LOGINLucy suppressed a smile as Rosa’s stomach growled in response. Rosa rubbed her empty stomach and pouted, her cheeks flushed, and Lucy giggled, shaking her head at her friend’s innocent playfulness.
“I grabbed some bread on my way home,” Lucy shrugged, sounding excited—as if they were having a luxury breakfast. Rosa smiled brightly.
“Yo
“Renzo, sweetie… you always wanted to know about your dad, right?” Rosa said softly, watching her son’s face.“Yes, Mommy,” Renzo replied, his expression turning sad. He had asked about his father before, and she had always given the same answer—that he had left and never come back, maybe gone missing. It was the only way she could explain it without making him feel unwanted.Rosa took a breath.“So… I found him.”She held it, waiting for his reaction.“Really?” Renzo’s eyes widened, surprise flickering into something brighter—hope. “You found him?”“Yes, baby boy.” She gave a small, gentle smile, brushing his hair back from his forehead. “I did.”Her chest tightened.“That man… Mr. Luciano Mancini…” she said, her voice barely steady.“He’s your father.”Renzo looked at her with a small pout.“You’re playing a game again, aren’t you?” he asked, frowning, his tiny face scrunching up. “Do I have to pretend he’s my father?”He thought it was just like before—when they made him play along
Rosa bit her lip. She knew what he was—heartless… a monster. But she wasn’t. She couldn’t bring herself to be selfish enough to put Samuele in danger—the man who had been nothing but kind to her.“Okay,” she said, her voice flat, stripped of emotion. “But once I leave, you won’t have any control over me or my children’s lives.”She watched him for a moment before adding, “Deal?”She held out her hand.Luciano’s gaze dropped to it. Slowly… deliberately. Then it lifted to her face.For a moment, he didn’t move.“Deal,” he said at last, his voice low—too smooth.His hand closed around hers.Not a shake.A hold.It should’ve felt like agreement.It didn’t.It felt like something settling into place.Permanent.Rosa forced herself not to react.It all seemed too simple.But nothing about Luciano had ever been simple.She knew that.She had lived it.Still… as she looked at him now, his face gave nothing away. No anger. No irritation. No tension.Just that same calm, unreadable mask.The o
“You... you’re threatening me?!” Her eyes went wide, wet with hurt and fresh pain at the thought of Lucy and Samuel being dragged into this danger because of her.“No, I am just giving you options. Otherwise, you know I don’t ask. I never ask,” he said, his voice turning commanding and cold. Rosa felt it—the ruthless Italian Don was back.“That is exactly what a threat is!” she retorted.“Baby…” He stepped closer and lowered himself in front of her, slow, deliberate. His hand rose to her cheek, but Rosa turned her face away sharply.For a second, he went still.Then he exhaled, patience thinning.“You really thought you could steal my sperm…” he said, voice low and cutting, “carry my child… and vanish?”His fingers closed around her jaw this time, firm enough to make her look at him.“Look at me when I’m talking to you.”Her breath hitched.“You don’t get to make a fool out of me and walk away breathing as if nothing happened.” His thumb brushed under her eye, catching a tear—but the
He was just so ashamed after hearing this; he wanted to die for making his wife suffer so much. “He is recovering,” Rosa whispered, her voice a fragile thread. “And his cure is coming. He won't be alone, even if I die. His brother or sister will be with him, and my Renzo will live a long and healthy life.” The smile that touched her trembling lips was so beautiful, so heartbreaking, that Luciano couldn't pull his eyes away.“Now that we are finally happy... now that we are living peacefully and leaving that old life behind... you suddenly want to claim him as your son?” The tears spilled over, tracing paths down her cheeks, even as her eyes burned with a mixture of agony and hatred.“How dare you? How dare you!”She lashed out, her fists striking his chest over and over. Luciano took every blow, standing like a statue as she poured her rage into him. Finally, drained of every ounce of strength, her legs gave way. She slipped to the floor, a broken heap of sorrow, burying her face in
Luciano didn’t flinch, nor did he betray any hint of anger. He simply stated, “Rosie, he is my son, and you cannot deny it. I have ways to prove he carries my blood.”His icy composure terrified Rosa far more than an outburst would have. She couldn't lose her child; she wouldn't let anyone tear him away.“Your son? How dare you call him that?” she hissed through gritted teeth. Luciano narrowed his eyes, a silent warning, but she pressed on. “He is mine alone. He carries my blood, not yours.”Her eyes glistened as the painful reality set in: the man standing before her held all the power. How could she ever hope to win? Yet, she refused to concede. She would fight until her final breath. No one would take her child from her—not even God.She took a deep breath before turning around. Samuel was watching her with curious eyes, while Reid stood nearby, his face etched with a heavy frown of worry. Even the hospital staff had paused, lingering like spectators to a brewing storm.Rosa grabbe
Luca nodded, his expression softening into something gentle. He had to bite back a smile. Without even realizing it, she was already accepting the reality of their relationship by setting conditions for it.“Okay. And I won't ever ask you to do that,” he promised. Then, he leaned in, refusing to let the main issue slide. He wanted her to feel the weight of what she had put him through. “But why did you break my heart? Why did you do that to me?”“Why are you making it sound like I committed a sin?” Lucy argued. Her tone wasn't angry anymore; it was small, almost innocent, as her defenses began to crumble.Luca leaned even closer, his gaze searching hers, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous velvet. “Because breaking a heart that loves you is a sin, baby.”The way he called her ‘baby’ made her heart skip a beat, the word vibrating through her entire body.When she lowered her head again, refusing to speak, Luca let out a long, heavy sigh. “Listen to me. No matter what happens between
“God, I wanted to do this to you the whole time," he rasped as his hand slid from her waist to her ass, gripping hard and pulling her against his bulge, grinding just enough to make her feel exactly what she’d done to him.“And this,” he added in a deep, husky tone.His other hand slipped under her
Rosa yelped, the sound muffled by the pillow. The shock of the sting radiated through her. Before the heat could fade, another blow landed, then another—rhythmic, heavy-handed, and deliberate.Her cries slowly turned into breathless moans as the pain melted into something hot and dizzying, sending
By the time the last dish was set down, the table was crowded with plates and bowls, their rich aromas filling the private room. Rosa ate like someone who hadn’t seen real food in days.Part of it was hunger. Part of it was nerves.She kept her eyes on her plate, but she could feel him watching he
The next morning, Rosa woke up in Luciano’s arms, his hands still gripping her breasts as if they were his favorite thing to hold even in sleep. The intimacy of it made her feel awkward and unsettled.She hadn’t planned to stay the night. She had meant to leave once he was done. But he hadn’t been







