All Chapters of His Touch, Her Ruin: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

**Amelia's POV**It was barely dawn. I stood by the window looking at the sky from my room. The sky was a sobering reminder that I was abandoning the only house I had ever known.A sleek black Mercedes rolled into the Romano property right before daybreak. My father was not sending me away to be married. There was no party, no hope of love or future. He was pushing me out.Unraveling none. no parting of ways. A cold choice made behind closed doors for reasons only he really knew.I was now handed over like a load he no longer wanted to bear, without a decision.Even as the weight of what was going on bore heavily down on me, I did not tremble or weep. My father had not asked my opinion. He never did. Using me as his final resort to save our falling family name. Still, I wasn't being sent to any person.They were handing me over to the most dreaded man in the city. I got out of my room slowly and dressed. Two men waiting for me caught my attention. They were dressed in black suits and

**Amelia’s POV**The voice is not of terror. Not uncertainty.Rage.My hand inches from the door, I froze. Nico had given me warning. That I should not leave. And stay away from all things. What if, though, this was a test? Or a trap? The hallway echoed with a loud grunt. “Arrggh!” I tightened my fists. Why did the universe continue throwing me into cages I never asked for? Deliberate, crisp, and closer heel clicking broke the quiet. Like marble claws. Whatever she was, she wished for me to hear her approaching. “Come on out, sweetie,” the voice teased from beyond the door. “I just want to have a little chat.” Sweetheart. It sounded like glass coated in sugar. My breath stopped. Something was off-kilter. Then…scrape. Metal crawled over the ground.Heart pounding, I tripped back. That was a weapon rather than only a danger. Turning toward the window, I found no escape there either. Only blackness against thick, closed glass. My eyes turned toward the folder. It still lay

**Amelia's POV**I was still staggered by Nico's words."He owed me blood."Those four words throbbed in my chest like a shot I had not seen coming. They clung to my ribs, circling like vultures. Even though I knew my father might be cruel, cold. But even this?This is not just betrayal. This was conflict.As I made my way toward the kitchen, it crushed my breath. The globe felt quieter now. Heavier. I have heard Nico’s confession and wasn't sure what to do with it.I went by the kitchen to find an older woman at the burner. Her spoon's gentle click on a pot was the sole kind element left in the house. Smiling, I greeted, "Good morning, ma'am. Have you noticed Nico around?" “Just call me Martha, dear,” she said warmly, “Nico's in his room. West wing.” My voice almost cracked, "Thank you." I went on, my heart ticking like a time bomb. The west wing differed dramatically from the rest of the home. Everything here was sharp lines, chilly metals, and luxury that spoke of control. It

**Amelia's POV**The echoes of shots remained in my bones. For hours no one had fired even a single shot, yet the noise persisted within me now, buried behind my pulse.I need to breath.The cold metallic handle biting into my palm like a caution I chose to ignore, I did not seek for permission. I said nothing. I slipped out the rear doors of the west corridor. Outside, fog covered the ground, thick and silver like whispered secrets.My lungs were burned by the air.Still I walked.Every step down the twisting stone road drove me away from the house and toward something silent. Something untouched. With their lights dim and flickering, iron lanterns stood guard along the path. Frost stuck to the hedges like breath taken too long.I heard the delicate splash of water nearby. Concealed from a fountain view.The more distance I went, the more the building behind me looked vanished.And that was when I found it.A gar

**Amelia's POV**The air had not moved. It weighed strongly on my skin, thick like mist denying to rise.The room echo Nico's remarks."Then I'll remind him why he stayed dead."After that statement earlier, Nico hadn't spoken much.He departed the room silently and vanished into shadows that appeared to lengthen every time he strolled through them.Barely breathing, I sat at the corner of my bed in my room, wondering if I had erred by telling him all.Still, I didn't have much time to think about everything.A knock made me jump.Opening the door slowly, I expected a command. a directive. Or possibly more questions.Rather, I saw a man in a crisp black suit. Matteo, one of Nico's men. Standing by the door.He spoke."Nico wants you to come downstairs for dinner."I paused. "What?" Surprise washing over me.“And it's a formal dinner. And He said not to make him wait.”He then turned away without even looking back to see if I would follow.I put on a simple dress, navy, sleeved, plain.