FABIANOStaring at her stomach, he couldnโt help but think what was he going to tell that child.โHey, I raped your mamma. Boom! You were born.โHow was he going to look into his childโs eyes?The same way your father looked into your eyes.A bitter smile twitched his lips, the smile morphed into a maniac grin before he let out a mocking chuckle.Whoever said that time never comes back and history never repeats itself was high on some drug.The history, indeed, was repeating itself.Thirty years ago, a woman was raped in Naples. The law enforcement agencies did nothing. They couldnโt.Why?Because the rapist was the law. He owned everything.Giovanni Lombardi.The former Don.An arms dealer.The police were afraid of him.No one dared to cross him.And the woman?She didnโt dare say something to her rapist. Why?He was her husband.Nine months later, a baby boy was born.Fabiano Lombardi.Heir to Lombardi Empireโฆโฆand a victim to the monsters.Fabiano moved towards Aria, shaking away
FABIANOHis lioness was back.He smiled.โYou can roam the island today.โ He bent down and picked the box from her feet. Straightening, he flicked the box open and took out the ring, twisting it in his fingers before he snatched her hand and shoved the ring in her finger.The big, sapphire diamond glinted back at him, surrounded by three small diamonds on each side.Aria stared down at the ring in her finger as Fabiano stared at her.Her eyes were missing the element of shock and awe he had seen in the eyes of my whores when he gifted them with expensive necklaces.That was the difference.Aria wasnโt them. Fabiano smiled, eerily impressed by her. She didnโt care about his money. She hated him.But as long as she was with him, he was okay even with her hatred.โGo do whatever you want.โ He stepped away from her, โRoam the island or whatever.โShe looked at him but he turned his back on him and moved towards the balcony.โWe leave tomorrow, wife.โHe didnโt need to look back to know th
FABIANOโUhm..โโAghโฆโโDo you need help with that throat of yours?โ Fabiano drawled, raising a brow, โI could come there and snap it for you.โThe doctor paled, eyes bulging out of sockets, he stared at Fabiano, then back at the screen, whitening even more.โItโs a..aghhโฆโ He wheezed, clutching his throat.โBark it out.โ Fabiano roared, the vein in his forehead throbbing as he watched the doctor flinch under the weight of his gaze.โA girl.โ The doctor announced quickly, โItโs a girl.โSilence.Complete and utter silence filled the room. There was no sound under than the sharp intake of his breath and the clock on the wall ticking.Tick. Tock.Red covered his vision.Tick. Tock.He looked at the screen of ultrasound machine.Tick. Tock.His eyes moved to his wife who looked at the screen, showing her the life that was growing inside of her.Tick. Tock.She looked enthralled. Captured by the picture on the screen. It was clear. The baby on the ultrasound screen.Tick. Tock.Fabiano di
ARIAHe was going to kill my daughter.Fingers trembling, I looked over my shoulder. I stepped back and whirled around, slapping the large vase off the small table.It fell on the floor, shattering into tiny pieces. It was like I was seeing it in slow motion.โAria.โ I heard him roar.I paid no attention to him and bent down to pick the largest piece of broken glass I could find.Tiny shards of glass pricked my hands, tearing the skin and embedding into flesh but I didnโt care.I snatched a piece from the floor and turned around.โWhat are you trying to do?โ He stopped in his tracks when he saw what I was doing.I lifted my arms up in the air, holding the broken glass against my wrist. The sharp side cut my skin, dug into my flesh and a trail of blood started to flow down my arm.โTell the doctor to go.โ I whispered, aware of the eyes on me.โPut it down.โ He spoke, slowly and calmly, his hand disappearing behind him.I shook my head, my chin started to tremble in fear. I was afraid t
ARIAโIโll die before I let you hurt her.โThe world started to spin; my knees losing their strength and my legs gave up. I fell down; I watched the blood seep out of the wound.Footsteps came towards me but I paid them no attention. Arms held me, grabbing me and pulling at me โYou wouldโve used my daughter to punish me.โ I mumbled, trying to look at my stomach but couldnโt. Shame overwhelmed me.I glanced up at Fabiano, looking into his tense eyes. He looked at me, wide-eyed as if he hadn't expected something like this from me.โYou canโt have me.โ I whispered with watery eyes, โTake my daughter out of meโฆโI didnโt know if the doctors could pull my baby out of me. I was six months pregnant. I hoped they would save her. I didnโt know much about pregnancy.My vision began to fade.Tears fell, my body burned. My body was getting weaker.โTell her I love her.โ I whispered, โVenus.โIt was a beautiful name. For a beautiful girl.I was probably being dramatic. Not everyone died by cuttin
FABIANOShe was small.So tiny.She was so small that she couldโve been mistaken for a little doll if not for the tubes that were attached to her.Venus.Fabiano stared at the little baby in the incubator, a myriad of feelings stormed his chest.She was asleep.Fabiano kept staring at her as if he had seen a miracle. He tilted his head to a side and studied the little creature.How could a human be so tiny?Squinting his eyes, he took a step towards the incubator.โIs she alright?โ He asked without looking back, knowing that the doctor would answer him.โYes.โ He heard the doctor reply, โSheโs premature. Itโs normal for her to be small. The babies born at this age, their normal job is to sleep, grow and become medically stable.โHe swallowed the uncomfortable feeling that surged within him.There were so many tubes connected to her. Some of them were going inside her.Surprisingly, concern rose in him for the little girl.โThe tubes.โ He asked, โWill theyโฆโ He cleared his throat, forc
FABIANOHe had to do this.Even though a part of him begged him not to do.Nothing good came from being related to him.He knew that.He had known since he was a child.โYour mother loves you.โ He whispered as if it as a secret meant to be for them and them only, โYou kept her alive. You kept her going. She fought for you. I am indebted to you. Forever. She loves you. So much. You were her hope.โHe felt weird, his throat was closing. There was a lump, size of a melon, forming in his throat.โI hope, one day youโll forgive me for taking your mother away from you. Youโll hate me, curse me and Iโll deserve each of that.โ He paused, clearing his throat to get rid of the lump that had formed in his throat, โI hope you get the childhood I never knew about. I hope you get the love I never received.โHe wanted her to get a beautiful childhood.A phase of life that was full of innocence and laughs.He never had that.He didnโt know what childhood was.No one ever took him to the park. No one
FABIANOWARNING: MENTIONS OF TORTURE AHEAD. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.โShe tried to kill herself.โThere was a moment of silence after his reply.โWhat did you do to her?โ Nonoโs voice was a mixture of anger and pity.Everything a gentlemen wouldnโt do to her, he held back the words.โI wanted to kill the baby.โ He admitted, caressing her pale, sunken cheek.She had been unconscious for more than a week. When she had fainted, he had immediately called for a team of doctors.For the first time, he had done something she had asked him for.He had the doctors cut the baby out of her by surgery.โWhy would you do that?โโThe baby was a girl.โ He huffed out a chuckle, his insides twisting at the words he had uttered.โSo what?โ Her voice was enraged, โDo girls not have the right to live?โHe shook his head, โYou know what happens to the girls in our world, donโt you Nono?โHe looked at her for the first time after entering the room. He watched the emotions filling his Nonoโs eyes at the mention.
THE LETTER FROM FABIANO;This is where I first met you; in this very room and this is where it will all end.I couldnโt say it to your face so I wrote it down to give it to you.There is a question that we both asked ourselves many times but only I knew the answer to it.โWhy you? Why this woman?โBecause you were the lone rose standing fall in the field full of wilted flowers.Injured yet strong, broken yet standing, failing yet surviving.Beautiful and different.Maybe that was your curse.I saw you. I saw your photo in Adrianoโs office and I was obsessed with you from the very first moment. You were like a lioness, protecting your sister when you could have lost your life. Like a Queen.I knew that Iโd go mad without you so I did what I wanted to.Stole you. Broke you. Tainted you.I gave you pain but you gave me something else.A home. A family.Venus. Massimo. You.You gave me something the little boy in me desired to have. The little boy whose dreams were shattered long ago, bef
ARIA My heart ached for us. โYou canโt imagine how much I missed you.โ I whispered. My sister whose side I had never left after she was born, was seeing me after two years. โThereโs someone we want you to meet.โ Adriano spoke up from behind, making us pull apart from each other. I turned and looked at him. My brother-in-law was the definition of tall, dark and handsome. He stepped towards me and patted my head, almost affectionately, making my eyebrows shoot up. We didnโt have the best relationship. โI almost missed you.โ He smirked, making me crack a smile, โHeโs waiting for you.โ My lips dipped at his words. I frowned as he gave me a slow, small, smile. He nodded in my direction and then took a step aside. He jerked his head in the direction. I followed his gaze until I saw a tall figure, standing a few feet away from us. I saw color. Green. My lips formed a trembling smile when the figureโs face came into my view. Damon. โGo on. He is waiting for you.โ He urged. I
FABIANO โVenus is alive.โ Why did he say that? To punish her? To hurt her for betraying him? To hurt himself? He didnโt know but he saw the disbelief on her face as he continued to speak, โShe was never dead. I took her away from here.โ Ariaโs lips against someone elseโs. He changed what he was going to say and swallowed, his demons rattling their cages, wanting to break free and they did. โThis is your punishment, Aria.โ He sneered at her shock-striken features, โYou wanted freedom? Youโll have it but youโll never see your children again. Youโll die without seeing their faces. Venus is alive but youโll never see how she grows up. Saint will know that her mother is a whore you left her son for another man. Enjoy your freedom you always begged for.โ โIโll stay. Please.โ He didnโt pay her any attention. โIโll do anything. Fabiano? Donโt do this.โ She was in his feet, holding her legs, begging him, โDonโtโฆHit me, whip me, do whatever you want but not this punishment. Iโll do wh
ARIA โItโs fine.โ He sobered up, โIโll take you there one day.โ I stilled at his words as he smiled at me before I turned my back on him and walked the path that would lead me back to the garden. It took us several minutes to reach the garden. Once we were out, he closed the door and set the hinges before covering it with vines, arranging them in a way that didnโt look suspicious. When we walked a little more, he started to speak. I wanted to cover my ears with my hands. โYou are caged here. I never see you with a phone. Do you even have one? When was the last time you talked to your sister?โ He paused, staring at the ink on my neck, he glanced up and continued, โYour husband doesnโt love you. He has an unhealthy obsession with you.โ My eyes were wild as I stared at him. he was right. I was caged. I didn't know what happened so suddenly but I exploded. The feelings I had bottled up inside me had burst out, overflowed. They trailed over my cheeks in the form of tears and then
ARIA I want you beside me. โThere.โ I stepped back moments later, thrusting the knife towards him with my shaky hands. โWe look good side by side, ocean eyes.โ He commented, taking in the names we had just carved and winked at me, making me feel all those things inside me again. โDonโt do it.โ He paused, his brows dipping, โWhat?โ โDonโt do this to me.โ I whispered, my emotions overflowing as I stared into his eyes. โWhat are you talking about?โ He leaned over, gripping my face in his palms. And I knew it, I was leaning to his touch. His eyes were filled with concern and disbelief as he searched my eyes. โThis.โ I pointed around, my eyes watering, โYouโre making me get used to you. To this light you bring with you. To this freedom you introduce me to.โ A tear rolled down. I didnโt know why I was feeling so emotional suddenly. โDid I hurt you, ocean eyes?โ He asked, eyes brimming with concern. Concern for me. A woman he barely knew about. A woman who was married to another.
ARIA โCome on, ocean eyes.โ I scoffed, โI am not going inside. God knows where it leads to.โ He rolled his eyes, โYou said it yourself before. Iโve been using it. Thereโs nothing wrong.โ โHow did you even know this thing,โ I pointed to the door, โwas here?โ I arched my brow. He smirked, playfulness swimming in his eyes before he stepped out and came close to me. Really, really close. And he leaned down, his face a few inches away from me. I licked my lips, nervously. Playfulness vanished from his eyes as he glanced down at my lips, his eyes darkened before he glanced into my eyes, his lips brushing against my ears, sending shivers of unknown feelings over my skin. โNothing will harm you, my goddess.โ With that, he pulled my arm and pushed me into the darkness, his laugh following my scream. โI thought you were different than other men.โ He let out a laugh behind me. I looked over my shoulder, glaring at him but he only poked out his tongue at me. Despite all my attempts, my l
ARIA He didnโt move. One minute passed. Then twoโฆ Then threeโฆ Hesitantly, I threaded my fingers through his black locks, feeling their softness on my palm and enjoying it. It felt foreign. Fabiano never let me touch him exceptโฆon some certain occasions. But with himโฆthis man I knew nothing about, with Damon Xanthos whatever-his-last-name-might-be everything felt new, light andโฆgood. After a few moments, my moves were more confident. My strokes firmer as I ran my fingers through his head, tugging lightly. I felt soโฆnormal. I didnโt know my lips had moved because it was him who informed me about that when he murmured without looking at me; โYou have a beautiful smile, my goddess.โ **** One night, Fabiano came into my room, covered in blood. His steel eyes were darkened with a maniac energy that made my skin pop with goosebumps. His body, his eyes, everything about him was screaming danger, different than his usual kind. He placed his hands on my face and I flinched when I
FABIANO She was his. She might have jumped from the cliff to escape him but that wouldnโt happen in this life. His wife. The mother of his children. His lioness. His Queen. Fucking his. And heโd fight the fucking Gods to keep her with him. They might be Gods, but he was the one who fucking ruled over Hell. *** The doctor said Aria's condition was critical; he fucking knew that but his lioness hadn't opened her eyes in three days. He stared at her pale figure, silently questioning her. Why? But he knew why. Because of him. He had driven her to a point where she chased death; begged for it and was ready to jump into its arms even if it meant being away from him. Why? To escape the cage he kept her in. To fly even though he had cut her wings. He tortured her. He did. It wasnโt her fault. It was his. He couldnโt rein his demons. He couldnโt control himself. He always gave into their demands. He always let hem control him. They were worse. And they wanted to destro
FABIANOThe rain had slowed down, turned to drizzle but still, the clouds were rumbling and lightening was illuminating the sky when he rushed with an unconscious and bleeding Aria. He and his men had pulled her body out luckily but she was as close to death as one could be.He swore he could feel the Gods above there, partying and laughing down at her, celebrating their victory.But fuck Gods!Fuck them and fuck their plans!He wouldnโt let them take her away.She wasnโt theirs.She was his.She might have jumped from the cliff to escape him but that wouldnโt happen in this life.His wife.The mother of his children.His lioness.His Queen.Fucking his.And heโd fight the fucking Gods to keep her with him.They might be Gods, but he was the one who fucking ruled over Hell.***The doctor said Aria's condition was critical; he fucking knew that but his lioness hadn't opened her eyes in three days. He stared at her pale figure, silently questioning her. Why?But he knew why.Because