LOGINBy the time Milan arrived in New York, exhaustion weighed heavily on her body. She was too tired to carry her luggage, but she still dragged them with her through the crowded airport terminal.
Every step felt heavier than the last, as though the past few days had drained every ounce of strength she had left.
When she stepped into Arrivals, she froze.
Her father stood there.
Beside him was her older brother.
For a second, Milan t
By the time Milan arrived in New York, exhaustion weighed heavily on her body. She was too tired to carry her luggage, but she still dragged them with her through the crowded airport terminal.Every step felt heavier than the last, as though the past few days had drained every ounce of strength she had left.When she stepped into Arrivals, she froze.Her father stood there.Beside him was her older brother.For a second, Milan thought she was imagining them. Her father looked older than she remembered, silver now threaded through his dark hair, his expression full of emotions as his eyes settled on her. Her brother stood with his hands shoved into his jacket pockets, watching her with a full smile on his face. He also looked a bit older.The noise of the airport faded around her.“My beautiful, courageous daughter,” her father said with a proud smile, and that was all it took.The exhau
The operation had been immaculate. Thorough.If there were no locator inside Aurora, he would never have traced her. That reality was hard to stomach.“You should’ve ended her when you killed Giovanni,” Vincenzo said frankly. “It didn't matter who the hell she was nine years ago.”Vito cut the call instantly, tossing the phone violently onto the passenger seat. His fist slammed against the steering wheel a second later. Once. Then again.Raw anger mixed with guilt tore through him.He couldn't stop blaming himself for everything that happened because deep down, part of him knew he had ignored every warning sign the moment Milan stepped back into his life.By the time Vito reached the estate, police vehicles and reporters already lined the entrance. Blue and red lights flashed against the gates. Media people clashed against each other to get a picture of him.They didn't even care what he was going through
Vito forced himself to stay focused.Whoever had taken Aurora was still out there.His violet eyes swept across the cottage with cold precision, searching automatically for anything useful like footprints, weapons, discarded items, and anything carelessly left behind.At first, he only saw dust and decay, but then his gaze caught an old newspaper that lay crumpled near the fireplace.He reached for it slowly.The front page showed a photograph of him, Luca, and Aurora from years ago.Luca stood between them in the picture, smiling at something outside the camera frame while a much younger Aurora sat on his shoulders laughing.The sight made him grit his teeth.This picture was taken a few days before the fire that nearly killed the little girl.His face hardened the moment the memory slipped in.Beside the newspaper sat a gray wig. Short. Masculine. Cheap synthetic strands.Vito blinked, t
Do you think you can do that?Vincenzo’s question lingered in Vito’s mind long after the call ended.The cigarette burned slowly between his fingers while he sat alone in the dark office, smoke curling through the silence around him.Since he had stopped liquoring up, smoking cigarettes has become a regular habit.“If she leaves me again, I’ll treat her like she’s dead to me.”Vito’s teeth gritted as he recalled the conviction he used to say those words. It had sounded cold and final, but now they echoed back at him with a pressure he couldn't shake.Because he already knew the truth.He could endure Milan hating him.He could endure her fighting him, rejecting him, even betraying him.But living in a world where she no longer thought about him at all?That destroyed him in ways he could not explain.Against his will, the painful memory et
Diego couldn’t bring himself to kill Milan after meeting her that morning.She’d spoken to him without fear, served him food without hesitation, and listened to him like he was still human.Her kindness unsettled him and her courage attracted him.Against every order Antonio had drilled into him, he decided to become her shadow.A hidden ally in places she would never notice.Information came in pieces. Routes, warnings, names to avoid, shifts in Antonio’s movements. Whenever danger moved closer, Diego pushed it away before it could touch her.But secrets never stay buried for long.Antonio found out.The moment he did, rage followed.The outrage he felt was so blinding that he chose Plan B. A very dangerous plan he had intended to abstain from if Diego killed Milan.Antonio arrived at the remote hideout without warning.Rain slammed into the ground and onto the vehicles
The next morning, calm silence filled Milan’s apartment while she stood in the kitchen making breakfast.Soft music played from her laptop as butter melted in the pan.The smell of toasted bread and coffee drifted through the apartment, easing some of the heaviness left from the night before.Then a knock sounded at the door.Milan’s heart jumped.Vito.The moment she thought of him, heat spread through her body.She let out a deep sigh to recollect herself then she turned off the stove and hurried toward the door, smoothing a hand over her loose shirt on instinct.Suddenly, she became painfully aware of what she was wearing.An oversized cream shirt hung loosely over her bare legs, stopping just above her thighs.She wasn't even wearing any panties under it.Her hair remained slightly messy from sleep, and she wore no makeup at all.The realization made her slow down.
Vito braved the flames to reach Kathleen. He couldn't leave her to die. She had gotten involved with Antonio Rocci because of him. If she lost her life, it would haunt him for the rest of his life. His lungs burned with every breath he took, but he refused to stop searching for her in the sco
The owner of the line was no ghost. Vito knew who it could be. Antonio Rocci. He had apparently kidnapped Mateo, obtained Milan’s private number from him, and was now blackmailing her. He couldn’t imagine the terror this must have caused Milan. The memory of her crying herself to sleep fla
The silence from Mateo became a suffocating pressure on Milan. She was deeply worried that she couldn't eat, or sleep. This caused weight loss and Andrea had to warn her to take care of herself, if she didn’t want to lose her baby. Milan blamed Vito for everything. She blamed him for Mateo’s
The smoke from the gunfire still hung in the air as most of the intruders retreated. However, two didn't make it out. They were shot down by Raphael before they could shoot Milan. His expression was a mask of lethal focus as he escorted Andrea into Milan’s room to ensure she was unharmed. Whil







