LOGINREBECCA
“Why hasn’t your lover boy come down yet?” Alexa teased, flipping a skewer on the grill. “Food’s done and he’s still M-I-A.”
Heat rushed to my cheeks at the nickname, but I tried to brush it off.
“I think he’s still upstairs. Maybe he and Boston are still talking.”
“Mmm… doesn’t look like a good talk,” Alexa muttered.
I followed her gaze.
Boston was walking ba
STEFFANO“Boss! You should’ve told us you were coming!”A man rushed toward us the moment our car stopped in front of what looked like an abandoned warehouse—cracked concrete, rusted metal doors, barely any lighting.I glanced at the men stepping out of the vehicles behind us.Juancho didn’t even slow down.“Why would I need to announce my arrival?” he said coldly. “Am I not allowed to drop by unannounced… or is there something inside you don’t want me to see?”“N-no, sir! Nothing like that!”“You’d better make sure,” Juancho continued, his voice sharp enough to cut. “You know exactly what I don’t want to see in there. If I find it… I bury you. Right here.”“Yes, sir. I understand.”The tension vanished from his face the moment he turned to me.“Come on, Steffano,” he sa
“Savvy got sick too?”He nodded, his voice trailing off as he stopped talking. He rested his head on my lap and gently traced circles on my hand.It was late in the evening, and we were sitting on the beach.After what happened earlier in the study room, Steffano had fallen asleep. I honestly thought he wouldn’t wake up until morning. But after I got the twins to bed, I found him awake—and he asked me to come down here with him.That’s when he started telling me his story.About how he lost his parents at a young age.About how he was separated from his little sister, Alyannah.And eventually… about the life he lived after Olivia left him and the children behind.“I never imagined you went through all that,” I said quietly. “Not when I first met you.”He tilted his head slightly, looking up at me. “What was your first impression of me?”I looked up at the moon, letting its soft glow settle my thoughts as I remembered that day.“Rude,” I said, glancing down at him.He let out a quiet l
EIGHT YEARS AGO…STEFFANO“Table three!” my supervisor snapped from across the floor. “What’s taking you so long, Steffano? You glued to your phone again?”“S-sorry, sir. I just checked it for a second—”“Save it. Just take the order to table three.”I clenched my jaw, grabbed the tray, and forced myself to move.As soon as I was out of his direct line of sight, my phone buzzed again in my pocket.I pulled it out quickly.Glo:Steffano, I’m taking Stephie to the hospital. Her fever’s not going down even after meds. I left Savvy with Boston.My chest tightened.Fear hit instantly.But so did reality.If I walked out now, I wouldn’t have money for hospital bills.So I swallowed it.Kept working.“Steffano,” my supervisor called again, already heading toward me. “We’ve got a VIP upstairs. I need you to stay—about three extra hours.”“M-my daughter’s in the hospital,” I said, struggling to keep my voice steady.“Then let your partner handle it for now,” he replied flatly. “You’re the only
REBECCA“Why hasn’t your lover boy come down yet?” Alexa teased, flipping a skewer on the grill. “Food’s done and he’s still M-I-A.”Heat rushed to my cheeks at the nickname, but I tried to brush it off.“I think he’s still upstairs. Maybe he and Boston are still talking.”“Mmm… doesn’t look like a good talk,” Alexa muttered.I followed her gaze.Boston was walking back—fast.She crossed paths with Sigmund, but instead of passing him, she suddenly turned around, grabbed his arm, and pulled him back.Her face was tight with anger.“You never trusted me!” she snapped.The entire patio went quiet.Sigmund’s expression darkened—something I had never seen before.“Coming from you?” he shot back. “Between the two of us, you’re the one who never trusted anyone!”
STEFFANO“So,” I muttered, lighting a cigarette as I leaned against the veranda railing, my eyes drifting down to where Rebecca stood below, talking to Alexa. “What exactly did you want to talk about?”Boston scoffed behind me. “You’re the one who said we needed to talk.”“Ah, right. Yeah.”I forced myself to look away from Rebecca. If I didn’t, I already knew—I wouldn’t hear a damn word Boston was saying.“Looks like you forgot,” Boston added dryly. “You’ve been watching her this whole time.”I cleared my throat and gestured toward the study. “Let’s talk inside.”Once we were in, I locked the door behind us. A glass of whiskey had already been set on the table. I dropped onto the couch, grabbed it, and downed half in one go.The burn steadied me—barely.“You seem out of focus, Steffano. Focus now. What I have to say actually matters. That’s the only reason I agreed to come out here—for your wedding.”The way she emphasized the wedding made my jaw tighten.I ignored it.“How’s the inv
“What are you looking at?”I flinched at the sudden sound of Steffano’s voice behind me as he walked into the bathroom. I had just finished changing, and I quickly pulled up my high-waisted shorts, then grabbed my cover-up and threw it over my bikini top.I shook my head and avoided his gaze, pretending to fix my slightly longer hair in the mirror.“Do you want to remove that tattoo?” he asked quietly, almost hesitant—but still unable to stop himself.I turned back to the mirror. Even though the tattoo was hidden beneath my shorts, I could still see it… like it was etched deeper than just my skin.I glanced at him.“If I erase this,” I asked softly, forcing a small smile, “will it erase the memories that came with it too?”He stepped closer and wrapped his arms around me from behind.“No,” he said gently. “So don’t erase it. But… I can change it. Turn it into something better. Then we make new memories instead. How does that sound?”I turned in his arms and looped mine around his neck
“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,
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 ha
“Mommy! Don’t go!”I cried out as I watched my mom dragging her suitcase toward the door.I struggled against Grandma’s grip and ran after her, throwing my arms around her waist.“Please don’t go, Mommy! I—I promise I’ll be good!”She gently pried my arms away and knelt in front of me.“I’m sorry,
I used to have a lot of friends when I was a kid.Even though I didn’t grow up in a complete family, I was never really lonely. I loved making new friends… but I remember having one problem.I got attached too easily.Back in grade school, I had a friend who died.I still remember how devastated I







