The morning after Dante’s abduction was eerily silent in the mansion. No laughter of guards exchanging jokes in the hallways, no sound of Dante’s heavy footsteps echoing with authority, no reassuring warmth of his presence. Only the thin light of dawn filtered through the tall windows, brushing the marble floors with a pale glow.
Amara sat at the edge of the massive bed, her trembling hands clasped tightly together. She had not slept. Her wedding dress—now torn and bloodstained—lay discarded in the corner of the room, an ugly reminder of the chaos that had unraveled what should have been the happiest day of her life.She whispered Dante’s name as if it could summon him back. But silence answered.Her chest ached, not only with grief but with a suffocating dread. Dante was out there, in Lorenzo’s hands, and she couldn’t just sit here waiting. She remembered the look in Dante’s eyes before Lorenzo’s men dragged him away—fierce, protective, but also laced wiThe morning after Dante’s abduction was eerily silent in the mansion. No laughter of guards exchanging jokes in the hallways, no sound of Dante’s heavy footsteps echoing with authority, no reassuring warmth of his presence. Only the thin light of dawn filtered through the tall windows, brushing the marble floors with a pale glow.Amara sat at the edge of the massive bed, her trembling hands clasped tightly together. She had not slept. Her wedding dress—now torn and bloodstained—lay discarded in the corner of the room, an ugly reminder of the chaos that had unraveled what should have been the happiest day of her life.She whispered Dante’s name as if it could summon him back. But silence answered.Her chest ached, not only with grief but with a suffocating dread. Dante was out there, in Lorenzo’s hands, and she couldn’t just sit here waiting. She remembered the look in Dante’s eyes before Lorenzo’s men dragged him away—fierce, protective, but also laced wi
The wedding that was meant to bind them forever had ended in fire, blood, and chaos. Gunshots still echoed in Emilia’s ears as she stumbled through the wreckage of what should have been the happiest day of her life. The white roses that had adorned the altar were shredded, their petals scattered like ashes on the wind. Guests screamed, scattered, and trampled each other in their desperate attempts to escape.And Dante—her Dante—was gone.It had happened so fast. One moment he was holding her hand, pulling her close as if to shield her from every bullet flying their way, his dark eyes steady and unshaken amidst the storm. The next, Lorenzo’s men swarmed in like shadows, surrounding him in a coordinated strike.Emilia remembered the raw panic in Dante’s voice when he shouted her name, remembered the feel of his grip tightening on her wrist—only to be wrenched away by masked men who overpowered him in numbers. She had screamed, clawed, fought with every ounc
The night was heavy with smoke and silence, the kind that pressed down on the lungs and made every breath feel stolen. Milan, once bustling with neon and music, now looked like a city under siege. Entire blocks were swallowed in darkness, the hum of electricity cut by sabotage, while fire smoldered from abandoned cars and shattered storefronts.Dante stood on the rooftop of one of his few remaining safehouses, his black coat flapping against the wind, eyes like shards of obsidian reflecting the distant inferno. Below, his men moved like shadows, wounded but not broken. Lorenzo’s offensive had been merciless, striking at Dante’s clubs, his casinos, his ports—everything that had once been his crown. Now the crown sat crooked, dented by betrayal, greed, and war.And yet, in that chaos, there was Amara.She stood behind him, wrapped in a cloak too large for her small frame, her face pale from exhaustion but still radiant in a way that twisted something inside
The morning dawned with a strange stillness. Rome was rarely quiet—its streets always filled with the hum of traffic, the chatter of markets, the heartbeat of a city both ancient and alive. But that day, as Amara looked out from her chamber window in the villa where she and Dante had sought refuge, the air seemed to hold its breath.The wedding day.It should have been filled with joy, with hope, with promises whispered beneath veils and vows spoken before God. Yet Amara felt a gnawing dread settle deep in her chest. The shadows of the war pressed in around them, threatening to steal every fragile piece of happiness she and Dante tried to build.She touched the lace of her gown—an ivory dress Dante’s people had somehow managed to smuggle in from Milan. It wasn’t extravagant, but it was beautiful. Modest, fitted to her curves, delicate in its embroidery. She looked like a bride. She was a bride.And yet, when she gazed at her reflection, she saw m
The night had barely begun when the first whispers reached Dante’s ears. His phone buzzed against the nightstand, an urgent vibration that shattered the rare stillness in his penthouse. The amber glow of the city filtered through the tall windows, painting the room in muted gold. Beside him, she stirred in the sheets, half-asleep, murmuring something incoherent, her body instinctively searching for his warmth.Dante picked up the phone. The voice on the other end was taut, laced with fear.“Boss… the docks are gone.”For a moment, he said nothing. The words hung in the air, heavy, impossible. His grip tightened on the phone. “What did you say?”“They hit the eastern docks. Fire, explosives—everything’s destroyed. We tried to hold them back, but—” The man’s voice cracked. “It’s gone, sir. Lorenzo’s men burned it to the ground.”A silence followed, thicker than the smoke no doubt still curling into the sky from his docks. Those docks weren
The night was heavy with silence, the kind that pressed against the skin and suffocated the lungs. Amara sat by the large window in Dante’s penthouse, staring out at the sprawling city lights of Milan, their glittering vibrancy mocking the chaos in her chest. The skyline was alive, but inside her heart, everything felt fractured.Her fingers traced the cool glass absentmindedly, her reflection faint in the pane. Dante had gone to a late-night meeting with his men, leaving her alone with thoughts she had been trying—unsuccessfully—to bury for weeks.The man she loved was at war.And war never ended without casualties.She could still hear Lorenzo’s threats echoing from the shadows of her mind, his smug words delivered the last time he had managed to corner her during Dante’s absence:"You think he can protect you forever, little dove? You’ll be the noose around his neck, and when I tighten it, both of you will hang."That promise