MasukFive years ago, Elena Carter made the hardest decision of her life. When Damian Moretti, the boy she loved, chose to step into the violent world of the mafia, she knew she couldn’t follow him. She had seen firsthand what that life did to people—how it swallowed them whole. So she walked away, leaving behind the only man she had ever loved. But Damian never saw it as an ending. "If we ever cross paths again, I won’t let you go." Those were his last words to her, a promise that haunted her every night.
Lihat lebih banyakThe door didn’t slam.That was the cruelest part.It closed softly behind her, like she wasn’t ripping my chest open. Like she wasn’t taking something vital with her when she walked out of my life.I stood there long after she was gone, staring at the space where she’d been, my eyes refusing to accept the emptiness. The room still smelled like her vanilla and graphite and something warm I’d never been able to name. It clung to the air, to my clothes, to the back of my throat. My hands were clenched so tight my knuckles burned, a dull, grounding pain I welcomed.I didn’t move.Because if I did, I might go after her.And if I went after her, I wouldn’t stop.I’d promised myself—promised her—that I wouldn’t trap her in this world. That I wouldn’t be the reason her life shrank into shadows and locked doors. I’d let her choose. Even if that choice gutted me.Especially if it gutted me.Footsteps echoed somewhere down the hall. Voices murmured. Someone laughed. Life went on inside this hous
ElenaI didn’t sleep.Even when Damian finally lay down beside me, even when his arm wrapped around my waist like it always had, like muscle memory, my eyes stayed open, fixed on the dark ceiling above us.The room smelled like him—clean soap, leather, something sharp underneath that I’d always associated with danger, even before tonight. I used to think that smell meant safety. Protection. Home.Now it felt like a warning.Damian’s breathing evened out beside me sometime after midnight. I could tell the exact moment he fell asleep—the tension in his body loosened, his grip on me tightening unconsciously, as if he were afraid I might disappear if he let go.The thought made my chest ache.I lay there, trapped between his body and my own thoughts, listening to the quiet hum of the estate. Somewhere down the hall, voices murmured low and serious. Men coming and going. Doors opening. Doors closing.This house never slept. It just waited.My mind kept replaying everything Luca had said. E
ELENAI could feel Damian's gaze on me, heavy and intense, but I couldn’t meet it for long. I didn’t want to. There was so much confusion swirling in my chest, and I didn’t know how to express it. I wanted to be there for him. I did. But the weight of everything—the mafia, his father's death, the life he was now being forced into—it felt like a storm that was going to pull us both under.I didn’t want to be part of that storm.He needed me now, and that was what mattered. I could be with him tonight, stay close to him, offer him whatever comfort I could. But I had made up my mind. Once the dust settled, once the immediate chaos passed, I would leave. I couldn’t stay in this world. I couldn’t watch another man I loved fall victim to the dangers of it.My father had died because of this world, and I had watched him slowly sink into it—until there was nothing left of the man I loved. I couldn’t go through that again. Not with Damian.Damian’s voice broke through my thoughts, bringing me
DAMIANWhen Elena agreed to come with me, even just for tonight, a wave of relief washed over me. I knew it wasn’t easy for her. Hell, it wasn’t easy for me, either. But this—this was different. My father was gone, and that meant everything I’d ever known was about to change in ways I couldn’t even predict. I needed her with me. I needed her now more than ever. Even if she didn’t fully understand what was happening, at least I wouldn’t have to face it alone.We didn’t say much as we left the restaurant. Elena was quiet, her hand in mine, her fingers lightly brushing against my skin. I could feel the weight of her uncertainty, and I knew it mirrored mine. But I wasn’t going to let it show. Not now.I gripped the steering wheel harder than necessary as I sped through the streets, my mind racing. Every turn felt like I was driving further into a nightmare I couldn’t escape. The adrenaline of the drive pushed the confusion away for a while, but the reality kept creeping back in. My father












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