All Chapters of Twisted vows : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Alessia's POV The glass doors of Romanov Industries slid open with a whisper, and I stepped inside as if I belonged. As if my mind wasn't unraveling thread by thread. The marble beneath my feet gleamed like it had no idea the world could fracture overnight, that a ghost from the past could slip into the present and stain it with questions. I clothed my armor nicely—power suit sharp, heels firm, face expressionless. But inside, I was disintegrating. The ascent in the elevator had been quiet, save for the soft thrum of machinery and the muffled boom of my heart within my ribcage. My reflection in the mirrored walls was sleek, poised. But I wasn't. Last night's revelations hadn't rattled me just—had uncovered cracks deep into the center of everything that I'd thought I'd known. Matteo. Elena. Nikolai. I arrived at the boardroom a few minutes early, catching the eye of the men already seated. A few nodded in polite greeting, some smiled warmly. Daniel smiled encouragingly from his po

Alessia's POV The room was chill—chillier than it had any business being, as if the air itself had been frozen in time. Dust shrouded everything in the secret room behind the bookshelf, but what made me uneasy wasn't the silence. It was the feeling that this room had been waiting for me. One overhead light came to life as I switched it on. My breath was caught in my throat. There were boxes—marked and unmarked. Folders stacked high as a mountain. I moved to a little side table cluttered with personal effects—her old watch, a notebook, and a crumpled photograph. My heart jumped. It was a picture of one of our family reunions, years before. But my eyes caught something out of the ordinary. In the background, partly concealed, stood a fuzzy figure. My fingers curled up. Matteo. My supposedly dead ex. In the backdrop of a family gathering I could not recall ever seeing him at. He had not been my man back them. So why had he come? I shivered. My phone quivered with indignation in m

Alessia's POV.The atmosphere was thick with tension as I stepped outside into the night, letting the door swing shut behind me. My brain was in a whirl, so it felt like I couldn't breathe. But I knew where I was headed. Now that I was stepping out of there, there was no turning back.The deafening silence of the night was broken by the shaft of light from my headlights as I drove through the streets. I had no business being out driving at night—my heart was still sore from the betrayal. None of it mattered, though. Not when the details I had been searching for were under the same roof as the person who could be behind all this drama and secrets, and Nikolai Volkov, the genius of the drama and secrets.I walked up to the De Luca mansion—my childhood home—and it didn't sit well with me. Familiar and warped, like a warped dollhouse. I didn't see it fit to ring the bell. I had my old key.The door creaked as I pushed it open, the silence greeting me like a specter. I entered the darkened

Chapter 18: The Shadow Between UsNikolai’s POVThe night felt sharp.I could almost feel its teeth digging into my skin as I leaned against my car, parked just down the hill from the De Luca estate. Most of the lights were off inside, but I knew she was there. I’d followed her, not because I didn’t trust her, but because the place she’d walked into gave me a bad vibe.Watching her step inside felt like watching a lamb walk into a den of wolves.I wasn’t there to interfere. I just needed to know where her journey would take her. Would she come out stronger or would she be broken?Here I was in the dark, surrounded by the smell of diesel and silence, watching the woman I loved piece together a puzzle that was way more dangerous than she realized.I hoped she’d gotten the photo I sent. Yeah, it was a risky move, but it couldn’t wait. I didn’t sign it, though—I couldn’t just yet.She deserved the truth, but I wasn’t sure she was ready for all of it. Because the truth? It had blood on it.

Alessia’s POVI couldn’t sleep at all.Even after locking every door, checking the windows twice, and hiding the USB in a drawer I could see from my bed, my eyes just wouldn’t close.It wasn’t fear that kept me awake.It was anger.Angry that my dad could plan something so sinister.Angry that my mom was hiding behind her silence.Angry that someone out there—maybe even watching me—knew where that boy was and didn’t care if he vanished forever.By morning, I felt all tense and sore. I made myself some strong espresso and looked at that photo again.The kid had Elena’s eyes.Big. Searching. So full of a sadness no kid should have to carry.I traced the date with my thumb. April 12, 2020. Palermo.That was two years before Elena passed away.Two years before I married the guy who haunted my mind, even when I wanted to hate him.I needed real answers. No more breadcrumbs, no riddles, and definitely no more secrets.So, I called the one person who could actually help me.“Good morning, si