Alessandra's POV I remember the day Dad told us about Mom. Alex and I have been visiting her three times a week, like always. She wasn’t really living at home anymore, not fully. She had checked out mentally long before her body ever gave up too but we still went. Sat with her. Talked even when she didn’t answer. Then for a full week, we didn’t go to see her. No explanation. No call from Dad. Just silence. Alex and I sat at the kitchen table that Sunday morning, both of us unsure how to bring it up. Finally, I asked. “Why didn’t we visit Mom this week?” He didn’t even look up from his papers. Just flipped through one of his folders, like it was any other day. “Your mother died last week. That’s why you haven’t gone visiting,” he said, flipping through his folders like he was talking about a canceled appointment. Alex and I looked at each other, confused, waiting for him to say more. He didn’t. “So.....we’re never going to see her again?” I asked. He finally looke
Alessandra's POV The scene in front of me wasn’t changing. No matter how many times I blinked, no matter how hard I prayed, it wouldn’t disappear. My vision was blurry with tears, but I still saw it—burned into my mind like a brand I could never scrape off. My dad… my father…..he wasn’t stopping. A choked sob tore out of me as bile rose to my throat. I bolted from the study, slamming into the door frame in my hurry. My legs moved on their own, fast steps turning into a stumbling run down the hallway. The marble floor blurred under my feet as my body trembled with horror. I didn’t care where I was going. I just needed to leave. To get away from what I saw. I didn’t see the stairs until it was too late. My foot slipped, my knee gave way, and the world twisted sideways. I fell hard, pain slicing up my arm and back. But that pain was nothing compared to the burning image seared into my mind. I tasted blood, mixed with vomit, rising up my throat as I clutched the cold marble. I
Two days ago Alessandra's POV “So… can I ask you something?” I bit my lip, glancing over at Ronan. He didn’t look thrilled to be sitting here, but he hadn’t left either. That had to count for something. He sighed. Not dramatically, not cruelly. Just like someone who had a hundred better things to do but had decided, for whatever reason, to let me borrow a few of his minutes. Still, he nodded. “Alright. Ask.” I hesitated. This could go badly but if he was being open, even a little, I might as well take the risk. “It’s just… you seem really experienced in that,” I said, waving a vague hand toward the space between us, hoping he’d fill in the blanks. “With people. Feelings. That whole storm.” He didn’t say anything. Just watched me with that calm, quiet stare that made it impossible to lie. “So, Lia’s kind of my best friend. And I know you’re not exactly the... easiest person emotionally. Sometimes it feels like you’re a little checked out. Not with her, but with the world. I
Killian's POV I grab Alex’s arm and twist it behind her back. “Where’s Alessandra?” My voice is low, tight. She winces, jaw clenched but says nothing. I press harder. Her breath catches in pain. “Where is she?” I snap. “And why the hell are you dressed like her?” She lets out a shaky laugh almost breathless. “What gave me away? We’re basically the same.” “No,” I say, leaning in. “You might have her face, her hair, your even putting on her goddamn perfume. But you’re not her. You’re not even close. Now tell me where she is.” “The door’s open. Why don’t you go find out?” Her voice has lost the edge it started with, but I don’t care. I shove her back. She stumbles, nearly hitting the wall. I don’t wait. I storm inside. I’ve been here before. A few times. Alessandra used to sneak me in when we were kids. Showed me all the best hiding spots. The place is massive. Bigger than Ronan’s house actually ....You could lose someone here forever. But I head straight to the room that
Killian’s POV It had been two days since I heard from Alessandra. She sent me a single text after I called and texted her more times than I could count. Alessandra: I'm fine. I'm going back to Italy with your dad. And don't go off the rails either—he apologized to me. I stared at that message until the screen dimmed each time. IF Ronan had kidnapped her, she wouldn’t have been able to text me at all , so She's Safe But still. Yes, I held a gun to Ronan's head. And no, I don't regret it. I would do it again in a heartbeat. I’ve known for years that my father had a problem with K. Like every other mafia group out there. Nexus ripped his clean little empire apart, and Alessandra—she took away his profit which is one of the major reasons he's still in this business If I hadn’t stood my ground that day, he would have gone after her and I would have killed but currently he won't hurt her ever because when she stood in front of him, not flinching, not afraid, I saw somethi
Alessandra's POV Killian’s face does something I’ve never seen before. He went pale. Not cold. Not angry. Just... lost. Like I’d said something so wrong it cracked in him...his grip loosens around my waist, and without a word, I let my legs fall back to the floor. I stand on my own. But I don’t let go of hope. Not yet. He has to love me. At least a little. I could survive on just a little. “Killian....” I say, barely more than a breath. “I can give you the world, Ale,” he says. And that’s when hope dies. It doesn’t shatter. It just.....fades. Like a match burning down to your fingers. “But not yourself,” I whispered but I know he heard me he always hears me I taste salt on my lips....tears again. I don’t even try to stop them this time. “I can give you that,” he says quietly, eyes burning. “You could kill me, and I’d be grateful it was you.” He took a step closer. I stepped back. “Not your heart" I looked him in the eye and I didn't Flinch, neither did he. For