LOGINI walked toward Ella’s bed and sat down beside her. She pulled herself up with much difficulty and looked down at our daughter. “She’s so small,” I said, my eyes filling with tears. The wait, the pain and everything were worth this—this joy and the deep love I felt in my heart. I met Ella’s gaze a
[FOUR YEARS LATER] EROS I was panicking more than Ella was. But I couldn’t take her screams, let alone look at her. She was covered in sweat from head to toe and her entire body was shuddering. This was partially my fault, I could say. She buried her head back on the pillow and let out another lo
Even in my absence, I had been sure that Mariella was okay. She was upset, which was understandable, but she was safe. Adonis had ensured it. I hurried into my wing and up to my room, unable to control the burdening feeling in my chest. I needed to let out all that I had been holding inside, to tel
Both Mom and Adonis scanned the room. I didn’t know why, but I didn’t have a good feeling about this. Ella was running away. Or perhaps hiding something from me. I sincerely wished it was the prior. Adonis took a deep breath and spoke. “Ma, I need to speak to Eros.” I was dumbfounded. I widened my
EROS With all the men guarding me, I felt like a child being carried to the principal’s office. Every fucking one of them had a brooding look on their face. And I had been seeing them every day for the past two months. No more. I was finally returning home. To my family. To my wife. I wondered ho
As I pushed the door, I noticed the girl sitting on the ground, holding a grey shirt to her chest. Eros’s shirt. Had she been holding onto him in this manner? Crying herself to sleep holding that one shirt? Consoling herself that he was alright? “Mariella?” Her eyes widened and snapped toward me.
“Why?” Salvatore questioned. Irritation took over the carefree glimmer in Eros’s eyes. “Because I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to hear his philosophies about life and the initiation and all that bullshit. But most importantly, I didn’t want to hear him say the ‘I knew you weren’t meant to be a Maf
“There’s nothing to deny.” I tried to step back. “Please don’t go. Just speak to me. Let’s work this out.” My jaw twitched. “There’s nothing to talk about. I was pretty clear in my text that it was the last time I was contacting you.” “But then I texted you back. Tried to call you so many times.”
Adonis let out a low grumble from the tip of his throat that made me laugh. I went on, “I flirted with you. If things had worked out differently, Mariella would’ve been sitting here as Adonis’s wife and you would’ve been here as my girlfriend.” Mariella’s face tightened. She stared at me blankly, a
He returned an acknowledging look and said, “Galasso? Solano Gallasso’s wife, if I’m not mistaken.” “Daughter-in-law, actually,” Niana corrected. “Oops, pardon me,” Eros scoffed. “It’s hard to keep up with the Galassos. Solano’s been looking for a bride and since he’s so into children that I almos







