LOGINLena’s POVI woke to the sound of someone calling my name.“Lena.”The voice was low and familiar, carrying a softness that made me reluctant to open my eyes. For a moment, I remained still, caught between sleep and the uncomfortable awareness that I was not in my own bed.Then I remembered.Marco.The art room.The bruises on my hand.My eyes flew open.Salvatore was sitting beside me, one arm resting along the back of the sofa. The sunlight had shifted across the room, and the tea on the table had long since gone cold. I must have fallen asleep without realizing it.“How long was I asleep?” I asked, immediately sitting up.“About forty minutes.”I stared at him. “Forty minutes?”“Possibly forty-five. I wasn't keeping track.”“You should have woken me.”“Why?”“Because…” I stopped.Because sleeping in front of him felt too comfortable. Because I had forgotten, for a little while, that I was supposed to be careful around people. Because the last thing I remembered was his voice tellin
Salvatore’s POVSomething was wrong.I had known it from the moment Marco Carter stepped into my house, wearing that polished smile and greeting everyone as though he were an old friend rather than a man whose presence made the entire room feel colder. I had known it when Lena's fingers tightened around her teacup, when her shoulders stiffened at the sound of her brother's voice, and when she agreed to take him to the art room without once looking at me.Most importantly, I had known it when she looked at me before I left them alone.There had been something in her eyes that I couldn't quite explain. It wasn't simply nervousness, nor was it the discomfort of someone forced to entertain an unwelcome guest. It had been something much deeper, something instinctive and painfully familiar to anyone who had spent enough time around people hiding their fear.She had looked at me as though she wanted me to stay.And then she had told me she was fine.I had spent the better part of my life lea
Lena’s POVThe first sign that something was wrong was the silence.I had been sitting in the drawing room with Isabella, listening to her discuss the preparations for an upcoming charity gala, when the sound of hurried footsteps came from the entrance hall. A moment later, one of the servants appeared at the doorway, her expression unusually hesitant.“Madam, Mr. Marco Carter has arrived. He says he wishes to meet Mrs. Mancini.”The teacup in my hand stopped halfway to my lips.For one dreadful second, I forgot how to breathe.Marco.My brother was here.At the Mancini mansion.I stared at the servant as though she had just announced that the walls were about to collapse. Perhaps I had misheard her. Perhaps my mind had finally grown so accustomed to expecting punishment that it had begun inventing new ways to frighten me.But then I heard his voice.“Good morning, everyone.”Smooth. Pleasant. Perfectly controlled.The voice of a man who had never needed to raise his hand in public to
Marco Carter’s POVI had always believed that people revealed their true nature when they were denied something they considered theirs.Some became angry. Others begged. A few tried to negotiate, pretending they had suddenly discovered principles they had never possessed before. But sooner or later, most people learned that refusing a demand did not make the demand disappear.Lena had yet to learn that lesson.I sat behind my desk in the Carter mansion, scrolling through the messages I had sent her over the past two days. She had read them, every single one, and responded to none. My calls went unanswered, and when I contacted one of the household staff at the Mancini residence under the pretext of asking after my sister, I was informed that Lena was doing well.Doing well.The words had irritated me more than they should have.She was supposed to be helping us, not enjoying a comfortable life while the rest of the family dealt with the consequences of her incompetence. The documents
Lena’s POVFor the first time in what felt like forever, I woke up without immediately wondering what had gone wrong.The morning sunlight filtered through the curtains, falling across the bed in soft golden patches. I lay still for a few moments, enjoying the rare quiet before the responsibilities of the day began demanding my attention. Then I turned my head and discovered that Salvo was still beside me, sitting against the headboard with his laptop open on his knees.He was working.I had apparently married a man who considered sleep an optional inconvenience and relaxation a suspicious waste of time.I watched him for a moment. His dark hair was slightly untidy, and the sleeves of his shirt were rolled to his elbows. His attention was fixed on the screen, his expression serious as he read something, occasionally tapping a few words into the document.It was a surprisingly ordinary sight.I had seen him in countless situations, always composed and impeccably dressed, surrounded by
Marco Carter’s POVThe Carter mansion had always been a place where silence meant obedience.The servants knew it. The employees knew it. Even the members of the family understood the difference between the quiet that followed a pleasant dinner and the kind that descended when someone had displeased the head of the household. Tonight, the mansion had fallen into the latter, its grand corridors unusually still as the rain beat against the tall windows and the grandfather clock in the hallway marked the passing minutes.I stood inside my father's study, a glass of whisky resting between my fingers, while he examined a report on his desk. My uncle occupied the other side of the room, pacing back and forth with the restless impatience of a man who had expected results days ago.The problem was Lena.My little sister had apparently forgotten how to answer her phone."Has she responded?" my father asked without looking up.I took a sip of whisky. "No.""Not even to your last message?""She
[Elena---aka--- Lena Carter's POV]I walked down the aisle in a wedding dress that didn’t belong to me.“Lena Carter…”The herald’s voice echoed across the grand cathedral as he announced a name that was supposed to be mine.But it wasn’t, not really.My heels clicked softly against the marble floo
[Lena’s POV — The Next Morning]The soft morning light spilled through the tall windows as I sat in front of the mirror, slowly combing my hair. The black strands slid smoothly between the teeth of the comb.For a moment, the quiet rhythm almost felt peaceful. In the large mirror before me, a woman
[Lena’s POV — Mancini Mansion]The moment I stepped inside the Mancini mansion…the same scene greeted me. Rows of servants stood in the grand entrance hall, perfectly lined up as if rehearsed.Heads slightly lowered, hands folded politely in front of them, “Welcome… Ms. Lena.”My eyes paused slight
[Lena’s POV — Continuation]Whether it was my previous life… or this one…i had finally realized something simple, Nothing ever changed for me, no matter how much I struggled.No, matter how desperately I tried. In the end… everything always returned to the same place. So eventually...I stopped figh







