ANMELDENCeline POV"Father… I really can’t believe it!"I rushed to him, my arms wrapping tight around his body like I was afraid he would fade away… like he might slip right through my fingers. My breaths came fast, hot and shaky, my chest rising and falling like I had just been pulled out of deep water."I lived through hell without you. I was breathing like I was drowning. And today… I got my soul back."I held onto him even tighter. Tears streamed down my cheeks, soaking into his shoulder, wetting his shirt. His large hand trembled slightly on my back as he patted me slowly, like he was making sure I was real… that I was truly here. When I pulled back just a little, I saw his face clearly.He had aged.His white hair shone under the light, and deep lines of exhaustion carved across his face. His eyes… those eyes that once sparkled… now looked dull, like grief had stolen their light and left behind cold ash."I left you to suffer alone, Celine."My heart shook inside my chest, but I quickl
Celine POV"Let me go, Enzo. This man has nothing to do with you. But answer my condition first."My voice came out shaky, almost choking on the bitterness of my own words."Answer me, Celine. Answer!"His voice crashed into me. Rough. Deep. I felt it shake my ribs from the inside."Then let it be me, Enzo. I want a guarantee of protection from you. Today you love me, tomorrow you hate me, and the day after… maybe you kill me with the same hand holding me now!"My voice broke at the end. It dropped into a sharp whisper, like a trapped snake hissing."So you don’t trust me at all, Celine?"His tone dropped suddenly. Too calm. Too quiet. It carried a crack he tried hard to hide."Michael taught me that. Trained me never to trust anyone. Not even him. Life is cruel. It tests me in everything.""I won’t give you my power. My authority. How can you ask me to give up my position, everything that is mine? You want to see me weak? Helpless? Is that your idea of love?"His words lashed out, cu
Celine POVThe black car stopped in a deserted spot. The silence inside felt heavy. Suffocating."Celine, these past days… I don’t even know how I’ve been acting or what’s really going on between us. It feels like we’re stuck in a storm. One moment, we’re so close we can share the same breath. The next, we’re enemies," Enzo said, his sharp eyes locked on mine, his voice deep and rough.He waited for me to answer. When I stayed quiet, he went on, his eyes flashing with something dark and unreadable. "I’ve decided. I’ll erase Jennifer and everyone else from my life. I’ll end this hatred. Let our marriage be about love. A clean page. A new start. Let love win over all this anger and everything bad between us."My heart jumped hard against my ribs. I clenched my dress in my fists until the fabric wrinkled under my cold fingers. "Are you really sure about this, Enzo?" I asked, my voice filled with shock and doubt.He answered with confidence, his usual pride slipping back into his tone. "I
Celine POVMichael’s last words hit me like a blade straight to the chest."You still love him."Do I?Do I really still feel that pull… toward the man who might become my father’s executioner?I took a step back, my chest tight. I forced air into my lungs and said, my voice shaking even as I tried to sound steady,"Love is a luxury I don’t have right now, Michael. What I have is a scale. On one side, my father’s life. On the other… my freedom. Or what’s left of it."Michael stepped closer. I saw it in his eyes, anger tangled with pity. His fingers curled around the edge of the wooden table until his knuckles turned white."You’re lying to yourself," he said, his voice low and sharp. "Marrying Enzo Romano isn’t a sacrifice. It’s a slow suicide. Do you really think you can hide the truth about Montgomery forever? Enzo smells lies the way he smells blood. And the second he finds out you knew...""Stop!" I cut him off, my voice breaking into a muffled cry. I raised my hand in front of my
Selene POVI froze in place. Cold crept into my fingertips the second Michael said those words. Words that shook me to my core. His voice was serious, a little unsteady."Selene… it turns out your father is still alive."My heart slammed hard against my ribs. My voice shot up, sharp, full of disbelief and shock."What are you even saying, Michael? What kind of nonsense is that?"His steady gaze didn’t move from me. Not even a little. His voice dropped, quiet but certain."It’s the truth, Selene. Montgomery is still alive."My mind snapped back to that cursed day. The smell of blood and gunpowder still stuck in my nose like it never left. My voice came out tight, shaking."I saw him with my own eyes. Right in front of me. He took his last breath. And if he’s really alive… then where was he? All these years… he never looked for me."Michael stepped closer. I felt the rough warmth of his hand as he took mine, gently rubbing it, trying to bring life back into my freezing body."Your fathe
Celine POV"What do you want?"I frowned as I stared at Enzo standing in front of me with that proud, unshakable posture. Light slipped through the window and fell across his shoulders, casting sharp shadows over features I knew far too well."I want to talk to you... please."His voice was soft. Almost begging. His eyes locked onto mine.The weight of that gaze pressed on my chest.But where was Angelina?Why wasn't she with him?"There's nothing to talk about, Enzo... go back to wherever you came from."I shook my head and sat down on the chair."Please, Celine... just one minute."His voice cracked a little. Like the words had been dragged out of a tired, heavy chest.Was he... actually begging me?I took a deep breath. The air felt thick inside my lungs as I looked at him.I studied his face quietly.Dark circles surrounded his eyes. His skin looked pale, not like usual, as if sleep had abandoned him for days.What happened to him?No. Impossible.There was no way he felt sorry fo
Celine POVMichael wasn't just kissing me. He was devouring me with the hunger of a man who had been starving for years. I felt his rough tongue claim me, licking the sweetness mixed with my fear. The sound of him taking me filled the room, loud and primal."Michael.. stop.. please!" I cried out. I
Celine POV“Celine, wake up! Celine!”I opened my eyes slowly to Enzo’s voice. I remembered that I had been with Michael when he came into the room.“Was I dreaming about Michael?”God. I really am stupid. All those dirty things did not happen in real life. They happened inside my head.I tried to
Celine Montgomery POVMy chest felt tight. My heart hammered against my ribs like a wild drum. I looked at him, my eyes swimming with tears, and asked in a trembling voice:"Did you find out who the killer is? Tell me, Michael!"I was on the verge of breaking down. Was it finally time for the reven
Celine POVMichael wasn't joking. His eyes were glowing with a devilish look I had never seen before. It made my heart shake with fear and excitement. With a move as fast as a hunter, he pulled out his thick leather belt. Before I could even think, he wrapped it around my wrists so tight my skin sc







