LOGINIsabella’s POVRomeo gently turned me away from the sunlit lounge, away from the giant liar and away from the brunette who had just claimed to be his wife.My vision was completely blurred with hot, angry tears. Every single step felt like walking through wet cement. My chest was entirely consumed by a crushing, humiliating grief that I had no right to feel.I was Isabella Santiago. I belonged to Mateo.So why did leaving this room feel like I was leaving my entire world behind?"It’s alright, Isabella." Romeo murmured softly. "Walk slowly and carefully. We are going straight back to bed. I am going to get your vitals checked and…""Mama!"The single word that rose from behind froze my entire body.It wasn't a doctor's voice. It wasn't Irene's. It was a incredibly sweet, and overwhelmingly joyful shout of a little girl.My bare feet stopped moving, and my grip on the IV pole tightened.I heard Romeo curse under his breath, his arm tightening around me as he tried to keep me moving for
Dante’s POVHearing Chiara’s words, my blood ran completely cold. I turned my head around to stare at my sister-in-law. I had no idea if I had heard it right.Chiara held her chin high. Her hands were clenched so tightly at her sides. She wouldn't look at me. Her dark eyes were locked entirely on my actual wife, feeding her a lie so poisonous, so utterly destructive, that it took every ounce of my restraint not to shatter the room with a roar.Why was she doing this? Was this her twisted, panicked way of protecting Isabella’s fragile brain? Giving her a neat, tidy explanation for the embrace so Isabella wouldn't try to dig for the missing eight years? Or was it something darker… a desperate manifestation of whatever the hell had just happened when she fell against my chest?It didn't matter. I wasn't going to let her break my wife's heart."Chiara." I growled, warning her. "Do not do this. Stop talking right now."I turned back to Isabella, lifting my hands in a desperate, pleading g
Isabella’s POVI gripped the cold metal of the IV pole so tightly my fingers cramped, but it was the only thing keeping my knees from completely buckling.My chest felt painfully tight, as if invisible claws were wrapping around my ribs, slowly suffocating me.I stared at the giant man standing in the center of the room. The man who had spent the last few days standing like a stone in the darkest corner of my bedroom. The man who had wrapped his arms around me when my brain felt like it was tearing itself apart, whispering that I was safe. The man who had looked me dead in the eyes and sworn he worshipped the ground his missing wife walked on.Yet here he was.The same hands I had clung to during my panic attack were wrapped around the waist of a beautiful brunette. He was holding her against his chest, absorbing her weight effortlessly. And she looked completely captivated. Her fingers were curled tightly into the fabric of his shirt. Her cheeks were painted with a deep flush as sh
Dante’s POVThree days had passed since Isabella’s mind had nearly torn itself apart trying to bridge the eight-year gap in her memory.Three agonizing, suffocating days.Under Romeo's strict orders, we had kept her environment completely stress-free. No more questions. No more puzzles.I had gone back to playing the shadow, playing the distant bodyguard whenever I was in her room, speaking only when spoken to. It was a torture unlike any other to be mere feet away from the woman I loved more than oxygen, and be entirely unable to touch her. To keep myself from losing my mind, I spent the afternoons in the private, sunlit lounge at the end of the south wing, watching the only other things that kept my heart beating."No, Zia Chiara! The blue pillow goes on the very top! It's the roof!" Elara’s bright giggle echoed off the high ceilings of the lounge.I sat in a leather armchair in the corner of the room with a cup of cold, black coffee resting on my knee. I was currently watching my
Isabella’s POVThe pain felt as if my brain were physically tearing itself apart, desperately trying to bridge a gap I couldn't even see.I curled in on myself, gasping for air that wouldn't come, pressing my hands against my temples to keep my head from shattering. The high-pitched beeping added to the nightmare of noise in my head.Then, suddenly, the world went silent.Dante who had stood like a stone wall in the corner completely encircled me.His arms wrapped around my shaking shoulders, effortlessly lifting my collapsing body and pulling me closely against his chest. One of his large hands cradled the back of my head, pressing my face into the crook of his neck, while his other arm banded around my waist.I should have fought him. I should have shoved him away, terrified of this lethal stranger touching me so intimately.But I didn't.The moment my cheek hit his solid chest, every single muscle in my body recognized him. My mind was screaming that he was a bodyguard, a hired
Dante’s POVI knew it the exact moment when realization hit her.Isabella’s wide, dark eyes dropped from my face down to her left hand resting on the silk sheets.The wedding band I had slid onto her finger was still here. It was a delicate, custom-forged band of brushed titanium interlaced with small, flawless diamonds, a perfect match to my own."This isn't my ring." Isabella whispered. The sound was so fragile it barely carried across the sunlit room. She lifted her trembling left hand, bringing the ring closer to the light. "Mateo gave me a princess cut. This is... this is different."At the foot of the bed, Irene froze. She slowly turned around, her tear-stained eyes going wide with panic as she realized the lie was rapidly unraveling. She looked at me, a silent, desperate plea for help, but I didn't move. I couldn't. I was completely paralyzed, trapped in my role as the stranger in the corner."Irene." Isabella muttered, her breathing beginning to hitch. Her eyes darted around
Isabella’s (Alessia’s) POV "...Ed ora, le ultime notizie sulla tragedia che ha scosso il mondo degli affari a New York," the news anchor said, her voice smooth and professional. "La polizia conferma che il corpo ritrovato nel relitto dell'auto sulla scogliera è di Isabella Santiago. Il marito, il
Dante Galante’s POV Three weeks ago, I walked onto the floor of the Security Operations Center, intending to fire half the staff. The noise was getting worse day by day. Every type on keyboard sounded like a drill on my head. Every flickering LED felt like a lightning strike. My vision was weaken
Mateo’s POVI didn't even think. I climbed over the railing, sliding and falling down the steep hill. Rocks cut me. My suit was torn. There was blood on my hands. But I did not feel pain.By the time, I reached the bottom, the car was all on fire. The air around it smelled of gas and burning leathe
Security Operations Center (Inferno Tech) Isabella’s POV For four weeks, I had pretended to be a shadow in the room full of monitors. I arrived early in the office, left late, and kept my head down. I wore oversized sweaters to hide the soft curve of my stomach that was becoming harder to deny







