All Chapters of TO LOVE A MONSTER : Chapter 21 - Chapter 26

The wedding morning arrived like something out of a dream, too soft, too bright, too perfect.The De Luca estate was dressed in white and gold. Rows of orchids lined the garden archway. Musicians tuned their strings behind velvet drapes. Staff moved gracefully , every tray, flower, and fold of linen placed with military precision. Doves, actual doves, cooed softly from their gilded cages, waiting to be released at the end of the ceremony.It was everything Isabella had asked for, understated by Montayo standards, extravagant by anyone else’s.Rafael stood in the second floor guest room overlooking the gardens, watching the final touches go into place. His reflection stared back at him from the window, sharp black suit, white collar, the Montayo crest pinned to his lapel.He looked perfect.He felt like he was dying.A quiet knock pulled him from his thoughts. He turned, expecting a servant, maybe Isabella. But it was Nico, stepping in with his tie still undone and a subtle crease in h

The car was too quiet.Rafael gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles white where skin met bone, the leather cold under his fingers despite the warmth still clinging to his suit. The engine hummed, tires rolling against asphalt, smooth and soundless like a secret.He didn’t turn on the radio.Noise would feel like cheating.Outside, the night hung low over Naples, golden streetlamps blurred against the windshield, storefronts closing, couples walking hand in hand, unaware of the situation that had just split his world open. A wedding. A celebration. A future he should have ruined but didn’t.He took the long way home. Drove without purpose, letting the streets curve him away from the villa. He passed the sea. Parked for a while beneath a bridge. Smoked a cigarette without thinking. When he lit the second one, he noticed his hands were shaking.He had said nothing all day.Clapped when expected.Smiled for photographs.Held his sister’s hand and told her she looked beautiful and she h

One week after the dinnerAlessio hadn’t seen Rafael in days.Not really. Not in any way that mattered.They’d shared space, a glance across a lobby, a car ride with others, a distant nod during a meeting. But there had been no words. No lingering looks. No accidental touches. Just ice where fire used to be.And Alessio was pretending that was fine.Pretending he hadn’t noticed the shift in the way people looked at Rafael now, more careful. More respectful. Or maybe more afraid.He’d heard whispers. That Rafael had been sent to handle something in Siracusa, and that he’d done it clean. Quiet. No witnesses.No survivors either.Alessio didn’t want to believe it.He didn’t want to think about the man he used to fall asleep beside now being spoken of like a weapon.Still, when the Eduardo deal came up , a meeting scheduled without much detail, Alessio hadn’t thought twice about going. It was routine. His father’s idea. A quick sit down with Don Eduardo, about port access in Trapani.Noth