All Chapters of The Shadows We Keep : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

It was winter break. I could still remember the first drop of snow had settled down on my window pane as I sat and watched. Snow didn't fall much here in Miami, and when it did, it was never for long. Christmas was more beautiful in New York, more lively. I should have stayed back with Jasmine instead of coming here. But what choice did I have, especially after my mother had cried her eyes out over the phone the night before I got here. She was always so good with emotional blackmail."Oh come on, you can't tell me that you're upset about being in your big ass mansion, with a whole bunch of food,and a complete family to spend your Christmas with?" Jasmine said over the phone, I had face timed her the moment I unpacked all my stuff."Don't get me wrong, I'm not being ungrateful, I'm just saying I would rather spend Christmas with you. I hate the fact you're all alone in the apartment on Christmas day." Jasmine was supposed to head home to meet her family in Scotland, but then there wa

A man dressed in all black, with a thick long coat, and a black mask, walked into the living room. "This was almost too easy." He continued, standing in front of my father. "I mean I guess I can call it easy when I've been planning it for 12 years." "You fucking bastard! How dare you come to my home, guns blazing?!" My father rasped, trying to hold on a face of bravery, but his face was so pale, he looked like he'd fall unconscious any second. "Always such an aggressive animal." The man replied. "You'd think that a man like you would be lonely and miserable, maybe that way I'd understand why it was so easy to be the unforgiving cold devil that you are."My father grinned. "So that's what this is? Now this is exactly why I never leave any survivors. Bastards like you always have a way of coming back to bite me in the ass."The man didn't hesitate to punch my father in the face, sending him falling to the ground in fits of bloddy coughs. He stretched out his hands to one of the men w

He came again. More times than I could count, and everytime he did, he always brought some kind of token. Flowers, junk food the hospital would never allow. It was almost like he was baiting me, trying to get me to lower my guard, trying to get me to trust him. But I couldn't, not him, not anyone, not ever.He never stayed too long either, thirty minutes at most. It was enough for me to get info that he let me gain. His name was Matteo Morandi, didn't sound like a name I've heard before, but I was never good with remembering. He owned properties, car stores, and my father had been an acquaintance with his father. He had lent him some money once when his business was going under. Since Matteo's father died, he placed it upon himself to pay my father back. He was a mysterious man, who kept things about himself vague."Why did you save me?" I asked. I didn't know how long it has been since I was here, and I didn't care either. I felt hollow, empty…"You keep asking me a question that I

Matteo's povWhat the fuck was I doing? Saving the daughter of Gabriel Russo, faking her death, and then taking her with me to my home in Los Angeles. All of these are like ingredients to a disaster that was going to blow up in my face in the future. I looked over at her, and saw she was already sound asleep. Her brows were furrowed together as if she was having a bad nightmare. I'm not surprised, because things like what happened to her, stays in your mind forever. There was no fixing it. My eyes trailed to the burn scars on her neck, and I felt the ripple of rage run through me. The time spent with Gabriella, made me realize she wasn't a bad person, she was the direct opposite of Gabriel, but yet she still had to suffer for his sins. "Great." I muttered as I looked away. "You had one mission, Matteo, but instead you had to save the girl."I leaned back in my seat, and sighed. I was already too deep in this to turn back now. Gabriella stirred, her eyes fluttering open. She looked

Matteo's povI couldn't believe she tried to escape, couldn't believe she even hurt herself in the process. She felt so light in my arms. and I couldn't help but notice how fragile she seemed. Her cheeks looked hollow, and her skin was pale. "When Gretta told me you were skipping meals, I didn't think you'd actually loose this much weight in a short period of time."She looked away from me, her brows furrowed in the defiance. "Where did you go to?" As I walked into the house, Gretta's eyes widened as she noticed who was in my arms. "Sir, I swear…I…I don't…""You're dismissed for the night, Gretta." I said, my tone sharp. "I'm sorry sir." She said quietly, before scurrying off. I knew it wasn't her fault that Gabriella hurt herself, but it was her silence that caused her to make this decision. I wasn't even supposed to be back this early. But then she had called last night complaining about Gabriella's refusal to eat and how worried she was. Looking down at the fragile woman in my