly.She did the opposite. She broke down harder.William looked at me while taking off his gloves."I think she’s in shock."I nodded."Leave us alone," I ordered.He left without another word.I approached her."Stop crying or I’ll give you a real reason to."She slowly sat up on the table, looking at me. Her terrified eyes were defiant. And that… turned me on."And if I don’t, what then?" she challenged.I inhaled deeply. She was pushing me. I got closer, grabbed her jaw gently, forcing her to look into my
The trip to Sicily was wrapped in a tense, suffocating silence. I glanced at Valentino a couple of times, unable to understand what he was doing. It was utter madness. From what I had seen of him, he didn’t need my consent to keep the baby… he could’ve easily taken the child from me and tossed my body into the sea. So there had to be another reason behind this damn kidnapping.The car that was transporting us stopped in front of another colossal mansion. God… these people were definitely swimming in money."Get out," he ordered firmly.I stepped out of the car and slammed the door shut, as if that would somehow ease the rage boiling inside me. For the first time in days, I caught a glimpse of my reflection.I was still wearing the blue uniform. Even though I’d managed to bathe a couple of times since I’d been kidnapped, none of them had deemed it necessary to bring me clothes. As if I were just another piece in their dirty game.Valentino walked up to me and grabbed my arm, pulling me
I sat on the bed in that room, staring into space, trying to figure out what to do. Despair was pushing me to the edge of madness. Then, as I looked to the side, I saw it: a phone on the nightstand.I froze.I looked around, holding my breath. Then I slowly crawled toward the device, my heart in my throat and a trembling hope rising inside me. I prayed it was connected.I picked it up with shaking hands and brought it to my ear.A dial tone.I almost cried with relief.I didn’t hesitate. I dialed Ethan’s number. I just wanted to know if he was okay, if he was still alive, if they hadn’t hurt him.And then, he answered.“My love? Are you okay?” I asked, my voice breaking.There was a moment of silence, and then I heard him sob. He threw a barrage of questions at me: where I was, what had happened, who had me.“I’m in Italy… in Naples. Please, call the police,” I begged him. He asked for more details, so I told him everything: that the sperm donor had kidnapped me, that I didn’t really