LOGINCINNAMON.If I get my hands on Dove's ex-husband, I swear I'll skin him alive. God, please help me. Help my family. I just want to enjoy my marriage and family. Haven't I lost enough already? Why is all this happening? What did she need such a large sum of money for?A knock at the door made me hold my breath completely. "Cinnamon?" Dante's mom called calmly from the other side of the door, her tone curious. "Are you alright in there?"I pressed my fist harder against my lips and counted to three. "Yes!" My voice came out bright, almost cheerful, and I hated myself for how easily it slipped out. "I'm so sorry; I think something I ate isn’t sitting well with me. Don't worry about me; go ahead with the kids. I might need to take the morning off."There was a pause. "Oh." Disappointment laced her quick response. "Alright, take the day of work if you need it. I'm taking the kids to school.""Thank you, Mom." My voice cracked slightly on that last word, and I swallowed hard. "I'll be okay.
CINNAMONSleep had caught me off guard. One moment I was sitting on the edge of the couch, tense as a board, staring at the front door with my heart racing. The next, my alarm blared in my ear, and I woke up sideways, disoriented, with drool drying in the corner of my mouth and my neck protesting from the awkward position I had twisted myself into.I nearly sprang up from the couch in confusion, causing the room to tilt around me. I pressed my palm flat against the cushion and blinked until the walls stopped spinning. My phone. I grabbed it with both hands, my fingers trembling even before I unlocked the screen.No messages from Dante. No messages from Dove. The clock showed 6:14 AM, and the silence in the house felt suffocating, tightening around my chest.I pushed my hair back from my face and sat there for a moment, just breathing and trying to collect myself, desperately seeking to calm my restless mind. Because once I stood up, the day would begin. And once it began, I had to pre
DANTEI raised a finger at Mom and stepped back, pressing the phone harder against my ear. She watched me leave with a look of dread and hope.I exhaled slowly, keeping my voice steady."I'm listening," I said.The man on the other end hesitated. When he spoke again, his words tumbled out in a rush."I fell for her," he admitted. "I wasn't supposed to, but I did. And I've been living with what I've done to her every single day."My grip on the phone tightened."Someone hired me," he continued. "To get her hooked. She injects through her big toe, so no one would find the marks if they looked in obvious places." He paused. "I'm sorry. I know that's not—"I was already on the move.Up the stairs, down the hallway, into the bedroom. My keys were on the dresser, and I snatched them without slowing down.My baby sister. Damn! How could I have let her walk out that door?"Why?" I asked as I bounded down the stairs two at a time. "Who paid you?""Her ex-husband." His voice steadied a bit. "He
DANTE.The chef and I had spent the better part of the afternoon in that kitchen, and it showed. The table had lamb ribs glistening under the chandelier, roasted vegetables fanned out, warm bread. Cinnamon was radiant in burnt orange, cutting Oliver's meat into smaller pieces while he babbled about something that had happened at school. Mom sat at the head happy seeing the full table. She laughed at something Dove said, and for a moment she looked ten years younger. Dove wiped Thessa's mouth with the corner of a napkin and the little girl scrunched her face, probably thinking she was too old for that."There's something beautiful about this," I said, cutting into my lamb. "All of us, right here."Mom set her fork down just to place her hand over her chest. "I almost forgot," she said quietly, more to herself than anyone. "I almost forgot what it felt like to just live." She laughed softly and picked her fork back up, shaking her head like she was embarrassed by the admission.The foo
CINNAMON.Why was I angry with him again?Something about secrets.Something about another woman.Something about—His mouth found the back of my neck and I forgot the question entirely.He took his time.That was the thing about Dante that had always undone me completely. He was never rushed where I was concerned. Never transactional. He moved through me like he had nowhere else to be on earth. Like I was the destination and he'd already arrived and now was simply — exploring.His hands knew me.Every version of me."I missed being inside you." His low growl went straight to my swollen clit, tightening my nipples, making my pussy squeeze.“I missed you too.”His fingers immediately slipped between my legs, and I could tell that I was more wet than before. I moaned and he flipped me over. With one huge palm wrapped around my thigh, he pulled it open and lifted my hips. His mouth hit my core, ripping a scream from my lips."Fuck!" His tongue circled me slowly. He sucked and nipped un
DANTE.When I returned to my office, I felt completely lost. My mind struggled to process anything, and no matter how hard I tried to piece together the problem in front of me, I couldn't succeed. To pass the time, I kept myself busy.The meetings were just noise.All of them.Words floated around the table while I sat inside my own thoughts, gazing at the surface of things without engaging with any of it. Tate spoke, numbers flashed on screens, and someone laughed at something trivial.I nodded.Signed whatever was placed in front of me.Checked my watch for the fourteenth time. Finally, it was four in the evening.Standing, "we'll finish tomorrow."No one argued because I was already walking towards the exit.It took me less than five minutes to get to her door.Her office light was still on. I could see it shining from under the door. The rest of the floor felt empty because almost everyone had ended their day.I knocked once and opened the door before she answered.She sat at her
CINNAMONTwo months later...I had fallen into yet another trap of deception and lies. Another shattered heart. Another failed romance. But this time felt different.This time, I was utterly destroyed.More than my resentment for the Moretti brothers, I loathed myself. For being a victim once more.
CINNAMONI had never felt this level of happiness before. My body felt cherished, and my heart felt secure. This man had erased every trace of heartbreak that Marcus had left behind, replacing it with something I had never known—true love.We hadn't started off on the best note. The fake engagement
DANTEI changed in the bathroom, glancing at my reflection in the mirror. The pants looked even more ridiculous up close, and the peach and strawberry pattern was worse than I had anticipated. But they were soft and carried her scent.When I stepped out, she erupted in laughter."Don't," I said, po
DANTEJapan felt like a dream. The reality was that I had been back home for days, overwhelmed with work, barely sleeping, and missing everyone, especially her.I had immersed myself in catching up on everything that piled up while we were away: contracts, meetings, crisis management. Hours slipped







