LOGINSTEFFANOI lifted the still-warm takeout containers with a grin from Aunt Cora and Uncle Ferdie’s place. In my other hand, I carried a brown bag filled with formula milk and diapers for our twins, Savvy and Stephie.Last week, Olivia broke down in tears. She said she couldn’t breastfeed them properly anymore—her milk wasn’t enough. Good thing I managed to earn a little today. At least now, I could buy what they needed.She’ll smile this time… I’m sure of it.Ever since the twins turned one month old, Olivia had been distant. Irritable. Sad. Alexa told me it might be postpartum depression.Which meant I needed to step up. I had to find a stable job—something real—so I could finally get her checked by a doctor.I was starting to feel ashamed… always running to my friends whenever things got tough.“Damn, Steffano, that smells good! Share some, man!” Roy called out, raising his beer bottle as his drinking buddies laughed.“Sorry, man. This is for my wife,” I said, shaking my head.“A
“Wow, your sunny-side-up eggs are perfect, Mommy!” Stephie exclaimed, making me laugh. The way she praised it, you’d think I had cooked something incredibly complicated.“Do you want more toast, Savvy?” I asked when I noticed he was almost done with what was on his plate.“Yes, please,” he replied, smiling as I got him another piece.“Where’s Daddy, Mommy?”I paused for a moment, then took a sip of my juice and gently brushed Stephie’s hair back. “He’s running late for work, so he already left—”“Good morning!”“Wait… I thought he already left for work?” Stephie turned to me, confused, as her father suddenly appeared in the dining area.I thought so too…After I finished cooking, he never showed up, so I assumed he had already gone to work. I didn’t expect him to come down.He sat at the head of the table. “I attended the meeting via conference call,” he said, as if he could read what was on my mind.I nodded and quietly went back to eating.“Don’t you have work today, Daddy?”“Oh no,
STEFFANOI don’t do cuddling after sex… so what am I doing now?I thought to myself as I looked at Rebecca, completely exhausted after the countless times we had each other. My hand lifted on its own, gently brushing her cheek.She let out a soft moan and pulled herself closer to me. I swallowed hard when something in my chest stirred.No. This is just lust.Exclusively hers? Goddamn it. Where did that even come from?She shifted and slowly pulled away from me. My hand instinctively moved to pull her back into my arms, but after a minute, I clenched my fist instead and sat up.Don’t fall into the same trap again, Steffano.What you feel for each other is just physical. Nothing more.I got up and went to the walk-in closet to get dressed. When I came back, the blanket that had been covering Rebecca had slipped off. My gaze fell on her bare body, and I cursed under my breath as I felt my arousal return.Running a hand through my hair, I walked over and slipped one of my shirts onto her.
I let out a deep sigh as my eyes began to ache from keeping them shut, and dizziness crept in from tossing and turning on the bed without being able to fall asleep.In the end, I just got up and opened the fridge, looking for something to eat—even though I wasn’t hungry. I just needed something to do.But nothing caught my interest, so I closed it again and stepped out of the room. I moved carefully, thinking Steffano might still be outside, but when I scanned the area, he wasn’t there.Probably, he’s somewhere f*cking—What am I even thinking? Why should I care if he’s with another woman?Annoyed at myself and my thoughts, I headed to the walk-in closet and grabbed swimsuits.There shouldn’t be anything wrong with going for a swim in his pool. I just need something to distract me.Wearing a robe and carrying a towel, I went downstairs—only to see Boston just arriving.So she really does live here?“Hey, going for a swim? It’s pretty late.”“I just can’t sleep. You? Where were you?”S
I opened my eyes with a heavy head, my throat unbearably dry.“W-water…” I croaked as I tried to sit up, wincing at the weight in my body.I pressed a hand to my forehead and shut my eyes when the light hit them too harshly.“Here.”Someone held my hand and placed a glass in it. I immediately brought it to my lips, relief washing over me as the cold liquid slid down my throat.“More water?”I opened my eyes, about to nod—then froze when I saw Steffano.He was only wearing a bathrobe. His damp hair trailed down to his chest, and his gaze was fixed on my… bare chest.I dropped the glass and screamed, quickly covering myself with my arm.“W-what happened?”“What do you think?”I swallowed hard, my eyes stinging as I felt soreness in my body.I shut my eyes tightly, fragments of last night flashing through my mind—sounds, laughter, breathless moans… my own voice.“T-that wasn’t a dream?”“No. You weren’t dreaming, Rebecca. Why don’t you take a shower so you can—”“You took advantage of me
STEFFANO“Boss, something happened to your wife upstairs.”I frowned at what Sigmund whispered and stopped mid-motion, setting down the glass I had been casually tossing between my fingers while talking to the woman beside me.“Is there a problem, Steffano?” she asked.I smiled and turned to her. “My apologies, Sally. Something came up with a friend. I need to go.”She pouted, her friends teasing her right away.“Aww, that’s too bad. I was enjoying talking to you. Can I get your number?” she asked with a playful smile, twirling a strand of her hair.What would your father say if he saw you right now? His only princess…“Sure. Here’s my calling card,” I said, handing it to her.Her friends squealed and teased her, and even though the noise irritated me, I forced a smile to keep a good impression.After all, I needed her for my plan. I needed her to get into her family—the Scotts.“Mom, Dad! Aren’t we going to help him?”“We can’t fight them."“Dad!”I swallowed hard as the memory resur







