LOGINArynFor the next few weeks, the apartment was quiet, too damn quiet. Lily wasn’t herself. She floated around the place like a ghost wearing her own skin, eyes hollow, voice barely there. She’d go through the motions, shower, dress, pick at her food, but it was all on autopilot. At night, I’d lie there pretending not to hear her. Pretending not to hear the soft, shaky sobs muffled by her pillow. Because if I heard them, really heard them, I’d have to face what the fuck had happened, and neither of us was ready for that.Some nights, I wanted to shake her. To tell her to scream, to curse, to hit something. Anything. But she didn’t. She just curled into herself, smaller every day. And when the fridge light came on in the middle of the night, I knew it wasn’t because she was hungry, it was because she was staring blankly at food she couldn’t force herself to eat.I’d stand at the doorway, watch her, and think, Antonio, you fucking bastard.I was seriously considering killing that son of
ArynThe air turned thick with tension the moment she said her name. It rolled off her tongue like something expensive, practiced, rehearsed, and disgustingly self-satisfied.Lily stood still beside me, her lips parting slightly as if she’d just been slapped. I didn’t know who Vivienne was, but judging by the look on Lily’s face, I could already tell she wasn’t here to make friends.Vivienne’s gaze drifted over our tiny apartment, from the worn-out couch to the pile of shopping bags we’d dropped on the floor. Her nose wrinkled slightly, like the smell of normal people offended her perfume-drenched lungs.“Well,” she said finally, brushing a strand of hair off her flawless face. “This is… quaint.”I clenched my jaw. “You’ve got ten seconds to explain why you’re in our home before I drag your pretty ass out of here.”Lily grabbed my wrist gently. “Aryn, wait.”Vivienne’s lips curved. “Oh, don’t bother with the dramatics. I’m not here to fight. I came to deliver a message.” She reached
ArynI decided that enough was enough. Sitting around, crying, and feeling sorry for ourselves wasn’t going to fix a damn thing.After breakfast, Lily started cleaning up, humming softly again like she hadn’t just cried her eyes out a few minutes ago. She was trying to act normal, pretending everything was fine. But I knew that kind of pretending, it’s the same one I used to do every morning before walking into the DeLucas’ mansion, pretending I wasn’t falling apart inside.So I leaned against the counter, crossed my arms, and said, “You know what? We’re not staying in today.”Lily blinked at me. “What?”“I mean it,” I said, grabbing my cup and finishing the cold coffee. “If we keep moping around, we’ll end up crying into our pillows again tonight. Let’s go out. Do something stupid. Something fun. Something we’ve always wanted to do.”Her brows furrowed, confusion and worry written all over her face. “With which money, Aryn? Last I checked, our account was emptier than your dating lif
Aryn The morning sunlight crept through the thin curtains, warm and soft against my face. For a few seconds, I didn’t remember where I was. Then the faint smell of frying eggs hit my nose, followed by a familiar voice humming an old pop song off-key. Lily. I sat up slowly, rubbing my eyes. The couch was uncomfortable as hell, but it felt more like home than the luxury mattress I’d slept on for months. My chest still ached, but at least the pain wasn’t sharp anymore, just a dull, constant weight that reminded me I was still breathing. When I padded to the kitchen, the scene almost made me smile. Lily stood barefoot in one of her oversized shirts, hair tied up messily, hips swaying slightly as she hummed and stirred something in the pan. But then I noticed her other hand, resting absently on her stomach. Rubbing it. My smile faded. A frown tugged at my lips. She didn’t even realize she was doing it. “Since when do you cook breakfast?” I asked, leaning on the doorframe. She jumpe
LorenzoThe message came through at 7:04 a.m.Just seven words.> Lorenzo, I’m leaving. I want a divorce.I stared at the screen, rereading it over and over, waiting for it to change, waiting for the punchline, for her to call me “cara mia” after the cruel joke. But it didn’t come. The words stayed there, cold, simple, final.For a second, I couldn’t even breathe. Then I felt a slow burn starting deep in my chest, spreading like wildfire until my veins were fire and my pulse was a roar.No. No fucking way.Aryn wouldn’t just leave. Not without a reason. Not without facing me.“Where is she?” I snapped, standing so abruptly my chair slammed backward into the marble floor. The men in the room froze. None of them dared to speak.“Boss?” Enzo’s voice was cautious. “We...uh...we lost visual after she left the Micardos’ compound last night.”“What do you mean, lost visual?”His eyes flickered nervously. “She… walked out. Alone. Mr. Micardo’s men didn’t stop her. She got into a cab.”My fist
ArynThe morning after that hellish night felt unreal. For the first time in days, no guards shadowed my every move. No cold eyes watching from doorways. No locked doors.Just silence.When the maid came to tell me I was “free to leave,” her voice was too calm, too measured, like she was delivering a death sentence wrapped in silk.“Mr. Micardo said you can go now,” she murmured. “He… wishes you well.”Yeah, fucking right.I didn’t wait for anyone to change their mind. I grabbed my bag, whatever little I had, and stormed out of that goddamn house before my brain had time to process what I was doing. The morning air hit me like a slap, sharp, cold, cleansing. My lungs finally expanded, like they hadn’t in forever.The streets looked the same, but I didn’t. I wasn’t the same woman who had walked into Lorenzo’s world months ago, wide-eyed and pretending to be naive. I hailed a cab. The driver looked at me through the rearview mirror, probably wondering if I was running from something. I







