ANMELDENGiovanni’s POVBefore I could finish speaking, she was already placing the baby in my arms.And just like that… everything shifted.These hands of mine—built for war, for power, for control—held something impossibly small, impossibly fragile. And for the first time in my life, I handled something without strategy, without calculation.Just care.She smelled new, warm, and impossibly soft. Untouched by everything I had become.I studied her face—the delicate brows, the full cheeks, the small lips. Nella’s nose, unmistakably. I found myself searching for something of mine in her, something to claim quietly.“She’s beautiful,” I murmured.Nella stilled. “She?” she whispered.“I asked the nurse.”That was all it took.She didn’t just chuckle the way she usually did. She smiled—broadly, fully, without reservation.Then, like a thread pulled from another time, a memory surfaced.“Nella,” I said quietly, glancing at her, “you remember the lounge in New York?”She froze. Then her cheeks turne
Giovanni’s POV"Urggh," I groaned painfully. I hate the antiseptic smell from hospitals. It's why I personally hired Susan and Dr Ferrara to come to the house whenever a crisis arises.My lashes fluttered. I squinted, trying to register my environment when the thought hit me.I told Nella I love her.My heart made that funny sound again —thinking about her sent a fresh spark of adrenaline through my body, which was very unusual.No.I can't lie here like a weak man while Nella cries because of my condition. I'm going to see her, I thought.Ignoring the pain in my head, I struggled to sit on the bed. The pain was quite excruciating but I ignored it. I needed to see Nella. I needed to tell her I was fine so she wouldn't worry.The IV line pulled against my arm as I swung my legs over the side of the bed.Marco appeared in the doorway before my feet hit the floor."Boss." His voice was careful. The voice he used when he was about to tell me something I wouldn't like. "You need to stay in
Nella’s POVThe car screeched to a halt outside the private hospital wing—Evergreen Hospital. The light shines brightly on the building. Everything happened too fast.Giovanni’s hand was ripped from mine as the medical team rushed him through the double doors on a stretcher. I tried to follow, but strong arms held me back.“Señora, you can’t go in yet,” one of the nurses said gently but firmly.I saw his mouth move, like he was trying to say something. The only words I could grasp were “I…. Lured….”I stood there in the brightly lit corridor, staring at the doors that had just swallowed him.My head spun for a second.He lured whom? Me? My heart skipped a beat.He lured me to do what? I hoped this wasn't my greatest fear smiling at me. Was Antonio right about the kind of man Giocanni was all along? I panicked, and my breath came out unevenly.“Calm down, Nella,” I muttered to myself. My hands clung tightly to the flare gown I wore.Maybe I didn't hear him well, I tried to convince m
Giovanni’s POVI stood at the window of my study, staring out at the garden without really seeing it.I knew I was exhausted from the series of business meetings. I had always been able to handle traveling and the stress that came with it, but one thing I couldn’t quite comprehend was Nella’s attitude.She had been distant and mildly indifferent, not even seeming to care that I had just returned.Was this because I had confronted her about the art supplies?What she didn’t know was that I knew she had delivered a portrait she’d spent two days finishing.She moved through the villa like a ghost—quiet, distant, her storm-gray eyes lost somewhere far away. Even when she answered me, her voice lacked its usual fire. She was thinking about something. Or someone.Might it be Tallia? Her mother? Her father? Or—Antonio?My blood boiled at the thought of that name. Antonio knew better than to play with fire—especially a fire that was mine.If I were being honest with myself for once… “I miss
Nella’s POV“Elena… Elena…”I repeated the name slowly, like a spell I was trying to break.Where was my photographic memory when I needed it?I scratched my head slightly, pacing the bedroom, trying so hard to recall anything at all that related to this Elena.Then it hit me.Yes.I remembered now. Very vividly.The woman who came with her apprentice to help me get ready for the induction ceremony. The older woman with kind hands and quiet efficiency. She had styled my hair, adjusted my dress, and spoken to me gently, almost motherly.She was alive.According to the stories I had heard, Elena was Giovanni’s fiancée — and she had died.So who was the woman I met?Determined to know the truth, I lay on the bed, asking myself a series of questions.“I would ask Susan tomorrow morning,” I muttered. She should know more about Elena. I knew if I was going to ask about this person, it wouldn’t be a male, not even Marco because it seems like the male had swore to be loyal to Giovanni withou
Nella’s POVGiovanni didn’t let go of my wrist.Instead, he looked deep into my eyes and moved closer, so close that I could feel the heat of his body and smell the faint scent of his cologne mixed with his manhood.My heart almost tore out of its ribcage I closed my eyes, heart hammering, ready for the kiss I knew was coming — the kind of kiss that always left me dizzy and angry with myself for wanting it, and for kissing right back.But the kiss never came.Instead, I felt the lightest touch of his fingers in my hair.I opened my eyes.Giovanni was holding up a single loose thread — a tiny, stray piece of fabric from my shirt — between his thumb and forefinger. He studied it for a second, then gently blew it away.It floated down between us like a silent surrender.My face burned with embarrassment.Deep down, I had missed his lips but where would my pride go if I asked him for a kiss?I pulled my wrist free and stepped back.“I… I need some air, I need to rest and clear my head,”
Nella’s POV “Slissh.”The heavy curtains slid open with a soft hiss, letting a sharp blade of morning sun cut straight across my face.I groaned, turning my head into the pillow. Punishment. It had to be punishment. All I wanted was sleep—deep, dreamless sleep where Tallia’s voice didn’t keep scre
Brenda’s POV The mansion smelled of antiseptic, rust, and the faint copper tang of fresh blood. As far as Nella wasn’t here, it remains mine.Lucas sat shirtless on the edge of the metal table in the back room, jaw clenched, breathing through his teeth. The graze on his shoulder was shallow but ug
Nella’s POVIt was 9 p.m.The villa had been quiet for hours, but now the silence felt loaded — like the calm before a storm that had already started brewing somewhere else.I stood by the window in the master suite, still dressed in the emerald gown, with silver heels hurting my toes. The inductio
Nella’s POVThe dining room felt too big. Too quiet. Candle flames danced on the long mahogany table, throwing soft shadows across walls lined with dark oil paintings I hadn’t noticed before. The air smelled faintly of cedar and expensive wine — his scent, already familiar in the worst way.I had







