LOGINJUNEDante’s hand found mine and his fingers closed around them and I stared at our joined hand but nobody said anything A thought crossed my mind and although it felt ugly, it was possible knowing the kind of person she was. Maybe she hadn’t simply run away from my father, maybe there had been someone waiting for her and my mind immediately returned to the video… the man that had appeared, rammed the car and helped her disappear. It could be him. My stomach twisted and I looked up at Raphael. “The man from the video.”Raphael’s eyes met mine. “What about him?”“Do you know who he is?” I asked. “Have you found anything on him?”“Yes, about that,” he replied, shaking his head. “I checked the video over and over again, I played it on my phone too, trying to find something that would give the man away but he wasn’t facing the camera.” His words made me think deeply and he was already reaching for his phone. “At least, not directly.”His fingers moved quickly, replaying the few seconds
JUNEI found them outside the room, Dante was standing with Raphael, their voices low enough that I couldn’t make out the words. Maya stood a short distance away, watching them with the same puzzled expression I felt settling across my own face so I walked over to them.The moment Dante saw me, his expression changed, his shoulders straightened and his eyes moved over me as if checking for damage, even though I was the one who had walked away from the conversation.“Whatever it is you guys want to say, you better say it in front of everybody,” I let out calmly.Raphael’s mouth opened and Dante shook his head. “Not here.”I cocked an eyebrow at him. “And why is that?”“Your father just finished surgery,” he replied. “I don’t want anything happening to him right now.”I stared at him. “I trust that my father can handle whatever you’re about to tell me.”Maya stepped closer. “What’s going on?” Nobody answered immediately and the silence itself made my stomach tighten. Maya looked between
JUNEI watched her and for the first time since we walked into the room to confront, she looked uncomfortable and it wasn’t nearly enough to what I was feeling, I wanted her to hurt the way we had but watching her squirm didn’t make the ache disappear, it only made me realize how much I wanted answers.Dante wasn’t finished. “And while you’re thinking about that answer, there’s something else I want to know.” Layla looked at him. “How did you even meet my father?” Her eyes narrowed. “And how did you end up getting pregnant for the man?”Her expression closed immediately. “That’s none of your business.”Dante’s smile disappeared. “It becomes my business when you’re using June’s father as a source of money.”“I’ve already told you.” She looked toward me. “My children will get what the inheritances that they deserve.”My children, the words echoed in my head because I knew she don’t consider me her child, it was only Ares, the boy she had protected and had taken away from us with the one
JUNE“Everyone, leave,” Layla ordered, her voice not loud because honestly, there was no need for it to be. The words landed between us with a cold finality that made Ares shift in his seat, he looked at her then at me then at Dante and for a moment, I wondered if he would say something. His lips parted, but nothing came out, he just pushed himself to his feet and quietly walked toward the door.My eyes followed him, knowing well that my brother was still just a boy… a boy who had spent his entire life being loved by his mother while I had spent mine believing she was dead. The irony tasted bitter.When Ares reached the door, Layla’s eyes moved toward Dante. “You too.”Dante didn’t move but I felt him tense up beside me. “He stays,” I said.Layla’s eyes narrowed. “This is between you and me.”“He stays,” I insisted and Dante’s hand settled against the small of my back.Layla stared at us for several seconds before finally looking away. “Fine.”I swallowed, my palms were now damp and
ENZOI didn’t like it, not one bit, my eyes moved toward the hallway because anyone could be out there from Angelo to one of his men or someone pretending to be harmless. I wanted to go with her but Henry was still inside and unconscious, I couldn’t leave him.Maya seemed to understand exactly what was going through my head so touched my arm and told me, “I’m fine.”I looked at her. “You sure?”She smiled, nodded then she walked out and I watched until she disappeared around the corner. I sat back down beside Henry and waited for five minutes but she wasn’t back, ten, nothing. I checked the door but she wasn’t coming still, another ten minutes passed and I finally got frustrated so I got up. That’s enough.I stepped into the hallway and found another nurse. “Excuse me, do you know where Dr. Maya is?”She pointed toward the end of the hallway. “She had an emergency patient. She’s treating them down there.”I followed her gaze but my heart still wouldn’t settle so I walked toward the en
ENZOI had been staring at Maya for longer than I cared to admit and the problem was that she made it difficult not to.She moved around the hospital room with that same quiet confidence she carried everywhere, checking things, arranging things, reading through whatever was on her clipboard. Her hair was pulled back, a few loose strands framing her face, and every now and then she would push them behind her ear without even thinking about it.I watched her do it again and again until she finally caught me, her eyes lifted from the clipboard and landed directly on mine, I looked away but a few seconds later, I looked again and she caught me again.This time, her eyebrow rose and I smiled. She’s so fucking beautiful. She shook her head and went back to whatever she was doing and I should have stopped but I didn’t.The third time she caught me, she lowered the clipboard completely. “If you don’t stop staring at me, I’m going to kick you out of this room.”I grinned. “It’s not my fault you
JUNEThe first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was Rick.He was asleep on his stomach, one arm stretched across my side of the bed like even in sleep he expected to find me there. Morning light spilled through the curtains, soft gold sliding over his bare shoulders, over the silver strands beginn
DANTE“Send me everything you can find out on what Angelo has been up to lately. I want to know what that fucker plans to do next before he does it.” I whispered to Enzo as he took a seat next to me.He nodded, pouring himself a drink and I lifted a brow.“Are you…”“Listening? Of course, I am boss
JUNEI pushed the front door open slowly and stepped inside the house that had once felt like the safest place in the world. Now it felt unfamiliar and cold, like I was walking through a stranger’s life.The silence pressed against my ears as I dropped my bag beside the couch and stood there starin
JUNEFate had to be mocking me. There was no other explanation for this kind of cruelty.My father had warned me from the very beginning, and somehow that made everything hurt worse.I gripped the steering wheel so tightly my fingers ached while tears blurred the road ahead of me.I could still hea







