Andrew’s POVThe past wasn’t all bad. Some might say it was twisted. But I call them the good old days.I remembered them with a grin tugging at my lips as I leaned back in my car seat, fingers absently tracing the scar just above my wrist. The memory had yellowed with age, but it still played vividly in my mind—the summer Reina turned fifteen. I was eighteen, technically too old to be noticing anything at all. But God, I noticed.She’d started adding up in all the right places—hips that swayed without knowing, a mouth always full of backtalk, and a fire in her eyes that made my blood rush hot. The little tank tops and shorts. The way she’d walk around like she didn’t know what she was doing to him.Her father had wanted to adopt me. The whole happy family package, once my mom married into their moneyed world. But my biological father—rest his violent, belligerent soul—had said no. No legal ties.Back then, I had been bitter about it. I wanted to have free access to Reina.Now, I was
Cassian’s POVThe wood-paneled walls of my office felt like they were closing in, but I didn’t move. I sat there, the velvet grip of my cane pressed white-knuckled in my palm. The scent of expensive bourbon and blood hung in the air.The light from a single desk lamp painted half of my face in gold. The other half? Darkness. Just like my thoughts.An image of how she looked when they brought her in earlier this evening flashed through my mind. Reina. Swollen-eyed. Bruised. Barely conscious.This was supposed to be a harmless prank. How did she come back like a ruined doll?I slammed my cane against Ethan’s back, the crack echoing through the marble-floored office.Ethan knelt, jaw clenched tight as he bit down his groan.My voice was calm—but laced with venom. “Remind me, Ethan. How exactly does a nurse—a nobody—get caught in the middle of a city-wide distraction you orchestrated? You let her get caught up in that whirlwind?”“I—I didn’t think she’d be at the precinct, boss,” Ethan s
Roman’s heart plummeted to his stomach.He stared at the empty hospital bed as if blinking might reverse time, rewind the moment and bring Reina back into the room—groggy, sarcastic, mumbling something sharp-tongued about his timing.But the bed was still empty.And the silence was deafening.He spun on his heel and stormed out of the room, adrenaline pounding like a war drum. Spotting a pair of nurses chatting by the station, he made a beeline toward them.“Where is she?” he demanded, voice clipped.One of the nurses—short, brunette, too calm—looked up, confused. “Sorry?”“The patient that I brought to the ER a few hours ago. Reina Vale. Where the hell is she?”The nurses exchanged a quick glance. “She’s been discharged,” the other said.Roman's eyes narrowed. “What do you mean, discharged? She was sedated!”“Yes, well… according to the system, her legal guardian signed her out. She checked out about thirty minutes ago.”He took a step closer, his badge practically vibrating with ten
Reina lay still, wondering why he offered to help her when he's apparently with someone else? Why would he do that?Roman turned slightly, trying to ease Vanessa off him. “Vanessa—this isn’t the time.”Vanessa’s brows lifted in amusement as she turned her attention to Reina, reclining weakly in the bed.“Oh,” she said sweetly. “You must be her.”The way she said it made Reina's stomach twist.Her mind kept playing questions over and over again. She wondered if Roman mentioned her to his girlfriend over Netflix and chill. Does he see her as the ugly clueless neighbor?“I’m Vanessa,” she continued, sliding her arm around Roman’s waist. “His fiancée. And you are?”Reina blinked, letting the drugs take over at last—but not before a sly, sleep-laced smile curved her lips.“Apparently... the wife.”Then everything went black.****Roman's POVThe first time I saw her, she had drools on the side of her lips and annoyance in her eyes. Reina. She opened the door with one sock on, hair wild, an
Reina’s POVRoman helped me back to the hospital bed like I was made of glass. Every step sent a ripple of pain through my ribs, but it wasn’t the bruises that had my hands shaking—it was his words.We get married. For real.Once I was lying down again, he pulled the blanket over me, then dragged a chair to my bedside and sat, eyes never leaving mine.“Okay,” he said quietly. “Start from the beginning. First, why were you in a holding cell with a bunch of misfits? What the hell was that about just now? And why does that guy look like the villain from every bad high school movie?”I laughed once. It sounded like a broken wind chime. “Because he is the villain in my story.”Roman raised an eyebrow, patient, waiting. His fingers tapped lightly against his knee.I closed my eyes and began.I shouldn't tell him about the contract with the police or with Mr Morelli. I just have to find a way to blend the story so he doesn't suspect a thing.After all, he's a cop.“About the thing with the p
Reina’s POVFocus Reina.“Can you lift your shirt a little?” the doctor asked gently. “I just need to see if there are any signs of internal bleeding.”Roman tensed beside me.“Mr Roman,” I said, narrowing my eyes, “If you turn into an overprotective caveman the second someone touches me, I swear I will file a noise complaint and report your muffins to the HOA.”He didn’t blink. Just muttered, “I’d like to see him try touching you wrong.”The doctor raised a brow. “You two together?”I choked on my own spit.Roman coughed. “No.”We both spoke at the same time.I added, “God, no.”Roman added, “Not yet.”There was a beat.The doctor smirked. “Okay, well, there’s a lot of tension here. I’m going to pretend I didn’t walk into a CW drama and continue my job.”Roman cleared his throat and backed away a step, rubbing the back of his neck. I stared at the ceiling, trying not to blush so hard my bruises turned magenta.He was not exactly my type.Except for the part where he was tall, broody,
REINA’S POVI wasn’t sure if I blacked out or dissociated after hugging Roman, but the next thing I knew, I was floating.Warm. Solid. Moving.I peeled one eye open, slowly, like lifting an iron curtain.Roman.He was carrying me. Bridal style. Through the main lobby of the police station like he didn’t just find me half-dead in a holding cell that belonged in a Netflix prison documentary.What of officer Rodney… the file. What if Mr Morelli asked how I carried out the tasks? This is not good.“Is that—?” someone whispered.“She was in the women’s cell…”“Holy sh—”Are they wondering if I’m his wife? Because it doesn’t sound like such a bad idea.Roman didn’t blink. Didn’t flinch. Didn’t look at anyone. His jaw was sharp enough to cut glass, his grip so careful it made me feel fragile—which was annoying, because I hated feeling fragile. But also kind of nice. In a broken Barbie-doll-left-in-the-rain kind of way.“The file… Put me down,” I mumbled against his chest.“No.”“Roman…”“No
Reina’s POV My heart thundered against my ribs.I backed into the corner of the cell, pulse racing, but the girls moved in like a pack of wolves scenting fear. The one with crimson nails led the charge, her hips swaying with too much confidence, her smirk curling wider with every inch as my heart beat faster than ever.Uh-oh. Today was supposed to be perfect. I had a clear picture in my head and none included getting cornered by a bunch of wild looking girls.“I asked you a question, pretty girl,” she sneered. “You think you're better than us?”“I didn’t say that,” I said quickly, voice trembling but trying to find footing. “I didn’t mean anything—this is just a mistake. I’m not even supposed to be here.”“Oh, you’re here now,” another girl said as she stepped forward, chewing her gum like she was chewing glass. “And you gave us that look. That ‘you people’ look.”I shook my head, holding my hands up. “No, no—listen, I don’t want any trouble, okay? I just came to see an officer—”“Ai
Reina’s POVI skipped.Not walked. Skipped. Like a schoolgirl with a prize in her hands.The file pressed against my chest like it was made of gold, my boots thudded softly down the corridor, my smile wide, my heart hammering with victorious rhythm. That was too easy, I thought giddily. My fingers curled tighter around the file. Mr. Morelli hadn’t even looked twice when he handed it over. Didn’t question my competency. Didn’t doubt me for a second.I shoved open my bedroom door and darted inside, already fishing my burner phone out from under the vanity table.Finally, finally they would take me seriously. The police would listen. Officer Rodney would congratulate me. Maybe even apologize for treating me like some worthless street rat with a grudge and a supposed criminal record.I dialed.No answer.I dialed again.Still nothing.A third time.Click.“Yeah?” came the voice—fast, strained, breathless. The background was chaos. Phones ringing. Shouting. Dozens of voices overlapping.“