~VALENTINO’S POV~ “You know that, right? I suffered more than any child should. I was beaten, starved and thrown into places you wouldn’t send a dog. I learned how to kill a man before I ever learned what love was. And I hated you every single day. I hated the people who left me behind.” She nodded, sobbing harder. “I deserve that,” she said. “I had no name,” I went on, bitter now. “No family. No warmth. I was nothing. And now you want to walk in here and tell me I had a name? A father? A mother? And I should just accept it?” Her hands covered her face. “I didn’t want to leave you,” she whispered. “I swear on everything. I loved you so much it broke me in half.” The room went still. All I could hear was her crying. It wasn’t soft or careful. It was the kind of crying that peeled skin, that carved out what was left of you and left it bare. Her sobs echoed off the walls, sharp, messy, human. It filled every corner of the room until I couldn’t pretend it was
~VALENTINO’S POV~ The silence settled over the room like a cloud. Farah sat across from me, her back straight, but I could see the tension in her hands where they clutched each other tightly in her lap. Her eyes flicked to me, then to Alina, then back to me again. I didn’t look away. “You said you wanted to talk,” I said, voice low. “So talk. Say what you came here to say.” She swallowed hard. “First… I’m sorry.” My chest tightened. She wasn’t even five words in and already I could feel the rage threatening to claw out of my throat. “I’m not interested in another fake sorry,” I said. “I shouldn’t have allowed you inside this house, but I did. For her.” I gestured toward Alina without looking at her. “Because I know my wife’s heart. I know she’s doing this out of love. And I’m respecting her wishes right now, but you’re going to respect yourself, woman.” Farah’s lips trembled. “If you don’t have anything tangible to say, any truth to bring, if you’re on
~ALINA’S POV~[One Week Later]The first thing I noticed when we pulled into the Romano estate wasn’t the golden gate or the guards saluting from both sides.It was the breeze.The warmth of it, the scent of orange blossoms, and the sound of familiar birds chirping high up in the courtyard trees like they’d missed me.I had missed this place.I’d missed everything.But nothing, absolutely nothing, compared to the feeling of Valentino’s fingers interlacing with mine as we stepped out of the car together.He was walking. Slowly, yes, but he was walking.Standing, breathing, and laughing again.And I was never going to take that for granted again.“Welcome back, boss,” Dante said as he got out of the driver’s seat, his voice low but filled with that unmistakable pride only a second-in-command could have.Rocco smirked beside him. “Place hasn’t been the same without your scary ass growling at us from your balcony every morning.”Valentino chuckled, that soft, husky laugh I had missed so m
~VALENTINO’S POV~The first thing I felt was warmth, a familiar kind. Soft, steady, and a hand wrapped around mine.Then the voice.Alina’s.Muffled at first, like I was underwater, then louder and clearer.“I’m not leaving this bed until you open your eyes, do you hear me?”My chest tightened.I knew that voice better than I knew my own breath.Moglie mia[My Wife]I wanted to reach for her, tell her I heard her, that I was coming back. That I was fighting through the darkness for her.I tried to speak. My mouth moved before my eyes did.“Moglie mia…” My voice cracked and my lips twitched. “I might pass out again with you putting so much weight on me.”The room shifted.She gasped.And then her hands were on my face.“Val!” she cried, her voice splintering with joy.I opened my eyes, blinking against the blur. The lights above burned a little. My body felt like I’d gone twelve rounds with death itself, and every breath scraped down my throat like glass.But she was there, my sweet wif
~ALINA’S POV~ My son? I blinked, my heart hammering so loud I could barely hear anything else. My mouth went dry. My fingers curled into trembling fists at my sides as a thousand thoughts collided in my head. No. No, she didn’t just say that. I took a shaky step forward, my legs moving without permission. “What did you just say?” I asked, voice low, hoarse, trembling. She turned slowly at the sound of my voice. And for a moment, we just stared at each other. She looked… vaguely familiar. Not quite, but her eyes. They reminded me so much of Val’s it sent another jolt through my chest. She was beautiful, maybe in her forties or fifties. Her dark hair was tied back, her eyes red and swollen from crying. She studied me for a beat that felt like forever. Then she smiled softly. “You must be Alina.” I nodded, still staring, still trying to wrap my head around what I’d just heard. “Yes. I’m Alina… his wife.” She nodded. “I know.” I frowned. “Who are yo
[Two Weeks Later] ~ALINA’S POV~ The darkness had weight. Not the peaceful kind you fall asleep into, but the kind that clings to your skin and drags you deeper. Like hands pulling me under, smothering me, drowning me in silence. Somewhere in the void, I could hear the sound of my own heartbeat. Slow, heavy, and louder than it should be, echoing through the black like the only thing left alive. Then came the voice. A scream—mine, then a flash of red. I was back there in Vince’s house, with Vince. I could see his face again. That horrible, empty smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. I could feel the chill of the night wind in my bones, the ache in my wrists from where he pinned me down. Then— Valentino. He appeared like a flash of light through the chaos, breaking through the door like a fury from hell. His voice was the last thing I’d heard that night before the darkness swallowed me whole. “Alina!” And then, gunfire. So much gunfire. Then I felt his