LOGIN~FIORELLA~I barely sleep after I lie on my bed when I'm done taking my bath, and changing into my nightwear.And it's not because I'm nervous about the presentation.At least, that's what I keep telling myself.But every time I close my eyes, my mind drifts back to Lucas, to the way he looked at me when we finished practicing, to the warmth in his voice when he told me WE were ready.That word shouldn't have stayed in my head for as long as it did. But it did.And when I finally wake up, sunlight is already slipping through the curtains of my hotel room.I lie there for a few seconds, staring at the ceiling.Today is the presentation. Today is also the last day of our time in Albania.By tonight, we'll be on a flight to Scotland.Everything suddenly feels like it's moving too quickly.I sit up and drag a hand through my hair."Focus, Fiorella."Presentation first, then feelings later.I force myself out of the bed and walk into the bathroom to brush my teeth an
~LUCAS~I don't even realize that I'm staring at Fiorella, completely lost in thought…until I hear her voice.And from the look on her face, I can tell she's been trying to get my attention.“Welcome back to earth,” she says, flicking her fingers when she finally gets my attention.“What?” I blink."What?" she asks. “Are you really asking that?’I blink again. "Yes, what?""You're staring again,” she says, and I quickly look at the screen.“Don't even try to deny it because you're really terrible at lying,” she adds."So I've been told,” I reply.She shakes her head, smiling. And I smile too.This is becoming dangerously easy…. talking to her, laughing with her, being around her.I glance at the clock, and it's almost midnight.Neither of us seems to have noticed how late it has become.Fiorella stretches her arms above her head and lets out a quiet sigh."We're almost done." She looks at the presentation."Almost."Then we decide to practice after we're finall
~LUCAS~I don't know what happened to the woman sitting across from me.Or maybe that's not entirely true….maybe I know exactly what happened.Fiorella loosened up.Somewhere between the arguments, the endless competition, the sarcastic comments, the trying to prove a point, the woman I've spent weeks believing I had figured out has somehow become someone I don't recognize.And somehow, I like this version of her much more…. far more than I should.She is still sitting across from me, her tablet resting on her lap, her attention supposedly focused on the presentation.Supposedly….because every few seconds, I catch her looking at me.And every time she does, something strange happens inside my chest.A small, stupid flutter.I should probably be concerned.Instead, I find myself wanting her to look again.I lower my eyes to the tablet in front of me, pretending to review the next section of our presentation.I don't read a single word because my mind is somewhe
~FIORELLA~“Did you like what you saw?” Lucas asks teasingly. “Would you like to see more??”My jaw drops in disbelief. “Excuse me?”“I'm asking a simple question,” he smirks at me.“You are unbelievably naughty.” I lightly smack his chest, and he laughs.“Was that a yes?” He teases me. “No!” I reply abruptly, and he laughs again.I try to push him away, but he barely moves.“Lucas! You're impossible.”“And you're blushing,” he replies.“I am not.”“You are,” he insists, and leans closer, his eyes sparkling with amusement. “You look cute and adorable when you're shy.”My cheeks somehow become even hotter.“Stop saying things like that.”“Why?” he asks.“Because…” I struggle for an answer. “Because I said so.”He chuckles, then finally steps away.“Give me five minutes.”He disappears into the bathroom with his clothes, and I stand against the wall, staring after him.I put both hands over my face.“This man is going to be the death of me.”A few minutes later, L
~FIORELLA~I stand there for another few seconds, my forehead still against the cool wall.Then I lift my head and stare at myself in the mirror.“No more thinking about Lucas.” I point at my reflection. “Absolutely no more.”My reflection doesn't look convinced….neither am I.I sigh and finally turn on the shower.The sound of rushing water fills the bathroom almost immediately, drowning out the thoughts that have been chasing me around for what feels like hours.I step beneath the warm spray and close my eyes.For the first time since leaving Lucas's room, I allow myself to breathe properly.The water runs over my hair, my face, my shoulders, and slowly, wonderfully, my body begins to relax.I wash my hair twice, taking my time. Then I lather my body with the hotel's scented shower gel, deliberately focusing on the simple things….the warmth of the water, the clean scent, the softness of the towel waiting for me afterward.Anything but Lucas.Unfortunately, my b
~FIORELLA~I run straight to my room, open the door and go in immediately.The moment the door closes behind me, I press my back against it.I close my eyes, and breathe three times."Okay."My voice comes out embarrassingly breathless, and I cover my face.What the hell just happened?What the hell did I just do?What were you thinking, Fiorella??The worst part is that I know exactly what I was thinking.I wasn't. I hadn't been thinking at all.For once in my life, I had simply allowed myself to feel something without analyzing it, fighting it, or trying to win.And that scares me more than I want to admit.Because Lucas isn't supposed to make me feel like this.My breathing is still uneven, my heart is still pounding, and my lips….God.My fingers rise to them instinctively, and the memory of Lucas kissing me flashes through my mind.I immediately drop my hand.“No.”I whisper the word to myself as though that will somehow erase the last several minutes.It
~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







