LOGIN~MARCELLA~I don’t even hesitate.I start unbuttoning my shirt slowly and deliberately.One button…Two…And just like I expected….“Jesus—!”Lucas shuts his eyes so fast it’s almost impressive.I burst out laughing.Not just a small laugh, no…I laugh hard. Full-on, uncontrollable laughter, clutching my stomach as I bend forward slightly.“You didn’t even try!” I gasp between laughs. “Lucas, you didn’t even last two seconds!”“I told you not to….!” he snaps, eyes still tightly shut. “Marcella, what is wrong with you?!”“Oh my God,” I laugh again, shaking my head. “You’re actually unbelievable.”I step closer, and he stiffens immediately.“Open your eyes,” I tease, circling him slowly. “Come on… just a peek.”“No.”“Lucas… Come on…Don't you want to see how sexy I look?” I tease him seductively.“No,” he says firmly.I grin wider. “You’re scared.”“I’m not scared,” he protest.“Then open your eyes,” I tell him softly.“I said no,” he insists.I lean in slightl
~LUCAS~Marcella is already looking at my body.Not just looking, but admiring too.Like I’m some kind of exhibit in a museum she paid full attention to.“Lucas…” she says softly, almost like she’s tasting my name.I freeze.“What?” I ask cautiously.She stands up slowly and starts walking toward me with no hesitation and no shame…just confidence.For some minutes, I contemplated running back into the bathroom and locking myself inside.Her eyes don’t leave my body.“This…” she gestures vaguely at me, “…is unfair.”I blink.“Unfair?” I repeat.She stops right in front of me, her gaze dropping again….this time more openly.“Do you even know how well built you are?” she asks.My brain glitches.“I—what?”“You…” she exhales, almost like she’s impressed. “You’ve been hiding all this under your clothes?”I choke.“I’m not hiding anything!”“Oh, you are,” she counters immediately, standing up slowly. “This is very much hidden treasure behavior.”“What does that even m
~LUCAS~The bathroom door closes behind me, and I lean against it for a second.I don’t know how long I stand there with my forehead pressed against the door.Five seconds? Ten?Maybe a full minute.All I know is… I’m rethinking every decision that led me here.Every. Single. One.“Focus,” I mutter to myself, pushing away from the door. “It’s just a bath. A normal bath. People take baths every day. You’ve done this your whole life.”Yeah.Just not with Marcella waiting outside like a villain in a psychological thriller.I turn on the shower.The water comes out warm instantly—of course it does, because apparently even the water in this house is rich.The sound of the water hitting the tiles echoes softly, filling the space, but somehow it doesn’t calm me. If anything, it makes everything feel more intense… more real. Like I’m counting down to something I can’t escape.I step in, trying to ignore everything she just said.Trying, but failing terribly.Because n
~LUCAS~I don’t think I’ve ever felt anything like this before.Not the laughter. Not the noise. Not even the chaos that filled the house just a few minutes ago.No… it’s what came after.The silence.The kind that settles in slowly, wrapping around you, pressing into your chest until you become aware of every little thing… every breath, every heartbeat… every feeling.And right now?All I can feel… is her.Marcella.She’s standing just a few steps away from me, but it feels like she’s everywhere. In the air. In my head. Under my skin.“So…” I say, rubbing the back of my neck, trying to act like my brain isn’t completely scrambled right now. “What’s next?”Smooth, Lucas. Real smooth.She swallows slightly before answering, trying to sound normal… but I can hear it. That tiny shift in her voice.“You need to take your bath,” she says.I nod quickly. “Yeah. Yeah, that makes sense.”Then it hits me….. reality, clothes, and toiletries.Everything I don’t have.“Y
~MARCELLA~This game of Truth or dare is going to be fun.“Next!” Stephanie says quickly, clearly trying to recover. “Lucas!”“Is it my turn now?” He asks.“Yes, pick someone,” Stephanie says.I watch Lucas grins slowly.Oh no! He must be up to something.“Jason,” he says, turning his head. “You're up.”Jason sighs. “Of course I am.”Lucas raises a brow. “Truth or dare?”“Dare,” Jason says immediately.“I dare you…” Lucas pauses, clearly enjoying this, “…to dance seductively. Like a lady.”There's silence, and then….we all burst into laughter.“You’re joking,” Jason deadpans.“Nope,” Lucas says, completely serious.Stephanie is already clapping. “YES! DO IT!”Derrick is practically falling over laughing.Jason stares at all of us like he’s reconsidering his life choices…Then sighs.“Fine,” he says and stands up.And what follows?Is the most ridiculous, over-the-top, dramatic attempt at a “seductive” dance I have ever seen in my life.He starts swaying his hip
~MARCELLA~The rest of the day unfolds like a dream I don’t want to wake up from.Laughter keeps spilling into every corner of the house, warm and alive, mixing with the music that refuses to die down. Plates clink, glasses touch, voices overlap, and for once… everything feels full. Not chaotic….just full.Full of life.Full of him.I watch Lucas as he moves around the room, slower than before but stronger than he was just days ago. And each time he smiles… God, each time he smiles, something inside me settles.There was a moment…..small, almost unnoticeable, when he pauses near the wall, one hand pressing lightly against his side. His smile flickers… just for a second from pain still there, and not completely gone.My chest tightens immediately. I almost stand up… almost rush to him… but then he straightens, catches someone’s joke, and laughs again like nothing happened.And it hits me….how hard he’s trying to be strong.For us.For me. I swallow thickly, my fingers curling agai
~MARCELLA~My bedroom door suddenly swings open. I spin around so fast my head nearly explodes.And there she is.Stephanie.Standing in the doorway like she owns the place, holding a glass of water in one hand and a small bottle of pills in the other.“Good morning, slee
~MARCELLA~I didn't hear from Lucas after I sent out the gifts. I waited and waited, but still nothing.I am tempted to call him, but it takes every ounce of strength in me not to ask around for his number after realizing I don't even have his number.Yes, I admit that I want
~ELENA~My legs feel like they're made of air as I climb the stairs and walk down the hallway.Each step is shaky, as if the floor might fall out beneath me at any second.I don't glance back at the door I just left behind.Because I know what I'll see.Him.Still standing t
~ELENA~“You're a princess, my princess to be precise, and need to be treated as one” Riccardo says.I blink twice.Coming from Riccardo??Woww.What is up with these brothers??“Ummm…” I stammer, seeking for an escape. “Let me just take the plates to the sink. I need to k







