All Chapters of CLAIMED BY THE DON: Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

135 Chapters

Awake in the Aftermath

ELENA’S POV Pain hit first… it was sharp, and hot, blooming across my lower ribs like someone had driven a hot poker straight through me. My eyelids felt glued shut, I tried to swallow and tasted copper on my tongue. The steady beep-beep-beep of a machine drilled into my skull. This was a hospital. I was in a hospital. My hands moved on instinct, sliding down, as if I was searching, because I was searching. My stomach was flat, there wasn’t a bump yet, but the life inside was still there, I just needed to feel it, I needed proof it hadn’t been ripped away with the bullet. My fingers trembled as they pressed against the thin hospital gown. There was nothing, just skin and the faint ridge of bandages beneath. Terror clawed up my throat so fast I almost choked on it. I forced my eyes open. White ceiling, dim light filtering through half-closed blinds, were the first things I saw. The room smelled of antiseptic and wilted flowers. My wedding dress—God, my wedding dress—was gone. Rep

Safe Haven

ENZO’S POV The hospital discharge felt more like an escape than a release. Elena sat in the wheelchair only because the nurse insisted; the second we cleared the automatic doors she stood on her own, slow but stubborn, one hand braced on my forearm. I didn’t argue. I just kept my arm looped around her waist, steadying her without making it obvious she still needed steadying.Matteo had the Range Rover idling at the curb, its rear door already open. I lifted her in carefully—too careful, and she settled against the leather with a small exhale that sounded too much like relief. I slid in beside her, pulled the door shut, and the world outside went quiet.Mamma Rosa appeared at the window before Matteo could pull away. She leaned in and cupped Elena’s cheek through the open glass. “Make sure you rest, bambina. Promise me you will eat, sleep and call me every day?” Elena covered Mamma Rosa’s hand with her own. “Every day. I promise.”Papa stood a step back, his arms folded, as his eye

Ghosts on the Line

ELENA’S POV The fire pit threw long shadows across the terrace. Enzo sat frozen beside me, his jaw locked, his eyes fixed on the dark ocean like it might swallow the question before he had to answer it. Silence stretched so thin I could hear my own pulse in my ears. I waited. He didn’t move. “Lorenzo DeLuca.” My voice came out sharper than I meant. “Who was the woman who tried to kill me?” His shoulders jerked once then he finally looked at me. The firelight carved harsh lines under his cheekbones, when he turned his eyes were almost black. He opened his mouth, closed it, and dragged a hand down his face. The movement looked painful. I leaned forward. “Say something.” He exhaled hard through his nose, then he adjusted his position on the sectional so he faced me fully. His hands braced on his thighs like he needed the anchor. “I haven’t been entirely truthful with you,” he said quietly. The words landed like stones in still water, the ripples spread fast across my chest. I sa

Cracks in the Sunlight

ENZO’S POV Morning light poured through the floor-to-ceiling glass and painted the villa in soft gold. I stood at the kitchen island pouring coffee while Elena sat at the dining table with her knees drawn up and her arms wrapped around them. She wore one of my linen shirts again, sleeves rolled to her elbows, collar slipping off one shoulder. The fabric still carried the faint scent of her shower gel from last night. She looked small against the oversized chair, she looked smaller than she had yesterday. She hadn’t spoken much since we woke up. When I kissed her temple and asked if she slept okay she gave me a quick nod and a tighter smile than usual. Every small sound made her flinch, the clink of the spoon against the mug, the hum of the espresso machine, even the distant crash of waves below the cliff. Each time her shoulders jumped and her eyes darted toward the terrace doors before she caught herself and forced them back to her plate. I set the coffee in front of her. She than

The Breakup

ELENA’S POV I stood rooted to the promenade stones and watched Enzo walk away toward the car. His shoulders were straight, and his stride long and sure. He had just called me a good mother in front of strangers and now the word echoed inside my skull while the baby inside me pressed against my ribs like a secret that refused to stay quiet any longer. I couldn’t hide this much longer. My breasts already ached constantly and my waist felt thicker even if the mirror hadn’t caught up yet. Soon the dresses would stop forgiving the change and Enzo would notice. He always noticed everything. Tonight. I would tell him tonight over dinner. No more waiting, no more cowardice. The drive back up the cliff road passed in near silence. Enzo kept one hand on the wheel and the other resting on my thigh, his thumb tracing slow circles through the linen of my dress. I stared out the window at the darkening sea and rehearsed the words in my head until they sounded rehearsed and hollow. When we reac

Bait and Blackout

ENZO’S POV The elevator doors slid shut with a soft hiss and the villa disappeared behind polished steel. I punched the button for the garage level and leaned my forehead against the cold metal while the car dropped. My pulse hammered in my ears louder than the machinery around me. Elena’s face kept flashing behind my eyelids—wide eyes, trembling mouth, the way her hands had lifted toward me like she still believed I would turn back and hold her. But I didn’t, actually I couldn’t. The doors opened to dim fluorescent light and the smell of concrete and motor oil. My black Maserati waited in the bay. I walked straight to it, slid behind the wheel, and started the engine. The low growl filled the empty space and vibrated through my bones. I peeled out of the garage without looking back. The cliff road twisted ahead like a black ribbon. I pushed the accelerator harder than necessary and the car lunged forward. Wind roared through the open window and tore at my shirt. My phone buzzed i

Destroyed Trust

ELENA’S POV The villa stayed dark. I sat on the top step of the staircase with my knees pulled to my chest and my arms wrapped tight around them. Tears had dried on my cheeks hours ago leaving tight salty tracks that stung whenever I moved. The house felt too big and too quiet without Enzo’s footsteps or his low voice drifting from another room. I kept checking my phone even though the screen stayed black. His line rang straight to voicemail after the last time he picked up and disconnected the call almost immediately. I stopped counting how many times I’d tried to call him back after the twentieth attempt. I never wanted any of this. I never wanted this pregnancy, I never wanted to keep it a secret from him. I didn’t want the fight between us. God knows I wanted to tell him, I wanted to tell him that I was taking the implant out. I couldn’t keep it in because of the constant nausea and the way it made my skin crawl. I thought we could talk about children when the danger had passe

Vanished

ENZO’S POV The front door clicked shut behind Elena and the sound punched through my chest like a silenced round. I stood frozen in the foyer staring at the empty space where she had been only seconds earlier. The overnight bag swung from her shoulder when she walked past me. She didn’t look back, not once. My legs gave out. I dropped to my knees on the cold marble as I pressed both palms flat against the floor trying to anchor myself. The villa suddenly felt huge and hollow. Every breath scraped my throat raw. I should have stayed back with her last night. I should have swallowed the anger and sat on that terrace with her until the words stopped hurting. But instead I let Isabella’s ghost shove me out the door. I let five-year-old grief drive the car straight to Sofia’s hotel and straight into whatever trap waited there. Now the woman I loved, the woman carrying my child had walked out because of me. “AHHHHHGGGHHH!!” A scream tore up from somewhere deep in my gut. It ripped out

Wrong Car

ELENA’S POV The SUV pulled away from the villa gates as the tinted windows turned the afternoon sun into dull bronze streaks. I pressed my forehead against the cool glass and let fresh tears slide down my cheeks without wiping them. The overnight bag sat heavy on the seat beside me like a promise I no longer believed in. I had no plan, no destination, just the desperate need to be anywhere except that house where every corner still smelled like him.I swallowed hard and forced my voice steady. “Take me to the beach please. Any beach. I just need… air.”The driver didn’t answer right away. And when he did, his voice came low and deliberate. “I’m not taking you to any beach.”My stomach dropped. I recognized that tone, the same calm menace I had heard several times since the day of the auction, the same voice that had haunted my sleep. But that was impossible, it has to be impossible. My pulse kicked into my throat as I sat up straighter. “Excuse me?”He kept his eyes on the road. “Y

Blood on the Docks

ENZO’S POV The phone buzzed once against the dash. I snatched it up so fast the wheel jerked, Elena’s tracker pin glowed red. It was moving fast along the coastal highway straight toward the commercial marina. My chest tightened hard enough to bruise. Matteo leaned over. “Boss, I think she’s in grave danger.” I crushed the accelerator as the Maserati roared forward, its tired clawed asphalt as we tore around the bend. Horns screamed behind us, but I didn’t flinch. The map updated; the dot cut onto the service road, snaking toward the old piers. Whoever had her wasn’t hiding. They were either racing to get her off the island, or they were trying to pull me out with her as bait. Either way the thought made bile rise in my throat. At first I thought she was just trying to run away from me. I mean it’s not a secret that I deserve it if she truly wants to leave me. After the fight, after every vicious word I’d spat at her, after my stupid act of going to Sofia, I’d gladly accept my fat

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