MasukRosa sighed, gesturing toward the middle of the mattress. “Renzo throws his arms and legs everywhere in his sleep. I’m afraid he’ll hit you and your wounds will open up.”“Then you can sleep between the two of us and protect me from our little son,” he said. That amused, effortless tone was back, making Rosa want to roll her eyes.“It’s better if you sleep separately. It will be much more comfortable for you,” she insisted.“But Luciano wouldn’t budge. ‘No, Rosie. My comfort lies with you. And what if I’m in pain in the middle of the night and need something? I don’t want to be alone,’ he said with such sincerity, wearing an innocent expression—as if he wasn’t the intimidating, control-freak Italian Don.”Rosa could only shake her head in disbelief. When on earth had the ruthless Don become such a drama queen?“How can we all fit in there without you pressuring me?” she protested again.Luciano only smiled. “I know you can take care of me. Right, baby?”Rosa felt irritation rising at
“Yeah, piccola,” Luciano murmured.He slowly wrapped his fingers around her wrists, pulling her even closer to where he sat. Then, keeping his grip gentle, he wound his arms around her tiny waist and pressed his face directly against her stomach. “I’m in pain. And I need you to make it go away.”Rosa’s heart skipped a heavy beat. His proximity had always affected her, but this… this vulnerable demand for relief from her was entirely different. He had never broken down like this before. Without overthinking it, she wrapped her arms around his head and held him tight against her. Letting out a long, shaky exhale, she leaned down, resting her face against the top of his head.“Then why didn't you tell me when you were in the hospital?” she murmured softly. “I would have come to take care of you.”“Would you?” he asked.He pulled back slightly, tilting his head up to look at her. Rosa looked down into his dark blue eyes, and her heart melted the way it always did. She swallowed hard, a qu
Luciano startled, his shoulders tensing. “Rosie? Weren't you sleeping?” he asked in a low, gravelly voice.He quickly began pulling his shirt back on—the very shirt he had just taken off to clean his wounds. The dark crimson blood was already beginning to bleed through the white gauze, a direct consequence of him overexerting himself earlier.“What happened to you?” Rosa murmured in sheer shock.She stepped closer, cutting off his movement. Before he could slide his arms into the sleeves, she snatched the shirt from his grip and threw it aside, letting it drop carelessly to the floor. Her breath hitched, her eyebrows drawing tightly together as she stared at his exposed torso. The raw sight of the medical tape and seeping blood reflected the phantom pain she felt twisting inside her own chest.Her throat worked as she slowly lifted a trembling hand, reaching out instinctively to touch the edge of the bandage.Before her fingers could make contact, Luciano caught her wrist, holding her
After dinner, Renzo padded into the living room and tugged on his father’s sleeve. “Daddy, are you gonna give me a bath tonight?” He was looking forward to splashing around like they had the other day, but Luciano hesitated, his expression tightening.“No, Renzo. Let Mommy handle bath time tonight. It’s getting late.”Renzo’s face instantly fell, his eyes darting to the floor.“Daddy, please?” he pouted, his voice dropping into a dejected whine. “I want to play in the bathtub like last time, and that bubble bomb was so fun. I liked how that duck came out of it.”Luciano let out a heavy sigh before kneeling down to kiss the top of the boy’s head. “Please, little man. Not tonight. I promise we’ll do it another day, okay?”Before Renzo could protest any further, Luciano stood up and walked out of the room.Rosa, who was loading the dishes into the dishwasher, watched the exchange from the kitchen, a small frown creasing her forehead. She shrugged it off initially—Luciano had always been
Rosa only stopped when she entered the bedroom, where Renzo was sitting quietly at the small table and chair set aside for his studies, coloring in a picture book. The moment he saw his mother enter the room, his blue eyes lifted to hers.Rosa closed the door behind her and looked at her son, who still seemed nervous. A wave of guilt crashed through her for scaring him. But she had been terrified when she saw that gun in his hands. He didn’t deserve any of this.He deserved a healthy environment and a happy home—not mafia chaos, guns, and the toxic atmosphere that surrounded his father’s world.She hurried to him, kneeling in front of him before pulling him tightly into her arms. The tears that had been burning behind her eyes for so long finally spilled over as she lost control of her emotions. The overwhelming pain in her heart had become too much to keep buried any longer.“Mommy?” Renzo whispered the moment he sensed Rosa crying. He gently caressed her head like a little adult try
“As I remember, I already signed the divorce papers five years ago.” She narrowed her eyes. “And if you think you can make me sign away custody of my son, it is never going to happen.” Her voice and expression were sharp.Luciano sighed, running a hand through his hair. “No. These aren’t divorce papers.” She couldn’t feel it, but his voice was utterly full of regret. “They’re for transferring seventy-five percent of my company shares into your name.”Rosa’s eyebrows shot up, and her eyes widened in surprise, but she quickly composed herself. “Wow,” she murmured to herself with a soundless laugh of mockery. There was a time she was forced to leave without a single penny, and here he was offering his fortune. But now she didn't need anything from him. “I didn’t know…” she murmured, looking up at him. She tried to lace her voice with a sultry, teasing edge, but the sheer venom completely bled through her tone. “…that you enjoy me so much in your bed that you decided to make me a billion
After leaving Samuele’s office, Rosa headed to Patient Accounts to finalize the paperwork for the treatment fund. Once she had submitted the required paperwork and gathered details regarding the next steps of the treatment, she headed toward the hospital pharmacy.She wasn't blind to Samuele's adva
Rosa’s eyes fluttered open to a searing pain blooming across her cheek. Before she could even focus, her head still spinning from the sedative they had injected, another sharp slap landed on the other cheek. They came one after another, a relentless barrage. The repeated impacts acted like a brutal
The doctor had been watching their exchange, waiting for an opening to begin the treatment. He cleared his throat, the sound tight with the sheer nerves of interrupting Luciano Mancini in the middle of a private moment."Mr. Mancini," the doctor began, his eyes flickering toward the door. "If you w
Luciano placed her in the passenger seat and carefully tucked the seatbelt around her. Rosa sat perfectly still, unable to move, her body too frozen in shock to shift even an inch. He rounded the car, climbed into the driver’s seat, and fired the ignition. As they tore away, Rosa kept her eyes glue







