Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 201 - Chapitre 207

OLIVIAMy car was shattered beyond repair.Bloodstains covered my outfit. My skin burned where his nails had dug in, each movement sending sharp pain through my arm.I didn’t stay long enough to think.I staggered out of that house, left the body where it fell, and forced myself to keep moving until I found a taxi.I’d never been more frightened in my life. And I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that I’d been attacked by Donatello’s men.I shot him almost three years ago. I’d pulled seven bullets into him and watched him fall to the ground—dead.Why was I still being targeted? Attacked? Followed? Realization sank into my mind… They had waited for me to get back to Willow Creek.Just to kill me.My head rested against the car seat as the driver drove to my new apartment. I needed protection—and Matteo was all I had.Staring at my fingers, they hadn’t stopped trembling. I kept replaying the moment I pulled the trigger.Cold sweat broke out on my forehead, and I just needed to get

AXEL SALVATORE ROSSI.The moment the lights came on, Olivia froze. Her heels slipped from her fingers and hit the floor with a soft thud. She stood there, staring at me like she couldn’t decide if I was real or another effect of the alcohol clouding her head.I could smell the strong stench of alcohol on her, and noticed how hazy her eyes looked.Then my eyes finally dragged over her properly, seeing the bloodstain and bruises that made my stomach churn. I’d imagined finding Olivia a thousand different ways, but none of them ended with blood on her dress.Her mascara was smeared beneath red, exhausted eyes, and strands of her tangled hair clung messily against her damp skin. The short dress she wore exposed the angry marks around her arms. Her smooth thighs were smeared with mud and it left something violent twisting inside my chest.I’d spent the last few hours imagining where she was.Who she was with.Whether she was safe.But seeing her like this?It was worse than anything my

OLIVIAI woke up the next morning feeling like my head was going to split into two. It took more than five minutes to sit upright. The windows were already open, and rays of sunlight peered into the room, threatening to make me go blind.Everything that occurred last night felt like a dream. I caught a whiff of his scent, and my stomach churned. My eyes glanced around the space, searching for something… anything that could make me believe he was there.I recalled Axel storming out after a heated argument. Something sharp tore through my body, reminding me also that I’d been attacked and bruised.My fingers raked through my tangled hair. My body felt weak like I’d been beaten with something heavy. Getting out of bed was like a difficult task. I had to hold several things to keep my balance as I walked to the bathroom.Ten minutes later, and I was done washing up. I wrapped my towel around my body, wincing at the slightest bit of pain. My right foot was wounded, and I kept leaping.N

OLIVIAI didn’t go back to my apartment.I went to Axel’s room, sobbed next to him on the hospital bed, and drifted off to sleep afterward.By the time I woke up, it was already evening. He still wasn’t awake. My eyes were throbbing, and I felt a sharp sting in them.The door opened, and a nurse walked in. I turned to face her, my stomach churning.“Ma’am?” She called softly. “There are other people outside who want to see the patient. We weren’t sure if you’d want them to come in.”I stared at her confusingly.“People?” I thought it was only Rosa. She was the only one I was expecting.The nurse nodded.I glanced back at Axel, squeezed his cold hand gently, and darted my attention back to the nurse.“I’ll be out soon.”She gave a subtle nod and turned around to leave. I felt the tears forming again in my eyes. One would think I would stop after crying for hours. But I didn’t.The tears never stopped flowing. And I wasn’t aware of how alone I was until I saw Axel in this condition.I