LOGINMarcelo’s POV I stepped out of the coffee shop into the cool morning air, turning up my collar as I walked down the sidewalk toward my car. I looked back through the glass window one last time. Hazel was still standing by the table, holding her tray of coffees, looking a little less like she was carrying the weight of the entire world on her shoulders. I pulled my keys out of my pocket and unlocked the SUV parked at the curb. Sitting down behind the wheel, I didn't start the engine right away. I just sat there in the quiet car, leaning my head back against the headrest and chuckling softly to myself. If Kai knew I just had coffee with his girl, he'd probably pull a gun on me the second he opened his eyes. He'd made that clear the first time I met Hazel, even though I saved his woman he was still an asshole about him. Kai was possessive as hell when it came to Hazel, and he made sure everyone in the syndicate knew it. Part of me had wanted to tell her who I was just n
Hazel’s POVIf I stayed in that hospital room for one more second staring at the heart monitor, I felt like I was going to lose my mind.It was mid-morning, around ten o'clock. Kai was still stable, sleeping through his third day of the coma. Zara was sitting by his bed, softly talking to him, and Sophia had stepped back in after getting some rest. Having them there meant I didn't have to feel guilty for leaving the room, but my chest still felt tight. The air in that VIP suite was just too heavy, thick with antiseptic and the quiet panic I had been carrying around since the shooting.I walked out of the clinic, practically sinking into my oversized coat as the cool morning air hit my face. It was the first breath of real air I'd taken in forty-eight hours, and it actually stung a little.There was a small, quiet coffee shop two blocks down from the hospital. I ducked inside, the warmth of the shop hitting me along with the rich smell of freshly roasted espresso. It was relatively
Sophia’s POV By two in the morning, the hospital floor was so quiet you could hear the faint hum of the fluorescent lights in the hallway. Inside the suite, Hazel and Zara had finally passed out. Hazel was curled up on the small sofa with a blanket pulled over her shoulders, and Zara was fast asleep in the armchair right next to Kai’s bed, her hand still resting near her brother's. I stood up as quietly as I could, my joints popping from sitting in one place for hours. My head felt heavy, and my throat was dry as paper. I just needed to step out for five minutes, stretch my legs, and grab a cup of water from the breakroom down the hall. I slid the heavy wooden door open, trying not to make a sound, and stepped out into the dim corridor. The moment the door clicked shut behind me, my heart did a stupid little jump. Standing right beside the door frame was Reed. He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, looking every bit like the dangerous lieut
Hazel’s POVI couldn't stay in that resting room any longer. After sleeping for only five hours, I woke up with my heart pounding, my legs felt heavy but laying on a couch staring at the ceiling wasn't doing anything except making my head spin. I stood up snd headed back upstairs, needing to see Kai with my own eyes to make sure he was still breathing.I pushed open the door to Kai’s VIP suite. The room was quiet, bathed in the deep orange glow of the sunset spilling through the blinds. The steady beep... beep... beep of the heart monitor was a constant comfort.When I pushed the door open, Reed was standing in his usual spot near the far wall. He looked up, giving me a short nod."How is he?" I asked, walking over to the bed."Same," Reed replied, his voice low. "Doctor Lorenzo came in twenty minutes ago to check his vitals. Everything is steady.""Thanks, Reed."I pulled the chair closer to the edge of the mattress and sat down. Kai was still so quiet. His face was pale, the
Reed’s POVWe had spent the last thirty-six hours tearing through every Sullivan hideout in the northern district. By the time Victor called a halt to the sweep, the half of the Sullivans were practically wiped off the map, their soldiers buried, and Diego Sullivan and his father were hiding somewhere underground like a cornered rat.Victor didn't look tired. He walked down the corridor of the clinic’s private wing with heavy, menacing steps, his coat slung over his shoulder. Beside him was Marcelo, his face cold and unreadable, hands jammed deep into his leather jacket pockets. I walked a step behind them, my hand resting casually near the holstered piece inside my coat.The private floor where Kai was admitted was on total lock: four of our best men stood guard at the elevator, backing up immediately as Victor approached."Everything clear?" Victor rasped, his voice low and dangerous."Clear, boss," the lead guard said. "Miss Saint Claire went down the hall to rest about twe
Hazel’s POV Two days had passed since the shooting, and Kai still hadn't opened his eyes. The VIP room on the top floor of the Valentino private clinic was quiet, except for the soft hum of the machines and the steady rhythm of the heart monitor. I sat in the armchair right beside Kai’s bed. My fingers were wrapped around his hand. His skin felt cooler than usual, and his palm was still, lacking the firm warmth I was used to feeling whenever he held me. I picked up a small cloth from a basin of warm water on the bedside table, squeezed out the extra liquid, and gently wiped his forehead and cheek. His breathing was shallow, supported by an oxygen tube under his nose. Bandages were wrapped tight around his lower stomach, hidden under the clean hospital blanket. Every time I looked at his pale face, my mind rushed back to that highway—the sharp sound of gunfire, the sudden crash of glass, and the terrifying way Kai had slumped against me with blood soaking through his cloth
I had the divorce papers ready by evening.I called my lawyer, Mr Hartley, someone who didn't ask too many questions. I told him exactly what I wanted-a clean break. No alimony. No fighting over assets. I just wanted my freedom and my dignity, what little I had left of both.He prepared the papers q
The emergency room was chaos.Doctors and nurses rushed past us in a blur of white coats and urgent voices. Melissa was already being taken deeper into the hospital, away from us, and Damon was following her, his hand on her shoulder, his expression a mixture of rage and desperation.I came through
I stood at the top of the stairs, completely frozen, unable to move, unable to process what had just happened."No," I whispered. "No, no, no. Melissa!"I hadn't pushed her.I hadn't meant for this to happen.It was an accident.But she was lying at the bottom of the stairs, not moving, and Miss Mia
Damon left early in the morning.He didn't tell me where he was going or when he would be back. He just kissed Melissa goodbye at the kitchen table while I was making breakfast, and then he was gone. Gone to handle the Moretti family business. Gone to do whatever it was that men like him did when th







