Sarah’s POVIt had been a week since that night.A week since Adrian stormed into my world one last time.A week since fear seeped so deeply into my bones, it felt like part of me.But strangely, the past seven days had been… quiet.No phone calls.No cryptic letters.No footsteps outside my door that made my chest tighten in panic.Just silence.And in that silence, there was Alessandro.He never left, not for a minute.I hadn’t gone outside since that evening, yet this time, the walls didn’t seem like they were tightening around me. They didn’t seem like a trapThey felt warm.Soft.Like protection, not confinement.Because Alessandro made them feel that way.He was just… there.Helping me breathe when I forgot how. Making sure I ate, slept, and took one small step at a time.When I pushed the plate away or turned my face from the pillow, he didn’t press. He simply stayed, patient, quiet, waiting, like he had all the time in the world.And when the nightmares came, because they alw
Alessandro’s POVThe confession.The words.The filth.I played the recording back as I stood in the silence of my car, the engine humming low beneath me."She moaned beneath me… I couldn’t stop… I don’t regret it… she belongs to me… Gabriel is mine.”His voice. His depravity. His lack of remorse.I wasn’t just going to destroy Adrian privately. No.I was going to obliterate him publicly.I forwarded the recording to my lawyer.His instructions were clear: build the case, leak the right parts to the right people when I say, and ensure Adrian Rossi’s name rots before he even reaches the courtroom.Public disgrace.Professional exile.Legal damnation.But that would take time.And I wasn’t a patient man.I returned to the estate that night, my fury cold and sharpened now, no longer chaotic.I walked into the basement, Riccardo trailing behind me.“Bring the tools,” I said quietly.Riccardo paused. He knew. He simply nodded and left.Adrian, still chained, still bleeding, smirked when he
Alessandro’s POVDinner passed in quiet waves. I sat with Sarah and Ester, their voices low, carefully skimming around the night’s unspoken weight. Gabriel gushed joyfully between bites of mashed veggies, his purity undisturbed by the chaos unfolding around him.I made sure Sarah ate. I made sure she smiled, even if only for a heartbeat. I sat close enough that she could feel I wasn’t going anywhere.But my mind…It wasn’t at that table.Not really.I apologised and left after dinner, informing Sarah that I needed to complete some tasks. She nodded, a flash of concern passing through her gaze, yet she held back from inquiring furtherNot yet.I wasn’t heading to an office.I was going to the estate.The place where I kept him.The place no one but my men knew about.The place where Adrian Rossi had been rotting since the night I ripped him out of Sarah’s life.When I arrived, Riccardo greeted me with a nod.“No food, as instructed. He’s been asking for water.”“Give him just enough to
Alessandro’s POVI didn’t leave Sarah’s side until I was certain she was asleep, her breathing deep and steady, her body finally surrendering to rest. I stayed long enough to memorise the way peace slowly crept back into her face. It wasn’t full peace, not yet. But it was enough for now.I quietly exited the room, checked that Gabriel was still asleep in his crib, and grabbed my phone. My fingers moved confidently as I dialled.“Riccardo,” I said as soon as the call connected. “I need two men stationed full-time at Sarah’s building. Rotating shifts, 24/7. I want them visible, but I also want another man in plain clothes inside the building at all times. Discreet. Report directly to me.”“Yes, sir,” Riccardo replied instantly.“And send someone trustworthy as house staff. Sarah shouldn’t have to lift a finger right now. And Gabriel, he needs to be cared for when she’s resting.”“Consider it done.”I hung up. There was no room for mistakes. No delays.Adrian had crossed the last line.I
Sarah’s POVAlessandro didn’t speak much after that.He simply embraced me until my cries diminished, until the shaking in my hands became calm enough to control. Then, as if he realised I couldn’t support myself through the following steps, he softly stood and assisted me to my feet, his hands stabilising me as if I were delicate.“Come,” he murmured gently, his fingers delicate as he led me to the bathtub. He examined the water, it was warm but not boiling, the way I always liked. He eased me down into it like I was something sacred, something fragile, lowering me with care until the water cradled me.He rolled his sleeves up, never rushing, never making me feel hurried or observed. Just present.Just here.His hands glided through my hair gently, as if calming a scared creature, patiently separating the strands. He cascaded warm water over my head repeatedly, as if he could wash away the burden from me. His fingers brushed along my shoulders, my arms, my back, never hurried, never
Sarah’s POVThe Morning AfterI didn’t really sleep.She spoke hardly at all, just sat beside me, her arms encircling my shoulders while I shook incessantly. She gently whispered kind phrases into my hair, like “you’re protected now” and “he can’t hurt you any longer.”But those words… they seemed like tissue paper attempting to contain a deluge. The morning arrived gradually.The dim light filtered into the edges of the apartment, gently touching walls that had borne too much. The sole noise came from Gabriel softly murmuring in his crib. That soft, innocent sound somehow reached through the fog in my chest.He was the reason I moved.It was almost eight when someone knocked. Ester unlocked the door, and I caught Alessandro’s voice, deep, calm, and known. The type of voice that made everything seem a bit more stable, as if the world wasn’t entirely crumbling. Upon entering, he didn’t inquire about my well-being. There was no need for him to do so.“Ester,” he spoke gently, “You need