ERICAI heard the bedroom door open and close as Antonio entered but I remained still, managing to keep my breathing steady and calm despite my chaotic emotions as I felt him come closer. I might’ve not created a scene but I was hurt, my heart ached at the fact that I was unaware of such a big part of his life. All this time he never thought to mention his daughter to me, not even once when things started to change between us. And besides all this, the way Gianna reacted to my presence and talked about me in front of me, it felt like I was the bad guy in this whole scenario. Like I was some kind of evil woman who wanted to take her mother’s place and had come into her home to take her father away from her. I would never do that. I didn’t want to be a reason for their arguments but I also didn’t want to be in the darkness anymore. Antonio said that he had never loved anyone, that there was no woman before me but he didn’t answer when I asked if he loved Gianna’s mother. Somewhere in

ANTONIOAs I woke up, I already knew that she wasn’t there. It was the reason I woke up, my arms felt empty and her comforting presence wasn’t there. It was amazing how fûcking needy I had become of her, my obsession with her was starting to scare even me now. I turned to look at the bathroom but didn’t see or hear her from inside it. I slipped out of the bed and a glance around the room confirmed that she wasn’t in the bedroom either so I made my way out of the bedroom. As I left the bedroom my mind went back to the little conversation I had with Father Powell. He hadn’t said anything when he had performed the ceremony but he had stopped me before I left the church. —“Antonio, a word.” I nodded and went to him. He gestured me to sit down and when I did, he took a chair beside me. We faced the front of the church and sat there in silence. It was after long minutes that he said, “Your wife,” Those two words settled deep

ERICAIt’s been two days since that night in his study. Since he revealed all the secrets and the pain he was hiding. Since the night when both of us came so close to confessing our feelings in those three words that mattered. We almost said everything except those three words. And yet the confession didn’t help with the situation we were in. I almost wished that I was still living in the dark without knowing why he hated Gabriel, at least then I was happy with his arms around me and my heart filled with all the warm emotions that were now so chaotic with dread and the hint of loss that came with every second, minute and hour we didn’t talk or touch each other. Yes. Two days. And Antonio hadn’t touched me. Two days, since we had a proper conversation. Maybe it was because we both didn’t know what to say to each other now everything was in the open. Now, we were like a couple in an estranged marriage. He wakes up in the morning and leaves like he couldn’t breathe in the castle. I wake

ERICA The shot rang out in the small room and my fingers flexed around the gun I was holding. Antonio wrapped his arms around me from behind and I leaned back into him. My heart was racing from the adrenaline of taking someone’s life. Especially one of those dark shadows that had given me nightmares. And despite our unresolved argument, I was thankful to Antonio for making this happen, for bringing my demons here so I could kill them with my own hands. I blamed the adrenaline and the gratitude, but not my heart who missed Antonio like crazy, when I tilted my head back and let him claim my lips in a deep hungry kiss. For a moment, in this torture chamber with a bloody corpse a few feet away from us, I forgot everything but my need for this man. With a deep grumble that vibrated through my whole body and settled between my legs, Antonio pushed me against the closed door of the room and said, “I want to taste you. I promised to fuck you, today I want to do it with my tongue.” I nodded

ERICA“Excuse me,” I murmured as I stood up from the table. Antonio grabbed my hand, stopping me before I could leave. “Where are you going?”Our earlier conversation hadn’t ended well and the strain of it had followed us downstairs to where we joined Gianna and Ephraim for the late lunch. I met his eyes, saw the distrust in them and swallowed against the tight knot in my throat. “You didn’t ask your daughter where she was going when she excused herself.” I said to him, jerking my hand free as I glared at him, trying to hide my hurt. We were really backtracking to the time from where it all started.He sighed, his fingers raking through his hair. And in his eyes, I saw that he really didn’t trust me at the moment. He thought I was going to try to escape. And I wish I was, but before that I’d try everything and first was to talk to Gabriel. “I am going to the restroom.” I had drunk three glasses of red wine and it was catching up to me. “You can send your men if you want, go back to b