เข้าสู่ระบบChapter 126 Lena POVI sat beside Matteo's hospital bed while a doctor explained that his condition had stabilized. For the first time in days my lungs loosened.Matteo wasn't out of danger completely, but the immediate threat had passed. His breathing was steadier, and the doctors were cautiously optimistic about his recovery. I thanked the doctor, but when the door closed I struggled to hold back my tears.I'd spent so long being strong for Matteo that I'd forgotten I was allowed to break down too.I took his hand and gently brushed my thumb across his knuckles. For days I'd prayed for one simple thing: that Matteo would open his eyes again and give me another chance to protect him. Now that the doctors had given me hope, I discovered that hope didn't erase the fear.It only gave the fear something new to lose.Matteo stirred slightly but didn't fully wake. I leaned closer and whispered that I was there. I remembered finding him covered in blood after the attack. The image refused
Chapter 125 Salvatore POVI sat in a secure room near the hospital reviewing the intercepted communications Charlie had been monitoring. I'd barely slept. Every time I closed my eyes I saw Matteo covered in blood and Lena kneeling beside her brother, looking at me as if I'd failed them both.Charlie entered with an update. His team had intercepted a communication connected to Dante's network. It was incomplete, but Lena's name was mentioned.I focused immediately.Charlie warned that the recording was partial and that they couldn't yet establish if Dante was speaking directly to Lena or discussing her with someone else. I told him to play it.At first there was only static and fragments of conversation. Then Dante's voice became clear enough to recognize.“Leave Salvatore, and your brother will be protected. No more attacks. No more running. You can finally have a life that does not belong to him.”I went completely still.The words weren't a threat to kill Lena. They were an offer t
CHAPTER 124 LENA POVI sat beside Matteo's hospital bed. He was still weak, and the sight of the equipment surrounding him made me feel helpless. I'd barely slept since the attack. His face was pale against the pillow. The injuries reminded me how close I'd come to losing the only family I had left. I held his hand and remembered how he used to follow me around when we were younger, trusting me to fix every problem. Now I couldn't even promise him that he'd be safe. I'd spent so much of my life trying to protect Matteo that I'd forgotten what it felt like to be afraid of failing him. Now, every time the machine beside his bed beeped, I wondered if I'd already failed.Salvatore was somewhere nearby, speaking with the doctors and his security team. I knew he hadn't left the hospital for long, but I was still angry with him.He'd been away when the attack happened.I understood that he didn't order the men to hurt Matteo, but that didn't erase the consequences of the world he'd built.
CHAPTER 123 SALVATORE POVI sat beside Matteo's hospital bed late at night. Lena had finally fallen asleep in the chair on the opposite side, her head resting awkwardly against the backrest, one hand still holding her brother's. I watched them both and noticed the dark circles beneath her eyes and the way her fingers remained wrapped around Matteo's even in sleep. She hadn't truly rested since the attack.I wanted to move her to a proper bed, but I remembered how she pulled away from me earlier. I didn't want to wake her or make her feel that I was deciding what she needed again.I took a blanket from a nearby chair and gently placed it over her. She stirred but didn't wake. I returned to Matteo's bedside and studied the bandages, the bruising, and the stillness of the young man who had risked his life to save someone smaller and more vulnerable than himself.I thought about how Matteo could have died because someone wanted to strike at the Romano family.Then the harder truth settl
CHAPTER 122 LENA POVI sat beside Matteo's hospital bed while the morning light crossed the floor. I hadn't slept. For hours I held his hand and watched his chest rise and fall. His face was pale under the bandages. He hadn't regained consciousness.I kept remembering the moment I found him bleeding on the floor and the way his first concern had been the younger servant he tried to save. Even while injured, Matteo had been thinking about someone else.That thought made me cry again. This pregnancy has been making me cry easily these days. I gently brushed his hair away from his forehead and asked why he would go back for someone when he could barely save himself. A broken laugh escaped me. He was supposed to be the one I protected, not the one lying here making me wonder how I'd survive if he didn't wake up.I remembered our childhood, when I used to stand between him and anything that frightened him. I'd always believed that if I tried hard enough, I could keep him safe.I couldn
CHAPTER 121 SALVATORE POVI spent the morning in my office preparing for the operation David had been pushing toward. The intelligence on the rival families lay spread across the desk. Charlie had already raised concerns about inconsistencies in the information, but I'd decided I couldn't afford to wait any longer. Diego stood nearby, visibly frustrated. He reminded me that the evidence hadn't been fully verified. I answered that every day we waited, we gave our enemies another chance to strike.He studied me and asked what would happen when we struck the wrong people. I didn't answer immediately. The question was reasonable. Exhaustion and David's warnings had convinced me that hesitation could cost lives.I ordered the men to proceed.Before leaving I received a brief security update from the compound where Lena and Matteo were staying. Everything appeared normal. I sent Lena a message saying I'd be back before dinner and asking her to stay inside until I returned. She replied that
CHAPTER 2LENA POVMy wedding dress was covered in blood. Not mine. My brothers'.The smell wouldn't leave me. It smells like blood mixed with smoke and gunpowders. Everything smelt like death. It clung to my skin as Salvatore Romano dragged me through the cathedral like I already belonged to him.
CHAPTER 1.SALVATORE POVTen years ago, my family was slaughtered and burnt down in our own house. Tonight, I was finally returning the favor.Rain hammered against the black windows of the SUV as the cathedral came into view through the darkness. My fingers tightened slowly around the gun resting
SALVATORE POVRevenge was supposed to feel cleaner than this. Simple. Kill everyone responsible, walking away empty but satisfied.Instead, I stood outside Lena Moretti's bedroom at two in the morning wondering why I couldn't stop thinking about the way her hands shook when Matteo smiled at her.I
LENA POVI woke up in silk sheets that probably cost more than most people's houses. And for one horrible second, I forgot where I was.The room was quiet except for the sound of waves crashing against rocks somewhere below the fortress. Pale sunlight spilled through massive glass windows overlook







