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Adriano ⫘☠︎︎⫘The sunlight knifing through the blinds pissed me off.I sat on the edge of the bed, elbows digging into my knees, head hanging low, heavy between my shoulders.My skin still carried her scent, vanilla and crushed flowers were the only thing keeping me from losing my grip.I swore to her.I said it out loud, with my whole chest, like a fucking lunatic standing in front of God. No more killing. A promise I had no business making.And now it was morning, and the promise sat in my skull like a bullet that hadn’t finished the job.I dragged a hand down my face. The stubble rasped against my palm. Madeleine doesn’t understand. She can’t. She thinks this life is a switch you can flip off. That blood is something you can politely decline, like a glass of wine at dinner. That I could just walk up to Vincenzo, shrug, and say, nah, not today, brother, I’m domesticated now, married, eating salads on rooftops instead of stacking bodies in alleys.She wants me to believe it too. She
Madeleine 𓎢𓎠𑄻𑄾𓎠𓎡 His grip tightened, dragging me closer until our mouths collided again, harder this time, all teeth and need. My fingers fumbled at the hem of his shirt, tugging it up over his chest. The thin cotton clung to his skin, and when I finally yanked it over his head. The phone was gone, the world outside was gone, it was just him and me, our shadows twisting against the low light of the room. His hands slid up my back, tugging at the thin straps of my dress until they slipped loose over my shoulders. I caught his gaze as I pushed the straps the rest of the way down, letting the fabric pool at my waist. Cool air licked over my exposed skin. My breasts ached as they spilled free, goosebumps prickling across them, nipples so tight it almost hurt. They’d been tender for days, every brush of contact sent a sharp pulse of raw sensitivity through me. “Madeleine…” his voice sounded so soft that it felt like it didn't even belong to him. I pressed my mouth to
Madeleine 𓎢𓎠𑄻𑄾𓎠𓎡 He had been on his best behavior for a week. Painfully good. It almost made me nervous, the way he was holding himself back like a wild animal pacing inside a cage. There were no late-night disappearances, no shady excuses or half-truths. After the “abortion” he had given me space, like he finally understood that breathing room wasn’t something I asked for, it was something I needed to survive. He hadn’t acted out once. He hadn’t cornered me, hadn’t tried to bulldoze over my decisions with that iron fist of his. For once, it felt like he was letting me steer the ship, even if it was barely staying afloat. When I told him I had another job interview, because I had lost the last job for not appearing when I was told, he didn’t even blink. He didn’t forbid it, didn’t shadow me with twenty men lurking outside the building. Just a driver, just… the minimum. A breadcrumb of normal life. And it was working on me. I felt myself softening when I shouldn’t have. B
Madeleine 𓎢𓎠𑄻𑄾𓎠𓎡 The nurse had guided me into a small consultation room, and now it was just me, a metal desk, a rolling chair, and the doctor, a woman with kind eyes that made it harder, not easier, to sit here. She looked at the chart in her hands, then at me. “So, Madeleine… you’re about five weeks along, correct?” My throat felt tight, “Yes. The ultrasound showed... something. The tech didn’t say much. Just this little—” my voice cracked, and I hated it—“flutter. Was that… was that the heartbeat?” The doctor set the chart aside and folded her hands, “At five weeks, what we sometimes see is what’s called cardiac activity. It’s not a developed heart yet, it’s more a cluster of cells beginning to send electrical impulses. Some people call it a heartbeat, but medically, it isn’t the same as a fully formed heart. That develops later.” My fingers twisted in my lap. “So… it’s not… it’s not really a baby yet?” She leaned forward slightly. “It’s an embryo. Very early. No organ
Madeleine 𓎢𓎠𑄻𑄾𓎠𓎡 I scanned the estate, searching for Flan. I hadn’t seen him since this morning. Heading to the living room, I found him curled up on the floor with Luna. “There you two are…” I murmured, crouching beside them. Alessia was already in the room, and Claire was perched on the couch, tense. The moment she spotted me, she let out a sharp sigh and started to rise. But Alessia moved first, her hand snapping toward Claire’s arm, “Stay.” Claire hesitated, caught mid-motion, and I could see the tension in her expression. “I’ll leave…” I said softly, scooping both cats into my arms, arms tightening around Flan and Luna as if holding onto them would make everything less tense. “No. You’re not going anywhere either,” Alessia said, her hand shot out toward me, palm up, “Come here.” I froze, staring at her hand. The cats squirmed slightly against me. Finally, I set Flan and Luna down on the floor, murmuring a soft, “Be good,” and stepped toward her. Alessia pulled b
Madeleine 𓎢𓎠𑄻𑄾𓎠𓎡 The ride to the clinic was suffocating. I pressed my forehead against the window the entire way. Adriano sat beside me, far too close in the back seat of the car, his cologne threading into the air. He tried to talk, little things, soft questions, attempts to smooth over what couldn’t be smoothed. “Did you eat something?” “Do you feel dizzy still?” “Do you want me to slow things down for you?” I didn’t answer. My mouth stayed glued shut, jaw locked until it ached. I didn’t even blink in his direction. By the time we stepped inside, my hands were trembling, not from nerves or excitement, but fear and anger lived too close in my veins now. I checked in, gave my name, smiled politely at the receptionist while Adriano loomed behind me like some shadow I couldn’t escape from. When the nurse called us in, I lay down on the crisp paper-covered exam table, the gown loose around me. Adriano took the chair to the side, leaning forward, elbows on his knees, w