Conseguenze ~ Consequences

61RaffaelHow long until her smile wasn’t mine anymore?“Such a dork,” she giggled, tossing popcorn at the TV when the guy in the romcom walked away from the door, flowers still in his hand.I pulled her closer, refusing even an inch of space between us.“You’re clingier than usual,” she said, pausing the movie and turning her head to look at me.Fuck.Would these green eyes even look at me the same when she found out?“Am I?” I smiled, brushing my nose against hers, playfully. Careful.Like I wasn’t already losing her.“Yes, you are,” she replied, turning fully toward me and pressing a quick kiss to my lower lip.I caged her in my arms, drawing her back against me as I inhaled the scent of her hair.“You smell so good,” I murmured, brushing soft kisses along her cheek.Would she even want to stand this close to me if she knew?She slipped from my hold, reaching for the remote to pause the movie before standing.I rose with her instantly, trailing after her as she stepped out of the

Last Updated : 2026-02-21

Punto di Rottura ~ Breaking Point

62EmiliaMen like my husband do not get punched in their own homes.And if they do, it’s never just about regular differences.“What did you say, Enzo?” I asked my brother, who looked like he had walked the entire way here.I’d been trying to reach him for days, but his replies were so monosyllabic, so empty, that eventually I stopped trying.But looking at him now with hollow cheeks, bloodshot eyes, and shaking hands, I almost hoped he was on drugs.Because that would explain the weight loss.It would explain the madness in his voice.“Dad is missing, Emi,” he repeated.“I heard you the first time,” I snapped. “What was the next thing you said?”My voice didn’t sound like mine.Tears were already burning behind my eyes. I stepped away from Raffael when he reached for me, his fingers brushing my wrist before I pulled back.Enzo looked down. For a second, I thought I imagined the tear that hit the carpet.Then he looked up at me.“Dead,” he said hoarsely. “He’s dead, Emilia.”I shook

Last Updated : 2026-02-21

Fissazione ~ Fixation

Hugh is first mentioned in chapter 5163RaffaelI knew this day would come.I just didn’t think it would feel like this.“Give it to me.” I stretched out my hand to Hugh, who hesitated before handing over the pills.“Raf, you only need two a day—”“Did I fucking stutter?” I snapped. My eye twitched, a small betrayal of the control I prided myself on.He exhaled sharply but poured one more pill into my palm.I swallowed them dry and chased it with whiskey.“You don’t overdose on antidepressants, Raffaele. That’s not what they’re for,” he muttered, dropping back into his chair and writing something aggressively into his notebook.“I’m not depressed,” I said flatly, pouring myself another drink.The house is just quiet. Too quiet.I sleep fine If two hours a night counts and I eat when I remember to.“I’m not depressed” I muttered again to myself.I haven’t shaved in four days and I haven’t stepped into our bedroom since she left.Her perfume still clings to the air in there.I’m not d

Last Updated : 2026-02-22

Cenere ~ Ashes

64Emilia.I told myself the feeling in my chest at seeing him standing in front of me was hate.It would have been easier if that were true.“What are you doing here, Raffaele?” I asked, trying to shove the box of pregnancy tests behind me in what I hoped looked casual.It didn’t.His eyes were already locked on them.“You’ve got some real nerve showing up here after you—”Adrian lunged for his collar, but Raffaele simply stepped out of the way, his gaze never leaving the box in my hands.“You’re pregnant?” he whispered.I didn’t know for sure. My period had been late before.But the cravings were new.“That’s none of your business, Raffaele,” I said, turning my face away.I hoped I wasn’t. It would complicate things far more than they already were.But deep down…I knew I wouldn’t exactly mind a mini version of him running around.“It’s my fucking business if you’re carrying my child, Emilia,” he snapped.I turned back to him, and somehow my chest caved in deeper.Dark shadows

Last Updated : 2026-02-23

Follia ~ madness

65RaffaelI took a deep drag of the cigarette, ignoring how the third man begged louder than the first two.Funny how fast a man forgets his promises when the one woman who kept him sane is no longer within reach.“Shut—”My fist slammed into his jaw.“The fuck—”I drove another punch into his stomach.“Up.”I shoved his head into the concrete.“I didn’t do it,” he cried out.I laughed at his desperation, and soon enough my men were laughing too.She just left… with Adrián?“I haven’t seen this version of him in a while,” one of them muttered from behind me.I reached for the glass of whiskey on the table, swaying just slightly as I downed it.The pills Hugh prescribed made me woozy. Unsteady.“How about I slam this on your head… so you can pass out like two of your buddies here?” I motioned toward the bloodied, unconscious men.“No, please—”She threw her fucking ring to the ground.I raised the glass, but instead of slamming it against his skull, I crushed it in my hand.The glass

Last Updated : 2026-02-24

Incrinatura ~ strain

66EmiliaMy skin was doing that thing again, pretending it didn't belong to me.Every place Adrian’s fingers grazed my waist felt like an itch I wasn't allowed to scratch.He was whispering something about "safety" and "new beginnings," but my mind was a traitor.All I could taste was the ghost of the mint I’d inhaled off Raffael’s lips a week ago, the scent he’d worn like armor ever since he gave cigarettes.“Adrian, please stop,” I said, removing his hands from around my waist.His hold on me stiffened before he slowly let go.”I’m sorry,” he said with a nervous laugh, stepping back to give me space.I tried to understand Adrián. It wasn’t easy acting as friends when we’d been lovers for half our lives, but I was getting uncomfortable with how touchy he got sometimes.At least I wasn’t trapped. I was allowed to move wherever I wanted.Then why didn't freedom taste good?Adrián opened his mouth to say something, but a loud shot rang out, followed by the sound of glass shattering to

Last Updated : 2026-02-25