Unveiling shadows

The night air clung to my skin, cold and unforgiving, as I stormed away from the ballroom. My heels clicked against the pavement, a steady rhythm that did nothing to drown out the chaotic drumming of my heart.

Alessandro’s touch still burned on my waist — a ghostly imprint I couldn’t shake — but I walked faster, as though distance alone could sever the invisible thread between us.

I didn’t stop until I reached the small café two blocks down. It was almost empty, save for a couple whispering in the corner and the bored-looking barista wiping down the counter. The neon sign flickered — Java Haven — casting an unsteady glow over the worn-out chairs.

Sliding into a booth by the window, I pressed my palms against my face and exhaled.

“What the hell just happened?” I muttered under my breath.

I left him. Mid-dance. Mid-sentence.

I should’ve felt powerful. Like the heroine of my own story — bold, untouchable.

But instead, my mind was a mess of dark eyes and rough hands, of lips too close to my ear and a voice too smooth to be safe.

I pulled out my phone and texted the only person who could untangle this madness.

Me: Emergency. Get your ass here now.

Less than five minutes later, a familiar voice pierced the silence.

“Tell me you didn’t kill someone. Again.”

I looked up to see Ariana striding in, her oversized coat flaring behind her like a cape. She tossed her honey-blonde hair over her shoulder and slid into the booth across from me, eyes sparkling with mischief.

“Very funny,” I deadpanned.

“Seriously, Sienna,” she said, eyeing me up and down. “You look like you’ve either just escaped a serial killer or had the best one-night stand of your life. There’s no in-between.”

I let out a tired laugh. “More like the first one.”

Her brows shot up. “So, who’s the guy?”

I hesitated, my fingers tracing the rim of my coffee cup. “Alessandro De Luca.”

Silence. Then—

Ariana burst into laughter so loud the barista shot us a dirty look.

“Alessandro De Luca? The Alessandro De Luca?” She gasped between giggles. “Sienna, honey, you need to get laid. Badly.”

My face burned. “I’m serious.”

“Yeah, and I’m Jennifer Lopez.” She wiped a tear from her eye. “You think you met a dark, brooding, Italian mafia boss at some fancy gala, and he just… what? Swept you off your feet and whispered sweet nothings in your ear?”

I opened my mouth, then closed it.

That was exactly what happened.

Ariana leaned forward, still smirking. “Let me guess — he had dark hair, a five o’clock shadow, and a suit so sharp it could cut glass?”

I stared at her.

Her grin widened. “Oh my God, Sienna. You’re so sex-deprived, you’re hallucinating mafia men now.”

I groaned, slumping in my seat. “I’m not hallucinating.”

Ariana patted my hand like I was a fragile little doll. “Sweetie, I get it. It’s been, what, a year since your last relationship?”

“Eighteen months,” I muttered.

She blinked. “Jesus. No wonder you’re dreaming up hot criminals.”

I shot her a glare. “He was real, Ariana. And he… he knew me.”

The humor slowly drained from her face. “Knew you?”

I nodded. “He said my name. Sienna Monroe. Like he’s known me for years.”

Her brows knit together, her playful teasing giving way to a more serious expression. “And you’re sure you’ve never met him before or told him your name?

“No. Never.” I couldn't tell her I forgot to add that tiny little detail of me telling him by name

Ariana studied me for a long moment, then sighed. “Well, that’s creepy. Sexy, but creepy.”

I laughed softly, shaking my head. “That’s the problem. He’s both.”

The words hung between us for a beat too long.

Because what I didn’t tell Ariana — what I couldn’t tell her — was how my mind wasn’t racing because of fear.

It was racing because of desire.

A dark, raw kind of want I didn’t recognize.

Alessandro wasn’t just another man — he was the first one to ever make me wonder what it would feel like to lose control.

To surrender.

The thought hit me like a punch.

I’d spent years building walls, shaping myself into a woman of steel — the girl who clawed her way into law school, who worked twice as hard, who never let anyone see her break.

All because of one night.

I was ten years old, peering down the staircase of our family home. The air smelled of whiskey and smoke, and the faint sound of a TV buzzed from the living room.

My mother sat on the floor, knees drawn to her chest, her cheek an ugly shade of purple.

And my father — a man I no longer recognized — loomed over her, his voice a low, menacing growl.

I remember wanting to scream. To run down those stairs and fight him with my small, trembling fists.

But I didn’t.

I stayed frozen, silent, watching as my mother flinched at the sound of his belt sliding through the loops of his jeans.

The next day, she wore sunglasses to the grocery store and smiled at the neighbors like nothing happened.

That’s when I realized something.

Justice wasn’t a given — it was a privilege.

And if I ever wanted to protect the people I loved, I couldn’t rely on the law. I had to be the law.

That night shaped me. It carved out the person I became — cold, relentless, driven.

Passion? Romance? Those were distractions — useless things that only ever led to pain.

Until now.

Because when Alessandro’s hand had gripped my waist…

When his dark gaze had pinned me in place…

I hadn’t thought about courtrooms or justice.

I’d thought about what it would feel like to be tied to his bed — to have him strip me of the control I’d clung to for so long and turn me into something raw, something wild.

His.

I clenched my jaw, swallowing hard.

That wasn’t me. It couldn’t be me.

But the fantasy still burned, a cruel reminder that for the first time in my life, I wasn’t just running from a man.

I was running from the part of me that wanted to be caught.

Ariana’s voice pulled me back.

“You’re thinking about it again, aren’t you?” she said softly.

I nodded. “Yeah.”

She reached across the table, squeezing my hand. “Sienna.”

I swallowed hard. “I know.”

But as Alessandro’s smoldering gaze flashed behind my eyelids, I wasn’t so sure if I wanted to keep running