Mag-log in~FIORELLA~“You’re staying here.”For a few seconds, I genuinely wonder if I hear him correctly.I stare at Lucas, and he stares back at me.Neither of us moves at first, till I finally blink.My brain seems to need those extra seconds to process the ridiculous sentence that has just come out of his mouth.“Excuse me?” I say, but Lucas doesn't even flinch.“You heard me,” he says.“I think I did, but I’m hoping I didn’t,” I say, and his lips twitch, and that tiny movement immediately irritates me.“What?” I demand.“You’re staying in my room tonight,” he repeats.“You cannot be serious.” I push myself farther back on the bed, staring at him like he has suddenly grown another head. “This is a joke.”“It isn't.”“Then you’ve lost your mind,” I glare at him.“Possibly,” he shrugs, and I narrow my eyes.Lucas looks entirely too calm for someone who has just informed me that I am sleeping in his room….with him.Of all the ridiculous things that have happened since we
~LUCAS~I have seen a lot of things in my life.But nothing…absolutely nothing….has prepared me for this.For Fiorella Vincenzo clinging to me like her life depends on it… because of cockroaches.I stand there for a second after setting her on my bed, staring at the door like if I look long enough, the entire situation will rearrange itself into something that makes sense.It doesn’t.A slow breath leaves me as I drag a hand down my face, my lips pressing together.I turn my head slightly, glancing at her.She’s still curled up on my bed, legs tucked under her, eyes darting toward the floor every few seconds like she expects something to crawl out and attack her.Her hair is slightly messy, her chest still rising and falling unevenly, and…. She's wearing that.I bite down hard on the inside of my cheek.She's wearing a short, silky nightwear that barely covers anything, and she’s completely unaware of how she looks right now.She's completely unaware of how a
~FIORELLA~My scream doesn’t even sound human.It’s loud, sharp, high-pitched…like something inside me just snapped completely.I scramble backward on the bed so fast I nearly trip over myself, my heart pounding so violently it feels like it’s trying to claw its way out of my chest.“Oh my God….oh my God…what the hell is that?!”The cockroach just sits there like it owns the place, and like I’m the intruder.My entire body recoils in disgust, my face twisting as pure horror floods through me. It’s huge…absolutely huge. Its disgusting little legs twitch, and I can swear with my life that he's looking at me.“No. No. No. No.”I shake my head rapidly, backing further away until my legs hit the edge of the bed and I nearly fall off.“This is not happening. This is not happening!”I have never.…never….seen a cockroach up close before.I’ve heard about them, seen pictures, and watched people complain about them.But this? This is a personal attack.The thing sud
~FIORELLA~I don’t think I’ve ever been this aware of my own heartbeat before.It’s loud, too fast, and too embarrassing.I keep my eyes forward, staring at the seat in front of me like it personally offended me, like if I focus hard enough, I can erase the last few minutes from existence.But I can’t.Because I still feel it….his hand on my arm. The warmth of his body pressed against mine.The way my fingers had fisted his shirt like I had every right to hold onto him.God.My stomach flips again, and I swallow hard.What the hell was that?What the hell was wrong with me?I shift slightly in my seat, creating distance….actual, noticeable distance this time. My arm pulls away from his. My thigh moves just enough so we’re no longer touching.I need space, air, and sanity.Because if I stay any closer, I might actually lose my mind.My fingers curl slightly against my lap as I try to steady my breathing.It was just turbulence.That’s all it was.People grab on
~LUCAS~I don’t know when I stopped seeing her as a problem to solve.Or maybe I still see her as a problem to solve.Maybe it started last night… when she stood in front of me, stripped of that sharp, untouchable arrogance she wears like armor, and said she was sorry.Fiorella Vincenzo doesn’t apologize.She fights. She provokes. She wins.But last night… she didn’t.And now, sitting here on this plane with her head resting on my shoulder like it belongs there, I realize something I’m not entirely comfortable with.I let this happen.No… not just let it.I made it easier for her.My jaw tightens slightly as I stare straight ahead, unmoving, hyper-aware of the soft weight of her against me.When her head first tilted, I felt it.That subtle shift. That moment of hesitation where she could have pulled back.She didn’t. And neither did I.Instead, I adjusted. I actually shifted my shoulder just enough to support her better.Why the hell did I do that?My eyes fli
~FIORELLA~The airport is too loud as voices overlap, wheels drag across the polished floor, announcements echo overhead in three different languages, and yet somehow… none of it reaches me.Because I’m aware of only one thing, and that's him.Lucas walks beside me like nothing has changed.Like last night didn’t happen. Like I didn’t stand in front of him and unravel in ways I still don’t understand.“Good morning, Fiorella,” he had said earlier.“Good morning, Lucas,” I replied.“How was your night?” he asks.“It was fine,” I reply. “And yours??”“It was fine.”And that was it….that was all.Now we’re here….walking side by side, boarding passes in hand, heading toward the same destination.We're going to Albania….a new country, a new case, and a fresh start.At least… that’s what I told myself.But right now? It doesn’t feel like a fresh start.It feels like something unresolved… stretched thin between us.We board the plane in silence and we walk to our seats
~ELENA~“Help!” I cry out in tears. “Somebody please help!”The sound of my own voice echoes back to me, useless.A man slams the door shut. The engine roars.And just like that, they’re gone.Two of my daughters.Gone.I crawl after them, knees scraping against metal and s
~ELENA~“Get the babies now!”Something in my tone snaps them into motion. Valentina reaches for one baby. Gianna scoops up another. I clutch the third to my chest, heart racing.Vincenzo appears instantly. “What is it?”“I don’t know,” I whisper. “But something’s wrong.”He stu
~ELENA~“My daughter belongs to all of them,” I announce.Laughter breaks out—low, cruel, disbelieving.“Daughters?” one of them repeats. “You expect us to believe three men fathered three identical children?”“Yes,” I reply boldly.Outrage erupts.“That’s perversion!”“Th
~ELENA~I know something is wrong the moment they come back into my room after taking Fiorella and Marcella to the nursery.Not because they say anything.But because the house feels… heavier.Vincenzo closes the door behind them carefully, like the walls might be listening







