MasukThe bathroom feels too stuffy for me, filled with the worry brewing inside. My hands tremble as I hold the pregnancy test strip, a simple but heavy tool that can change my future. I can hear Allessandro pacing outside the door. He wanted to be in here with me, but I refused because I felt uncomfortable. He is close enough for me to hear him breathe in and out every few seconds."Are you okay in there? Do you need help?" His voice rumbles through the door."I am okay," I reply. It's a lie. I'm not fine; I'm nervous. How could I be fine when there might be a life growing inside me? My stomach twists as I think of my father, the stalker, Lucia, and Orlando.My thoughts drift to Allessandro, how he held my face in his hands, his voice shaking with a mix of excitement and nervousness shining in his eyes.His hands shook when he held my face. His voice broke when he said he would be happy. I remember the stunned look in his eyes when I told him I was late.I close my eyes and let my mind wa
AVELINA'S POVIt's been a month since we moved into the safe house. We haven't heard from Lucia, Orlando, or the stalker. Everything has gone smoothly, but I still don't feel right. I have been lightheaded and a bit nauseous. Sitting on the edge of the bathtub, I try to stop my hand from shaking while the cold tiles press against my feet.No, this can't be happening. Not now.My heart races. We've been careful most of the time, but not always. I try to push those thoughts away because my body might just be reacting to stress. I haven’t slept well because of Alessandro. A knock on the door pulls me from my thoughts.“Avelina?” I hear Alessandro's voice through the door. He sounds worried.“You’ve been in there too long,” he says as I get up from the bathtub and look at myself in the mirror.“Just give me a second,” I call back, trying to calm my breathing.Footsteps shuffle outside.He’s waiting.He always waits.I open the door slowly.Alessandro leans against the wall, his arms cross
AVELINA’S POV The sunset behind us as the sky fades to glow first and then to molten glass. I sit next to Allessandro as he drives back to the safe house. My lips still swollen from the kisses and my body still warmth from is touch as i am wrapped in his jacket. On of his hands is on my thighs as the other is on the steering wheel as the car is filled with silence. My hands tracing small circles on the back of his palm as he glances at me every second before his eyes goes back to the road. “You're quiet,” he murmurs. “So are you.” "I am just trying to keep my thoughts in check." He says as he exhales softly. “That sounds risky,” I tease. He smirks. “It is.” The gate of the Genoa safe house comes into view, a place that used to make me feel like i was in a cage but right now it feels different. "Can you tell me what you're thinking about?" I ask holding his hand. “You,” he replies simply. “And the way you are looking at me because if you continue i will pull o
AVELINA'S POVThe world outside fades away as the water crashes. The candles flickers with light hovering the tower. For the first time in a long while i felt happy.Allessandro hasn't said anything since we left the tower. Which is a bit unusual. A man like him doesn’t stay quiet unless he's planning something or struggling with his thoughts.The SUV turns off the main road and into a secluded side street. It’s dark and quiet, a place where secrets linger. I look over at him.His jaw flexes and his hands tighten on the steering wheel. He looks dangerous tonight—focused and almost too controlled. It feels like he brought me somewhere he is afraid to reveal.“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”“No.”I raise an eyebrow. “That’s not suspicious at all.”He smirks—slow and tempting.“Don’t worry, I’m not planning to kill you tonight.”“That’s comforting.”“Is it?” His voice drops, warm and low. “You didn’t ask about tomorrow.”My breath catches. He knows exactly what he’s doing. T
Allessandro looks at me like time has frozen as he holds my hand while pulling into a driveway.“We’re almost there,” he finally murmurs.“Where?”A small smile appears on his face, like he knows something I don’t.“To a place,” he says, “you once told your father you wanted to see.”My breath catches.“My father told you that?”“No.” His eyes soften. “You told me. You forgot.”I swallow hard.“So I’m taking you.”The road curves, revealing a quiet seaside cliff with the bluest water I’ve ever seen. It looks hidden, untouched, and ancient. It seems like something from another world. My throat tightens as I gaze at it.“You remembered,” I whisper.“I remember everything,” he says as he parks the car. “Especially the things that make you light up like this.”He leans in, his lips brushing my ear.“Happy birthday, Avelina.”Alessandro parks the car at the end of the driveway and steps out without a word. He walks around to my side, opens my door, and offers his hand. When I place mine in
AVELINA'S POVMy birthday is approaching, in two days but i haven't told anyone. It feels like a silly to to think of with all that's going on. Birthdays used to be fun, a queit dinner with family. My mum bakes a cake with a single candle and i'd make a wish, my dad buys presents. But now now of them are here. And even with a single candle i won't know what to wish for.Sitting in my room,dim light with a blanket drapped over me a thought crosses my mind. Why don't i spend my birthday with Allessandro over dinner? Just us together. My first birthday as Mrs Rossi. I chew the inside of my cheek, uncertain. We aren’t exactly a normal couple. We can barely admit what we are. Everything between us feels delicate and dangerous.What if he says no? or he thinks it's a silly idea, maybe childish? He walks past the doorway at that moment, sleeves rolled up, hair a little messy from running his fingers through it—stressed, brooding, intense. His eyes flick toward me, and even from across the ro







