LOGINRomeoThe glass of scotch sitting on the mahogany dresser had been there for ten minutes.This time, I picked it up. I didn’t need it to numb the pain, and I wasn't staring at it out of a desperate need to escape my own mind. I raised the crystal glass and took a smooth, burning swallow.A hand clapped down on my shoulder, nearly making me spill the rest."Easy, Doctor…" Dante’s deep, rumbling voice echoed in the room. I looked at my older brother through the mirror. He looked sharp in his tailored black tuxedo but the entirely uncharacteristic grin on his face ruined his intimidating Loscuro aura completely. "You need to be upright for the ceremony. Galantes don't have the record to pass out before the vows.""I am perfectly sober, Dante." I muttered, setting the glass down and adjusting the cuffs of my crisp white shirt. "And I am not going to pass out.""You are sweating.""It's a heavy suit."Dante didn't look convinced. He leaned against the dresser and crossing his arms. "You
IreneJulian stopped right in front of us, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked down at me, his face dead serious.“You are saying yes to this?” Julian asked, gesturing vaguely at Romeo, who was still kneeling in the dirt.My stomach dropped into my shoes.Julian. The man who had spent the last few months actively trying to win my attention. I had pushed him away, completely ditching him every single time he tried to get close because my heart had been entirely trapped by the doctor currently glaring up at him.I braced myself. He was here to blame me. He was going to make a massive scene about how I had led him on, or how I had wasted his time only to run back to the Galante family.For three agonizing seconds, Julian stared at me with a hard, unreadable gaze.Then, a completely ridiculous grin broke across his face."I mean, look at him," Julian joked, his serious facade instantly melting away. "The guy is crying in the dirt, Irene. Are you sure you don't want a do-over? I ow
IreneThe silence of the garden rushed back in, but it didn’t feel suffocating anymore. It felt vast. It felt empty, like a blank canvas waiting for us to finally start writing something new.I looked down at him, this proud, complicated, beautiful man who had spent years running from his own reflection, now completely on his knees in the dirt, offering me his entire soul without a single shield left to hide behind.Adrian had been a cage that demanded my submission. Romeo’s past had been a cage that demanded my silence.But this? The way he was looking at me right now, completely stripped bare, begging me to just let him love me? This wasn’t a cage at all. This was the open sky.“Irene?” he prompted softly, a flicker of panic crossing his face when I didn’t answer right away.A choked, watery laugh broke out of my throat. The tears came fast then, hot and blinding, blurring the image of the ring and the man holding it.“Yes,” I sobbed, stepping forward and instantly dropping to my kn
IreneThe present opening lasted for another hour.I stayed near the edge of the patio, leaning against a stone pillar, tracking Romeo's every movement. He helped Elara unwrap a massive, intricate dollhouse, handling the fragile plastic pieces with the exact same focus he used in the operating room. But he was still distracted. Twice, he looked around the yard until his eyes found mine, holding my gaze for a long, heavy second before Dante intentionally bumped his shoulder to snap him out of it.Dante gave him a knowing, subtle smirk—a look so rare on my brother-in-law's face it made my internal alarms go off.Then I noticed Isabella. She was watching me from across the lawn, a soft, secret smile playing on her lips. She didn't look confused or detached anymore. She looked like someone who knew a secret I was completely blind to.They are all in on it, I realized, my chest tightening with a sudden, nervous flutter. Whatever is wrong with him, the whole family knows.As the sun final
IreneThe Galante estate did not look like a mafia fortress today.Pink and gold balloons floated above the sprawling gardens and the usually quiet stone courtyards echoed with the loud, joyful screams of children running through the grass. Elara was at the center of it all, spinning in a sparkly tulle dress that Dante had probably paid a ridiculous amount of money for.Standing near the patio, I watched Isabella hand out slices of birthday cake. Dante stood right behind her, his hand resting gently on her waist. Isabella was laughing, her eyes bright and clear, back to the woman who held this entire family together.Everything was perfect.Except for Romeo.I took a sip of my sparkling water, my eyes scanning the crowd until I finally spotted him standing near the stone archway of the rose garden.He looked incredible, as always, wearing a crisp white button-down shirt and dark slacks. But something was completely off. The calm doctor who never cracked under pressure was currently
IreneA month can do a lot to a person. Thirty days of quiet routines, of waking up without the scent of antiseptic burning the back of your throat, of learning how to breathe without waiting for the other shoe to drop.For five years, my life had been dictated by the shifting tides of the Galante estate. But tonight, the world shrank down to the size of my small kitchen table, a mismatched deck of cards on the counter, and the click of wooden chess pieces.“You are stalling…” I said, leaning my chin on my palm.Romeo didn’t look up from the board. He was sitting on one of my cheap wooden chairs, looking entirely out of place and yet completely at ease. Tonight, he was wearing a simple charcoal sweater with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows, exposing the thick veins in his forearms.“I am not stalling, firecracker.” he murmured, his thumb tracing the top of his knight. “I am analyzing. There is a difference.”“You have been analyzing that specific knight for four minutes.”“It’s
Recommended song: Falling in love (Cigarettes after sex)Dante’s POVHer question was completely innocent.Can I see your wife? She had asked. I stared at her. At her wide, curious eyes, the soft flush still dusting her cheeks, and the way her fingers nervously picked at the hem of the white blank
Isabella’s POVDante was there, on his knees.And he wasn't alone.I held my breath, my eyes adjusting to the dim light of the corridor. Standing directly in front of the terrifying, tall man was a tiny little girl.She looked no older than six to seven. She was wearing light pink silk pajamas wit
Isabella’s POVI spent the first twenty minutes of the car ride trying to read my husband's face. But I found nothing. His face was completely blank. In the backseat, Elara was happily swinging her legs, clutching her 'Family Hero' poster, entirely in on whatever secret my husband was keeping."Da
Mateo’s POVI had instructed the chef to prepare a feast.Lobster bisque. Truffle risotto. Wagyu beef. The kind of meal that Galante probably couldn't even pronounce properly.I sat at the head of the long table. The room was bathed in the warm glow of two dozen candles."They are ready, sir." The







