LOGINDahlia’s POV
I gasped from the pain and shock. His grip was tight, rough, like he wasn’t even trying to be gentle. I tried to pull away, but he didn’t budge. It was like trying to fight a wall. My voice caught in my throat; I wanted to scream, but no sound came out.
Then he shoved me—hard. My body stumbled backward until I hit the bed behind me. The mattress dipped under me as I landed, my breath leaving my chest in a quick gasp. My heart was pounding so fast it hurt. I could hear it thudding in my ears, loud and desperate, like it was begging me to run even though my body wouldn’t move.
I looked up at him, terrified, and for a second, I thought maybe he would stop. Maybe he would just walk away. But then he moved closer, climbing onto the bed. I shut my eyes quickly, tears spilling down my cheeks. My whole body shook.
Was this really happening? Was he really going to take advantage of me? The thought made my stomach twist. I could barely breathe as fear settled over me like a heavy blanket I couldn’t escape. I wanted to disappear—to wake up and realize this was all some terrible dream—but I knew it wasn’t. This was real. Too real.
He held my hands above my head, pinning me down with his weight. "Denise," he growled, his voice low and dangerous. "Why are you feeling shy all of a sudden? Last time we met, you practically begged me to fuck you. So what's changed?"
"Please," I whimpered, trying to shrink back from him. "Please let me go. I'm begging you."
"Why should I?" he sneered, his eyes glinting with a cruel, hungry light. "Why shouldn't I fuck my own wife?"
I shook my head frantically, tears now streaming down my face. "Please," I begged again, my voice barely above a whisper. "Please don't do this. I'm begging you."
He just laughed, a harsh, cruel sound that sent chills down my spine. "Begging won't help you now," he sneered, his eyes glinting with a malicious light. "You are my wife and you now belong to me."
I knew I had to think of something, anything, to make him stop. My mind raced frantically, searching for an excuse, a lie, anything that might save me from what was about to happen. And then, suddenly, it came to me.
"I...I'm on my period," I stammered, hoping against hope that he would believe me. "I'm sorry, I should have told you earlier. But please, you can't...you can't do this to me right now."
For a moment, he just stared at me. His face didn’t show anything—no anger, no softness, nothing at all. I couldn’t even read what he was thinking, and that scared me more. My chest rose and fell too fast, and I held my breath without realizing it. I was praying deep inside, hoping he would believe my lie, even though a part of me knew it was stupid to think he would. He was a mafia don, not some regular man you could fool easily. People like him didn’t just stop because you begged.
The silence stretched between us, heavy and cold. My heart was beating so loudly it felt like he could hear it. I kept my eyes on his, waiting for him to get angry, waiting for him to do something worse.
To my surprise, he leaned away
But then, he leaned in close, his breath hot against my ear. "Don't think this is over," he whispered, his voice low and menacing. "You may have gotten lucky this time, but mark my words, Denise - I will fuck you soon. Hard. Whenever and however I like. And you will enjoy it because you belong to me. Every part of you. Your mouth. Your pussy. Your ass."
With that, he stood up from the bed, his movements sharp and angry. I watched him, frozen, my heart still beating too fast. He didn’t even look at me as he walked toward the door. His footsteps were heavy, echoing in the quiet room. Then he grabbed the door handle and slammed it shut so hard the walls seemed to shake.
I lay there for a few seconds, too scared to move. My body was trembling all over, and I could hear my own breathing—shaky and uneven. The room felt colder now, emptier, but his presence still lingered like smoke. I pressed a hand to my chest, trying to calm my heartbeat, but it didn’t help much.
His words kept replaying in my head, every tone, every look he gave me. It made me shiver again. But there was also this strange feeling in my chest—confusion. Why did he stop? Why did he let me go just because I said I was on my period?
If he was really as cruel and heartless as everyone said he was, then he wouldn’t have cared. He could’ve done whatever he wanted. So why didn’t he?
I wiped my tears with the back of my hand, staring up at the ceiling. Maybe he wasn’t as bad as they said. Or maybe… maybe he was just waiting for the right time.
Dahlia’s POVLiam bowed the moment he crossed the doorway, his head lowered in deep respect. Dante didn’t bow right away. He stood there for a second, studying my face, like he was trying to measure how much I could take.His expression was calm, controlled, but his eyes were dark. Sharp. This wasn’t the Dante who tried to comfort me or tell me everything would be okay. This was the Dante who handled blood and fire without blinking.“How are you feeling?” he asked.I swallowed. “I’m… better,” I said. “Physically.”It was the answer everyone wanted to hear. My body felt a little stronger, yes. The dizziness had eased. The pain wasn’t as sharp. But inside, I felt hollow. Like a part of me was missing and no one knew how to put it back. Luca was still lying in that bed, not waking up, and until he did, I didn’t think I would ever truly be okay.Dante nodded like he understood what I wasn’t saying. That my body might be healing, but my heart was still breaking every second Luca didn’t wak
Dahlia’s POVI wiped my face quickly, embarrassed by how raw I felt. “Come in.”The door opened, and Mrs. Cruz stepped inside.For a moment, I just stared at her. She didn’t belong here—in this sterile room full of machines and white walls. She belonged in the mansion. Somewhere warm and familiar.She saw me and froze for half a second before crossing the room quickly.“Oh, my poor child,” she said, her voice thick with emotion.She hugged me carefully, like she already knew how fragile I felt. I clung to her without thinking, burying my face against her shoulder. Something about her presence broke the last bit of control I had left, and tears spilled freely.She pulled back slightly, cupping my face with both hands, her eyes shining. “Mr. Romano will be fine,” she said firmly. “He is stubborn. He won’t leave you. Not now.”I wanted to believe her so badly it hurt.She turned and lifted the bag she’d brought, setting it on the small table. “I brought you food. Soup. Fresh. I made it m
Dahlia’s POVI wanted to argue. I wanted to scream that Luca was lying somewhere alone and hurt and that I didn’t care if my legs collapsed beneath me. But the thought of the baby stopped me cold. I swallowed hard and nodded, my throat too tight to speak.A nurse came in with a wheelchair. The soft squeak of its wheels felt too loud in the quiet room. Dante didn’t even ask before lifting me. One moment I was sitting on the bed, the next I was in his arms. I felt small. Lighter than I should have been. He placed me gently into the chair, adjusting the blanket over my legs as if I were fragile porcelain.Andrea followed us as Dante pushed the wheelchair out into the hallway. The hospital smelled like antiseptic and something metallic underneath it, a smell I would forever associate with fear. The lights above us were too bright, too white. They made everything feel unreal, like I was trapped inside a bad dream I couldn’t wake up from.The ride down the corridor felt endless. Every door
Dahlia’s POVA cold feeling slid down my spine.“Tell me what?” I asked.My voice came out weak, but it cut through the room like a knife.They both froze.Andrea turned first, her eyes widening when she saw I was awake. Dante followed slowly, his shoulders stiffening as his gaze met mine. The whispering stopped. The silence that replaced it felt heavy and wrong.Dante stepped toward me. His movements were slow, cautious, like he was approaching something fragile.“How are you feeling?” he asked gently.I swallowed. My throat was dry, raw from crying earlier. “I’m okay,” I said, even though it wasn’t true. I didn’t care about how I felt. Not really. My fingers curled into the blanket. “How is Luca?”Dante stopped beside the bed.He didn’t answer.Instead, he looked at Andrea.That single glance made my chest tighten painfully.“Dante,” I whispered. “Please.”He took a slow breath, like he was bracing himself.“He’s out of the ICU,” he said.For a moment, my mind didn’t understand the
Dahlia’s POVWaking up felt wrong.It felt like I had been dragged out of somewhere warm and safe and dropped into something cold and sharp. My body was heavy, like it didn’t want to move. My head throbbed softly, not enough to scream, just enough to remind me that something terrible had already happened.I kept my eyes closed at first.I prayed.I prayed so hard my chest hurt.Please let this be a dream.Please let me open my eyes and see Luca sitting beside me.Please let everything still be okay.When I finally opened my eyes, the world came into focus slowly.White walls.Bright lights.A steady beeping sound that felt too loud in the quiet room.A hospital.My heart sank so fast it felt like it dropped into my stomach.“No…” I whispered.My throat was dry. My voice sounded small and broken, like it didn’t belong to me. I tried to move, to sit up, but my body refused. Dizziness washed over me, and I groaned softly as pain tugged at my head.“Dahlia.”I turned my head slightly.And
Dante’s POVWhen Dahlia collapsed, it felt like the world tilted off its axis.One second she was standing, shaking, fighting to stay upright with pure will alone—and the next she was falling. Her body crumpled like it had finally given up on holding all that fear and pain inside. I rushed forward and barely caught her before her head hit the ground.“Dahlia,” I said urgently, gripping her shoulders. “Dahlia, look at me.”No response.My chest tightened so hard it hurt to breathe.Around us, the night was chaos. Flames roared from the mansion behind us, licking the sky. Smoke rolled thick and black, stinging my eyes and throat. Men shouted orders, radios crackled, and somewhere in the distance sirens wailed. But all of that faded into the background.Luca was still inside that burning hell.And now his wife—his pregnant wife—was unconscious in my arms.I pressed my fingers to her neck, counting each beat like my life depended on it. Her pulse was weak, but it was there. That small, fr







