ChloeThe first rays of sunshine come through my window and I grumble, turning on my side so I'm not blinded by the light. I frown, my eyes still closed, and I feel sleepiness embracing me again. But then I hear a scream coming from downstairs and I sit up in a flash. My brain takes a few seconds to make sense of what I'm hearing, but when it does, I frown.Is my mother yelling at someone? She'd know better than to do that when Ellie is probably still asleep. What time is it anyway? I look to the side and grab my phone on my nightstand, seeing it's still 6:25 A.M. "What is he thinking?" My mom's muffled voice continues.I throw off the blanket and swing my legs out of bed. Something bad must have happened for her to be screaming like this so early in the morning.Before I check what's going on, I stop by Ellie's room at the end of the hallway to make sure she's all right. I open the door a crack and peep inside, finding her sleeping like an angel in her crib. I let out a sigh of rel
TonyI check my watch for the fifth time in less than ten minutes, too anxious to pretend otherwise. Where the fuck are they? I told Armando they should be here before eight in the morning. The courthouse will open to the public after that and my plan will be damned. I'm in the backseat of one of my blacked out SUVs, this time not my own, in front of the hotel where Chloe is getting ready. I look out the window, noticing a few guests stepping out of the hotel entrance, but there's still no sign of Chloe or Armando."Shit, what is taking them so long?" I hiss to myself."Should I go and check, Boss?" Franco offers in response from the driver's seat. He's been my driver for the past four years, and he's as reliable, discreet, and tight-lipped as I need him to be. He is so quiet that I had almost forgotten he was here. That's when I see Armando stepping out, leading Chloe toward us. I'm fucking mesmerized by the sight, so focused on her that I forget I know how to speak for a moment. S
ChloeI remain silent the entire time as we leave the courthouse. I have no idea where Tony is taking me now, but just as before, I simply know he won't tell me a thing if I ask, so I keep my curiosity to myself. Besides, I don't trust myself to speak now. I have so many conflicted feelings going on inside my head and heart right now, that I just can't express how I feel.I'm aware of Tony's strong presence next to me the entire time, and I can't help but feel tense and uneasy. This shouldn't be like this. This is not what I wanted…not like this anyway. But like everything else in my life, I didn't have much of a choice either.I must confess I wasn't expecting him to be as kind as to give me such a beautiful ring. Sure, it's all for appearances, but the piece he picked is so…me. Simple but classy, sparkly but discreet. He knows my style and what I like. And it fits my finger perfectly. What he said to me in the courthouse about our night together two years ago got me blushing so h
ChloeTony's mansion is beautiful. I'm in awe as I stare out the window of the car. We cross the tall iron gates out front and clean brick walls with big windows and sharp-looking hedges welcome us. The house is massive, towering pillars leading the way to the front door. It feels almost intimidating.Franco parks the car and opens the passenger door for me, offering his hand to help me out."Are you okay to go in by yourself, Mrs. Bellini?" he asks. I'm caught off guard by him calling me by Tony's last name, and I blink a couple of times, simply staring at him. "Mrs.?" he calls again, eyeing me expectantly."Yes, sure. Don't worry, Franco. Thank you," I finally reply.He types a password into a digital keypad, making sure I see the code as well. Then he swings the door open and steps aside, making way for me to pass. I walk into the grand foyer and my jaw drops to the floor. I've been to mansions before, but this one is simply magnificent. "Will be right out here if you need anythin
TonyWhen I finally park my car in my driveway, I turn it off and lean back, exhaling sharply and closing my eyes for a minute. This has been a fucking busy and long day. After I parted ways from Chloe this morning, I had my men spread the word to every syndicate in New York about the head of the Saints being a married man, hoping the news will trickle down the eastern seaboard, all the way to Miami. I want Mateo to fucking know Chloe is mine now.I must confess it kind of makes my blood pump faster with adrenaline at the thought of seeing the cartel's reaction to this. It also makes my skin crawl when I think about how Miami was never an easy place to deal with, and I know what Mateo is capable of. But there isn't much he can do from so far away, and I'm not playing lightly either. Not when he's messing with Chloe.If anything, I want to be the one to make him pay for all the atrocities he's made her suffer. The bruises I saw on her arms still haunt me in my sleep. The fear in her e
ChloeThe following week is busier than I expected, however I managed to set up a new routine for both me and Ellie. As a toddler, it'd be bad for her not to have some sort of routine, and I am glad I got to give her a sense of normalcy after a few bustling days in the city. I am happy to have my mother's support during all of this, otherwise I wouldn't know what to do by myself. I am definitely not ready to put Ellie in a school or a daycare center yet, especially knowing Mateo is still lurking around.The mafia wife duties aren't easy either, and they sure consume a lot of my time. Every day I leave dinner ready for when Tony gets home from work, knowing he wouldn't prepare himself anything after midnight. It’s also a guilty pleasure of mine. The way he seemed to have loved my food the first day I prepared it made my heart warm and beat frantically in my chest. I sort of want to do that for him. After what he did to protect me and Ellie, it is the least I can do. Having to keep up
TonyAs much as I hate to admit, the married man's life isn't as hard as I imagined it would be. Not for the reasons I expected anyway. Sure, it fucking kills me to have Chloe living under the same roof as me and not being able to touch her, or get close to her whatsoever, but her presence–and Ellie's for that matter–is like a balm to the soul. One I didn't realize I needed.Not to mention the delicious food Chloe leaves prepared for me every night. She doesn't have to, and I made sure to tell her that, but she makes it anyway. I can't say I don't like it though. She might not be doing it because she wants to make me feel good or anything, but my ego is not that big to refuse a nice meal after a hard day of work.Today is one of those days, and my mouth is watering just by thinking of what I might find when I get home.I'm currently in my office at the deli, surrounded by Armando and some of my men who seem to have nothing better to do than smoke cigars and play poker on my coffee tab
ChloeAfter Rocco leaves me at home, I get inside and prepare a nice, hot bath since Ellie is still with my mom and I have the entire place just for myself. I can't remember the last time I’ve been by myself, so I plan on making the best of it.I rush to my bathroom and gather all the expensive products my mother made me buy while we were shopping, saying I should take care of myself more. I use all the salts and oils I can find, and get inside the tub. I don't know how long it takes, but at some point, I end up falling asleep and only wake up when my phone rings with a message from my mom asking if Ellie can sleep over with her tonight.At first, I'm hesitant. I'm not used to sleeping away from Ellie, but I trust my mom and I know she has bodyguards stationed around her house too, so it shouldn't be a problem. It'd be nice to have some time off to myself as well, so I answer her with a 'yes'. I need to learn to chill out a bit, otherwise I'll become paranoid. More than I already am
ChloeThe first few days after I learned that Mateo was no longer on this planet were a bit chaotic. Tony and his men had so much to do: cleaning up the mess, assigning the new positions each one of them would take when it came to protecting our family and the house, determining who would go back to dealing with the Saints’ businesses, and so on. In the past couple of weeks, I’ve managed to create a routine for myself and Ellie. It took me a while to process that I wouldn’t have to continue hiding or running away anymore, but eventually things just became… easier. It’s funny how easily and quickly humans get used to things. In the first few days, I was still scared to leave the house by myself, even with a couple of guards accompanying me, or Rocco taking me from place to place inside a bulletproof car. I would always watch over my shoulder, expecting someone to jump out of a bush or something and kidnap me–or worse–kill me.But Tony assured me he wouldn’t get rid of the security s
ChloeOur warm kiss turns into something more passionate as our hands begin to roam each other’s bodies. There are so many emotions bottled up inside us that it is hard to express them with words. Tony’s hands explore my body while he devours my mouth in a heated kiss, suffocating my moans. My head is still spinning from his confession that he loves me, and I can barely focus on what he’s doing. My distraction seems to catch his attention because he pulls away from me, his eyes studying my face carefully. “Is everything okay? We don’t need to do this if you don’t want to. I–”My lips are on his before he even finishes his sentence. Like hell I’d let him stop right now. I urge myself to be present, storing his confession for later, when I have time to dwell on it over and over without being interrupted. I wish I could’ve recorded it so I could listen to it whenever I need reassurance about how he feels about me.But this is Tony. I know he will shower me with affection and love whenev
ChloeAfter I welcome Tony home, I make sure to wake Ellie up so she can have dinner with us. She needs to eat something since she has been sleeping the whole afternoon, and she also needs to wake up now so she can get some sleep later. I’m not looking forward to staying up all night because she slept too much during the day.The three of us have dinner together as a family for the first time, and it just feels… right. Like how it’s always supposed to have been. Neither one of us brings up the elephant in the room. I’m sure we’ll have time to talk about it, but right now, I just want to enjoy this moment while I can. Watching Tony feed our daughter, playing with her, and getting her to laugh is just so adorable that my heart can barely take it.It’s a dream coming true right in front of my eyes.“Come on, baby. Let’s show Mommy how you’re a good girl who eats all her dinner,” he muses, making airplane sounds as he flies the spoon toward her gaping mouth.Ellie chuckles and opens wide
ChloeReuniting with Ellie and my mom felt overwhelming, although bittersweet. Even though I was beyond relieved and grateful to hold my daughter in my arms once more, my heart was shrinking by the minute, not knowing what Tony was up to.The Irish King’s bar I was brought to is surprisingly comfortable and welcoming. I was even more surprised when I found Cal playing with Ellie. The way she laughed at his exaggerated movements and jokes, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her this enchanted with another man before.After I settled down from the flight and kissed and hugged my family, Cal asked one of his employees from the bar to bring me something to eat. Mom and Ellie already had dinner since they arrived here earlier, and when the waitress returns with a tray filled with burgers, fries, and a chocolate milkshake, I almost let out a moan of pleasure.Only now have I realized how starving I am. I can’t even remember the last time I ate. So much has happened in the past twenty-four hours t
TonyMy vision turns red, and I clench my phone in my hand so hard that I hear it crack. “Send it to me. I’ll be on my way,” I inform him.Armando clears his throat, and I know he’s about to contradict me. “Shouldn’t we have a plan first, Boss? We have no idea what he’s been up to,” he wisely reminds me. I’m glad I have someone to make me see clearly now because all I can think of is putting a bullet hole through Mateo’s forehead and making sure he doesn’t take another breath in this world. “What do we know?” I ask, already starting the car.“They are in an abandoned warehouse outside the city. It’s not our territory, but that shouldn’t be a problem. No one really rules that part of town,” he explains firmly and professionally. “I have all men on hold, waiting for instructions on how we can best approach without being noticed.”“Do you think the cartel is waiting for us?” I have no fucking clue what Mateo was thinking when he invaded the safehouse to go after Chloe like that. It wa
TonyI warned Chloe not to even try and convince me of doing anything else other than going after Mateo and his men. I’d been doing my best to act cautiously, to consider every single possible outcome from this war, but after he ambushed Chloe at the safehouse, making her fight for her life, it left me blind with rage.My guilt didn’t help, either.I was so relieved when I found her on that dark street, wearing nothing but a robe covered in blood, that I could have cried when I held her in my arms. She felt so small, so vulnerable within my embrace that the monster dormant inside me snapped to life, and I simply couldn’t put this aside any longer. Even if I die, even if I don’t get to see her one last time, I will make sure to take Mateo down with me, so he never has the chance to lay a hand on my wife again. Or my daughter, for that matter.“Do I really have to go with Cal?” Chloe’s sweet voice asks from the bed, making me take my eyes off the phone and look at her. I promised her
Chloe“Listen,” Tony continues, still focused on the road. The police sirens get more and more distant as we drive away from the city, but I still don’t ask him where he is taking me. “I know you don’t want to think about it now, but I need to know what happened,” he requests in a gentle voice. I hear a hint of pain in it as well, but mostly, I can hear the guilt behind his words.I want to tell him none of this is his fault, but we’ll have time for that later. Right now, we just need to make sure no one else gets hurt, or worse, killed.I inhale sharply, steadying myself enough to share the recent events with him. I am strong, and I can do this, I tell myself. I’ve always told Tony I could handle it all, and even though I was scared as hell back there, I still managed to save myself.I can do this.“After you left, I spent a few more minutes in the office before I headed up to take a shower. I don’t think I was in there too long, but as soon as I stepped out, I heard the alarm go off
ChloeI should be dead.I was certain I’d be killed the moment I saw Mateo by the front door.I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look as mad as he looked a couple of minutes ago.Somehow, by the grace of God perhaps, when I saw him approaching me with that gun pointed at my face, I managed to take it from his hand after sparring with him and shot him in the shoulder. I think.I didn’t stay there to confirm. I didn’t wait to see if he was injured or not. I simply ran out of the house, not daring to look back, not even once. It’s been a few minutes, and I’m still blindly running through the neighborhood, trying to think of what to do or where to go. There’s no one on the street that I can ask for help, and even if there were, I’d be so afraid that Mateo would kill them for helping me that I don’t think I would ask for help anyway.It’s cold outside, and I’m still only wearing my shower robe, and even though I don’t dare to look back, too afraid of what I’ll see, I know I’m being follow
TonyComing here was a fucking mistake.Seeing Chloe did everything to me that I was trying to avoid. It just left me even more confused than before. We haven’t spent more than an hour together, and I still managed to screw it up.Being with her felt natural as if this was the only place I could be. Whenever I’m with her, holding her in my arms and feeling her close to me, everything just seems to go away. Every concern, every fear, every bad thought I ever had… I finally feel at peace.That’s the sort of effect she has on me. But I was not expecting her confession. Hearing her say she loves me and not being able to say it back shattered my heart in ways I can't explain. The look on her face will haunt me forever. It seems to have become a pattern lately. I can't seem to be able to stop hurting and disappointing her. I know what she expects from me, but unfortunately, I can't give it to her.It's clear to me that I have fallen for her, harder than I could ever have expected. It's a f