MasukAmara’s POV Alessandro wanted me to rest during the drive home. He said it more than once. But I couldn’t. Not after everything that had happened between us these past few days. Not after everything that was still waiting to be said. So I spoke first. “I heard La Camorra gave the Vitale family a suspension,” I said quietly. I didn’t even finish the question before he interrupted me. “You don’t have to worry about that,” he replied immediately. “It will be settled.” His tone wasn’t harsh. But it was final. “All I need from you and Venera right now,” he continued, reaching over to rest his hand gently against my lap, “is for both of you to stay healthy.” That was all he said. And somehow, it was also everything he wasn’t saying. So I didn’t push further. Instead, I leaned my head back against the seat and stayed quiet for the rest of the drive. By the time the car stopped in front of the house, I already saw Elena waiting outside. She was holding Vene
Amara’s POVI woke up to the feeling of someone gently caressing my hand.For a moment, I didn’t open my eyes.I thought I was still dreaming.The last thing I remembered clearly was being at the house… Marco rushing upstairs to get his car key so he could take me to the hospital. After that, everything had blurred into fragments—voices, movement, dizziness, darkness.So when I felt the warmth of a familiar touch against my palm, I told myself it couldn’t be real.Not yet.Slowly, I opened my eyes.Alessandro was sitting beside me.For a second, I just stared at him.The white hospital walls around us came into focus little by little, and only then did I understand that I really was in the hospital. But somehow, seeing him there instead of Marco made everything feel unreal again—like I had woken up inside the wrong version of the same moment.Then he smiled.And when his hand moved gently to my face, brushing my cheek with quiet care, the last doubt disappeared.He was really there.“
Marco’s POVI didn’t leave the hospital immediately.Even after the argument with Alessandro, I stayed.I told myself I was only waiting to hear whether Amara would wake up.But the truth was simpler than that.I wasn’t ready to walk away from her.Or from my daughter.So I waited.I stayed in the hallway longer than I should have, pacing between the windows and the nurses’ station until one of the nurses who had been attending to Amara finally stepped out of her room.I stopped her before she could pass me.“How is she?” I asked.“She’s awake now,” she replied gently.That was all I needed to hear.I didn’t waste another second.I walked straight to her room and knocked once before reaching for the handle.But the door opened before I could push it.Alessandro stepped out.His hand was already against the door.Blocking it.Blocking me.For a moment, neither of us spoke.Then he said quietly,“Walk with me.”I didn’t argue.I followed him.We walked down the corridor in silence at fi
Alessandro’s POV I already knew the day was going to be long the moment it began with a message from Don Epifanio requesting to see me. After what happened at Laura’s wedding, I had tried to meet him several times. Every attempt ended the same way. Whenever Damian and I arrived at his estate, his men would tell me he wasn’t available. Even when his car was parked inside the compound. Even when I could see him myself—once on the terrace, standing exactly where he always stood in the mornings. Still, they said he wasn’t there. It didn’t take long for me to understand the truth. He was angry. And he didn’t want to see me. So when the message finally came that he was ready to meet me today— I felt something I hadn’t expected. Relief. I didn’t waste time. Damian drove us there immediately. On the way, I prepared myself for what I believed was coming. His anger. His disappointment. His judgment. Maybe even his silence. But none of that happened. When I entered the roo
Marco’s POV Coming to see Amara after Alessandro left the house showed me something I hadn’t expected to discover about myself. Being around Venera changed something in me. At first, I thought I was only visiting because it was the right thing to do. Because the house felt different without Alessandro there. Because someone needed to be present. But it wasn’t just that. Playing with her—watching her laugh, watching her reach for me without hesitation—made something inside me settle in a way I didn’t recognize at first. I liked making her laugh. I liked the way her face lit up when I made silly expressions. I liked how she tried to copy me when I exaggerated my voice just to hear her giggle again. And when she stumbled toward me with her small arms stretched out, expecting me to catch her— I always did. Without thinking. Without hesitation. Without wanting to be anywhere else. It felt… right. Strangely right. I had never felt that kind of certainty before. Not about a
Amara’s POV It had been three days since Alessandro left the house. Three days— and he still hadn’t come back. Damian hadn’t returned either. Every time I called him, he answered politely, but his response never changed. “Boss isn’t available to speak right now.” At first, I tried to remain calm. Then I asked him where Alessandro was staying. Just once. But even then, Damian avoided the question with careful excuses that told me everything I needed to know without saying anything at all. He was protecting Alessandro’s space. And I understood why. So I stopped asking. Because I believed when Alessandro was ready to hear me— he would come back on his own. Still, the house didn’t feel the same without him. Everything reminded me of him. His chair. His study door. The quiet footsteps he made when he came upstairs late at night. Even Venera kept looking toward the entrance sometimes, as if she expected him to walk in at any moment. Marco had been visiting regularly s
Victor’s POV When Salvo told me he found something interesting and that I needed to see it myself, I didn’t expect to be driving this far out. At first, I thought it might be a waste of time. Salvo has his uses, but he also has a habit of dramatizing small details just to feel important. Still
Amara’s POV I let the cold shower consume me. It’s the only way I can breathe. The water runs over my shoulders, down my spine, numbing the heat beneath my skin. The tension. The panic. The memories. It hasn’t even been a week since I returned from Moscow. Not even a week. And everything is
Victor’s POVSalvo had not yet returned with the information I asked him to dig into.And I hate waiting.If there is one thing I’ve learned in this family, it’s that the one who waits is the one who loses control of the narrative.So I didn’t sit idle.If I wanted fast results about the little mys
Alessandro’s POV When I woke up, the first thing I noticed was the empty space beside me. Amara wasn’t there. At first, I assumed she was in the bathroom. I stayed in bed, staring at the ceiling, waiting to hear the door open or the sound of running water stop. But minutes passed. Nothi







