LOGINNina’s POV I was standing at the terrace when I heard a voice behind me. “Nice view.” I stiffened slightly before turning around. Nico. “Nico,” I said, surprised. “You’re… here.” He smiled, easy and friendly. “I’ve been pretty busy.” I nodded and forced a smile of my own. “When I heard my brother brought you here,” he continued, leaning casually against the railing, “I was quite surprised.” I let out a small scoff. “Surprised?” “Well,” he said lightly, “you two must make a pretty cute couple.” The words hit harder than they should have. I laughed once, it was brief and humorless. “What?” Nico asked, studying me more closely now. “Isn’t he treating you right?” I didn’t answer. Instead, I looked down at the floor, my fingers curling around the cold stone of the railing. Silence between us, and I hated how much it showed. “You look…” Nico paused. I glanced up. “Beautiful,” he finished. For a second, I didn’t know what to do with that. Compliments fro
I didn’t stop walking until my chest started to burn. The air outside felt colder than it should have, biting against my skin, but I welcomed it. Anything was better than the weight of that house. My hands were shaking when I reached for my phone. I hesitated for half a second. Then I called Gia. She picked up on the second ring. “Nina?” “He knows,” I said immediately. There was a pause on the other end. Just a breath. “What do you mean, he knows?” “Enzo,” I said. “He found out about the hospital payments. About your mother. It won’t take long before he sees through everything Gia.” Silence again. Longer this time. I could picture her sitting up wherever she was, her spine going rigid, her mind already racing ahead of the danger. “Damn it,” she whispered. “I knew this would happen.” “I tried,” I said, my voice cracking despite myself. “I really tried to keep it clean. To keep you out of it.” “I know,” she said quickly. “I know you did.” Then she exhaled slowly. “Nina… th
NINA's POV I woke up gradually, feeling a turmoil that kept me from truly waking up. My body was heavy, my head foggy, as if sleep had only skimmed the surface, leaving everything else untouched. For a moment, I lay still, staring at the ceiling and listening intently. The house was silent—too silent. Then I saw him. Enzo was on the couch. He wasn’t lying down. He rarely did. He sat upright, one arm resting on his knee, head tilted slightly forward, eyes closed but face tense like he tolerated sleep rather than trusting it. Even when unconscious, he looked like a man ready for a fight. I wondered how long he’d been there, if he’d watched me sleep, or if he’d been waiting. My chest tightened. Carefully, I slipped out of bed, the sheets made soft sounds as I moved. My bare feet touched the cold floor, grounding me. I didn’t look at him again as I stepped out of the bedroom. I just needed the morning air… some space. A few seconds where I wasn’t under his gaze. I took th
GIULIA's POV Luca pulled up to the church and stopped the car. I reached for the handle. His hand caught mine. I turned. “This might be the last time we meet,” he said. “What?” He looked at my hand in his. “You’re a good person Giulia.” His thumb moved once across my knuckles. “I’m sorry. For how we may have met and anything else after this.” “Luca what—” “Take care of yourself.” He let go. “Please.” I got out. Stood there and watched him drive away until he was gone. ‘I’m sorry for how we may have met.’ Dimitri pulled up before I could make sense of it. He drove in silence. I let him. We got to the hotel. Our family’s. He’d known without being told. The room door had barely closed behind us. “Giulia—” “I’m sorry,” I said. “No.” He crossed the room. “I’m the one who’s sorry. I let you go through all of that alone. I can’t forgive myself—” I kissed him. “Giulia—” I kissed him again. Deeper. My hands pulling him by the collar. “I don’t want
AUTHOR’S POV The slap came before she could finish the sentence. Gia’s head snapped to the side. She didn’t make a sound. She’d learned a long time ago that making a sound only made it worse. “How did you pay your mother’s medical bills.” Marco Santoro’s voice was very calm. That was the thing about him, he was always calmest when he was most dangerous. “You’ve been stealing from me.” Gia straightened. Touched her cheek once. Looked at him directly. “How would I steal from you when you’re the most stingy man alive.” The second slap was harder than the first. “Watch your tone.” He stepped closer. “Young lady.” The room was small. Two of his men stood by the door saying nothing, looking at nothing, the way men in his world learned to make themselves invisible when the boss was displeased. The door opened. A third man entered and handed Marco a paper without a word. Marco looked down at it. His expression didn’t change immediately. That was how you knew it was bad, wh
ENZO’S POV It had been a full day. No Giulia. No call, no message, no trace. Bruno’s men had eyes on the road she’d taken but after the cliff the trail went cold. No cameras, no witnesses, nothing. She’d vanished into Sicily like she’d never existed and I was standing outside my grandfather’s villa lying to an eighty one year old man’s face. “She needed air,” I told Nonno. “A short trip. She’ll be back.” Nonno looked at me from his chair on the terrace. He had that way of silence that had always made me feel like a child, not because he was threatening, but because he simply knew too much to be fooled easily. “Giulia doesn’t take short trips without telling me,” he said finally. “She told me.” “And you’re telling me now.” “Yes.” Another silence. He picked up his espresso, drank it slowly, set it down. “Is she safe?” “Yes.” I said it without hesitation because I had to believe it. Because the alternative was something I wasn’t able to sit with. He looked at me f
“Interesting,” he continued. “I wondered why you’d taken her in the first place. Thought maybe it was revenge against Marco. News got to me she’s his daughter. A way to settle old scores.” He leaned forward. “But it’s more than that, isn’t it?” “Are we making a deal or not?” He laughed. “You’re
ENZO’s POV Virgin. She was a virgin. I… I had no idea. Made her fall apart. Been seconds away from— Cristo. I paced my room, hands fisted in my hair. The scent of her still clung to my sheets.
Nico didn’t fight back. He just stayed still, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, looking at Enzo with that same infuriating pity. “Get up!” Enzo’s voice was raw. Violent. “Get on your fucking feet and fight me!” Nico straightened slowly. Wiped the blood from his mouth. “I’m not figh
“I said one week.” His voice was flat. Cold. No emotion.“No, Enzo.” I took a step toward him. “No more weeks. No more deals. No more of this. I’m done.”“The arrangements aren’t complete.”“I don’t care about the arrangements!” My voice rose. “I don’t care about Lorenzo or protection or any of it.







