ログインHello, beautiful people! We're eight chapters into this book already. What do you think about the book so far? Do tell me your thoughts, please. I would love to know them. Please you know the drill—don't forget to comment, vote, support! I would love to know I have an audience already😊. Xoxo, Betty.
Chapter 174*~°*~°*~°*Elizabeth*~°*~°*~°*Every part of me hurts. Every thought I have scatters around, leaving me with the one thought I don't want to have.Luciano. Where are you?Another contraction makes me scream loudly as they help me on a gurney. The bright hospital lights almost blinding me.Doctors surround the gurney, one asks, “How far gone is she?”Before Mama can say anything, I tell him, “It's the eight month. Thirty-two weeks.”He nods, talking to another doctor, “Monitor fetal heart rate.”Pain comes in waves now, each one stealing the air from my lungs before giving it back.“She's not due yet. What's happening?” Mama asks. She looks so worried.“When did the contractions begin?” He asks.“I-I don't know. She started feeling pains today.”“Has she been under any unusual stress recently?”My mother nods quickly. “She was kidnapped. They held her captive.”The obstetrician’s expression softens. “Severe physical and emotional stress can trigger preterm labor,” she ex
Chapter 173*~°*~°*~°*Elizabeth*~°*~°*~°*“She what?!” Her tone rises an octave higher.I blink, trying to come to terms with the change of tone. “It wasn't that often. There's nothing to worry about. I'm sure I must have been doing something to trigger her. It’s discipline after all.”The silence that follows after I'm done talking is suffocating.I know I'm not telling her the entire truth of how Mama would normally act when she's angry.I don't tell her about the times Mama would lock me out and leave me under the rain until she was sure I had gotten a cold. Only then would she let me back in. I don't tell her I'm slightly frightened of the rain, regardless of the fact I walk under it sometimes.I don't tell her there were times I would go to bed starving because Mama suddenly felt my boobs were too big or my body too inappropriate in clothing.I don't tell her more. It'll only make the situation worse.“Sweetheart…” She calls after a long moment of silence. “That wasn't discipl
Chapter 172*~°*~°*~°*Elizabeth*~°*~°*~°*| 8 Months | 32-35 weeks Pregnant | Location: County Dublin, Ireland |“I am your mother.”Those words echo inside my head, refusing to settle into something my heart can understand.My fingers tighten around the blanket covering my legs. “No, that's impossible,” I whisper, my voice barely audible. “You can't be my Mama.”The strange woman who called herself Aliyah doesn't argue with immediately. She doesn't even try to force me to believe her.She just smiles through her tears, her hands resting on the edge of the bed as though she is trying to reach out for me again but afraid I might pull away.I might. Because I don't know her.“I know it's hard to believe,” she says calmly. “If I was in your place, I would not believe me either.”An unsettling silence rests in the room. I watch the men who walked in earlier look away from us, giving us the little privacy they can.My breathing turns heavier. “I don't understand any of this.”Aliyah nods
Chapter 171••~••°••~••Luciano••~••°••~••One of our soldiers approaches me cautiously. “The cops are here.”I nod, my legs moving already. The girls Damian kidnapped have to be removed from here and taken somewhere safe. It might take me a while but I'll get the proof of how the trafficking ring is run from him.At this moment, the cops are the only ones who can handle so many girls at once. It would be a good move on our part, because this would get them off our backs even if it's just for a little while.I follow the soldier outside, heading for the tunnels. I need to fucking get out of here. I need to get her out of my thoughts.As soon as I'm out, the helicopters circling overhead lets me know the feds are actually here. Emergency lights flashes across the island. Rescue personnels move quickly, gathering the kidnapped victims they could find and wrapping them up with blankets. They look frightened. Some are crying, while the rest just stare ahead, probably thinking about h
Chapter 170••~••°••~••Luciano••~••°••~••I know I should feel victorious. I finally have the Serpent's leader where I want him. For months, his name has been a ghost that has haunted every lead, every dead end. Now he is kneeling on the ground, wrists bound behind his back.I look at him only once. Now, I'm not sure catching him would be my main source of victory. He does not seem important anymore.Without wasting more time, I turn away and I dash back into the place where the chaos first started.The wedding venue looks nothing like the place we had just stormed into few minutes ago. The place is a catastrophe on it's own.“Elizabeth!” My voice echoes, over and over again.Despite that, I don't get any response. I mean, she was just here earlier. Where the fuck is she now?Not letting that dissuade me, I walk in deeper, searching every room, every corridor, still… nothing.She is nowhere to be found.Something makes my chest tighten that it physically hurts. “Fuck…” A hand run
Chapter 169*~°*~°*~°*Elizabeth*~°*~°*~°*Every harsh breath I release scrapes through my throat as I run.Gunfire explodes behind me, shaking the high pillars until it's all dust and smoke left. People are screaming, glass shatters. Somewhere amongst the chaos, someone yells orders in a language I can't even process anymore.The wedding has become a battlefield. I honestly didn't think he would come today. I thought he must have forgotten about me since he is married now. Turns out that is not the case anymore.He stopped me before I could say ‘I do’ to that monster.I don't look back. I just keep running. As my legs move as much as my belly bump lets me, I hear the sound of more helicopters descending. I have no idea what is going on. My wedding veil tangles around my legs, making every step slower than the last. With trembling hands, I rip it from my head and throw it on the floor, not caring where it lands. I have to get away from here.I have to save my baby who hasn't had a
Chapter 32••~••°••~••Luciano••~••°••~••“This better be good,” I tell him, as I slammed the door shut behind me.“The—”BANG!It’s a gunshot. We both turn at the same time towards the direction where the sound came from.“That's what I wanted to tell you about. The cops are here,” Marco says whe
Chapter 27 *~°*~°*~°* Elizabeth *~°*~°*~°* The confessional smells of old wood and incense. Guilt brought me right to the Lord's doorstep. I kneel and pull the screen closed with shaking fingers, clasping them together so tightly. The small space feels tighter than usual. My habit brushes my kn
Chapter 28 ••~••°••~•• Luciano ••~••~°••~•• Someone is playing risky games with us. And not the kind that you can just turn a blind eye to—No. It's the type of game that makes you want to burn the entire fucking city down. We're all here except Alessandro, who is out on a vacation with his wif
Chapter 20 ••~••°••~•• Luciano ••~••°••~•• “Pick your poison,” I urged, spreading out the weapons on the table. “Remember, you have to be very intentional with your form of torture. You know, to make it at least—enjoyable.” I gave him a smile that had no warmth in it. I'm homicidal right now, n







