LOGINThe morning light was soft and golden, filtering through the lace curtains of the bedroom. Elena stood before the full-length mirror, a ghost in her own reflection. The woman staring back was not the hollow-eyed, broken thing from a year ago. This woman had color in her cheeks and a light in her eyes. Her dress was simple, elegant ivory silk that clung to her form before flowing to the floor. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever worn, and as she slipped it on, she felt a surge of something she hadn't felt in a very long time: confidence. This was right. This was her new beginning.Downstairs, the garden was transforming. Guests milled about, a quiet, respectful crowd of familiar faces from the company—Adrian's employees, who were now, in a way, Roberto's. They spoke in hushed tones, their smiles genuine as they took their seats on the white chairs arranged before a simple archway of white roses and baby's breath.Roberto stood under the archway, his hands clasped in front of h
The morning sun spilled into the hospital room, casting long shadows on the floor. Roberto had just returned from the balcony, his eyes clear and determined. He knelt by Elena's bedside, his hand finding hers, his touch warm and steady. The small, smooth stone was back in his pocket, a secret promise for the future."Elena," he began, his voice low and earnest. "I know I asked you in a rush, amidst the chaos. But I want to do this right. I've spent a lifetime loving you, a year fighting to get back to you, and an eternity watching you sleep, praying you'd wake up. Marry me, Elena. Be my wife, for real this time. Let me be a husband to you and a father to our daughter. Build a life with me, away from all the darkness."Tears welled in Elena's eyes, but they were tears of pure joy. She squeezed his hand, her voice a soft, watery whisper. "Yes. Of course, yes."The word settled between them, a quiet, powerful anchor in the storm of their lives. The next few days were a blur of quiet happ
The world came back to Elena in a haze of white. White walls, white sheets, the sterile scent of antiseptic that clung to the air. A low, steady beep was the only sound, a rhythmic pulse that seemed to match the dull throb in her chest. She tried to sit up, but a sharp, searing pain shot through her, forcing her back against the pillows with a gasp. Her hand flew to her chest, her fingers brushing against a thick bandage. The memories crashed over her then like a tidal wave: Dante's rage, the gun, the searing heat of the bullet, Roberto's desperate cries.Her eyes flew open, and she saw him. He was slumped in a chair beside her bed, his head resting on his arms, which were folded on the mattress. He looked exhausted, his face etched with worry, his clothes wrinkled and stained. But he was there. He was real."Roberto?" she whispered, her voice a hoarse, unfamiliar croak.His head snapped up, his eyes, red-rimmed and tired, locking onto hers. The relief that washed over his face was so
The muzzle of the gun was a black void aimed at Adrian’s heart. Dante’s finger was white on the trigger, his face a contorted mask of pure, unadulterated hatred. He was going to do it. He was going to pull the trigger. Adrian stared back, his own fear a distant, cold thing, replaced by a strange, hollow calm. He had failed. He had found her, only to watch her die, or to die himself.But then, Dante paused. His hand, which had been so steady, began to tremble. The mask of fury cracked, and something else bled through: a pain so raw and ancient it was like a wound that had never healed. His eyes, locked on Adrian's, filled with a torrent of unshed tears."Always," Dante choked out, his voice a ragged, broken sound. "It was always you."He lowered the gun slightly, his shoulders slumping as if under an immense weight. He wasn't the monster in the mansion anymore. He was a little boy, lost and drowning in his brother's shadow."You took her away from me when we were kids!" he suddenly scr
The first rays of dawn were just beginning to creep across the floor when the bedroom door exploded inwards, splintering off its hinges and crashing against the wall. The sound was a bomb blast in the quiet. Elena’s eyes flew open, her heart leaping into her throat. There, silhouetted in the doorway, was Dante.He was a monster made real. His face was a mask of pure, unadulterated fury, his features twisted into a grotesque snarl. In his hand, he held a gun, a black, cold-looking pistol that was pointed directly at the bed. At them."You fucking whore," he snarled, his voice a low, dangerous growl that vibrated with rage. He took a step into the room, his eyes locking on Elena. "You ungrateful, treacherous bitch."Adrian was already moving, rolling off the bed and placing himself between Dante and Elena, his hands raised in a placating gesture. "Dante, don't," he said, his voice low and steady. "This is between us. Let her go.""Let her go?" Dante laughed, a harsh, ugly sound that was
The air between them crackled as he crashed his lips onto hers, not a gentle kiss, but a bruising, desperate clash of mouths. Elena gasped, the sound swallowed by his, her hands flying to the front of his shirt. She didn't care about the buttons, fumbling wildly until she tore the fabric open, exposing his chest. Her fingers dragged down his skin, nails biting into his muscles as she pulled him closer, her legs hooking around his waist to drag him down onto the bed.Roberto was lost. The feel of her, the taste of her after all this time, was a drug hitting his system. He was an addict finally getting his fix. He’d dreamed of this, ached for this, but the reality of her body arching up to meet his was a thousand times better. It was the scent of her skin, the little desperate sounds she was making in the back of her throat as he mouthed his way down the column of her neck. It was her hands, everywhere at once, clawing at his back, pulling him closer, like she was trying to crawl right
The silver glow beneath Elena’s skin intensified violently while unbearable heat rolled from her body in waves. One of the doctors backed away immediately. “She’s burning alive…” Another crossed himself repeatedly under his breath. The older physician stood frozen near the doorway, horror ca
The heat spread violently through Elena’s body.Roberto stopped moving instantly.Something was wrong.Very wrong.The silver necklace around Elena’s throat glowed brighter beneath the darkness, harsh light spilling across her pale skin while unbearable heat radiated from her body in waves.Like fi
“Elena.”Dante’s voice softened the second he reached her.Up close, he looked even worse than before.Exhausted.Haunted.His eyes moved quickly over her face before lowering toward the oversized servant clothing hanging loosely from her body.Something flickered across his expression.Shock.“Ele
Roberto lost himself the second her lips touched his. Heat exploded through him instantly. Years of discipline— Gone. Elena tasted intoxicating and Roberto suddenly understood why men ruined kingdoms over women like her. He had wanted this since the banquet two years ago. Since that first nig







