Lahat ng Kabanata ng I Endured Her Moans Until I Couldn’t: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

My husband had a daughter with another woman. When the baby had a severe allergic reaction, everyone pointed the finger at me."You vicious bitch!"Aurelia loomed over me, shaking a silver rattle in my face. Her eyes were pure fire. "My daughter almost died! Do you have any idea the pain she was in?"Two guards held me down in a chair. I couldn't move. "I didn't—"SLAP!The crack of the slap echoed through the room, leaving a fire burning on my cheek."Still lying!" she shrieked. "If you hate me, come after me! Why would you poison an innocent child?""I never touched that rattle!"A voice cut through the noise. "Enough."Vito Santoro, the Don, stepped from the shadows. A black pistol was already in his hand.He pressed the cold muzzle to my forehead."You touch my granddaughter, whore?"His voice was a low growl. I could feel his finger tense on the trigger."Father, don't," Alessio finally said.I whipped my head toward him, my heart leaping with hope. He would believe me. He had to—

For the next three days, I was confined to my room.Laughter didn't return to the manor until the news came that Aurelia was well.On the fourth day, one of Aurelia's maids knocked on my door, a practiced smile on her face."Miss Monroe, Mr. Santoro has commissioned a famous painter for a family portrait. It's your turn."My heart didn't leap. It slammed against my ribs.A portrait?Did this mean they still saw me as part of the family?The maid, as if reading my mind, added, "Besides, Lady Aurelia said you could retrieve what you came for after the portrait."My grandmother's necklace.Clinging to a sliver of hope, I changed into a respectable dress and walked to the manor's art studio.The studio was bright, a massive canvas at its center.But there was no chair for me.I saw the nearly finished portrait. A grand, sweeping picture of a dynasty.Alessio, in a black suit worthy of a Don, sat enthroned in a magnificent armchair.His gaze was distant, fixed on the empire he commanded.Au

"Gently, Alessio..." Her voice was a honey-sweet poison.A low grunt was his only reply.Then came sounds that were even worse.Aurelia's bold seduction. Alessio's strained replies.A sharp pain twisted in my stomach, and I turned and ran out of the house, back into the storm.The rain swallowed me whole. I ran blindly through the streets, rain mixing with my tears. I couldn't tell which was colder.The memories flooded back.A warm summer night. Alessio tracing the butterfly I’d just had tattooed on my back."Do you know what this means, Thea?""What?" I'd asked, looking back at him, my heart full."It's my mark on you. Forever," he whispered, kissing the butterfly's wings. "No matter where you go, this will tell everyone that you belong to Alessio Santoro.""And you?" I'd laughed. "Will you get my name tattooed on you?""I don't need ink," he'd said, holding me tight. "Your name is already branded on my heart."How pathetic that sounded now.Whose name was really on his heart?I coll

"I didn't do it," I said, my voice weak. "Alessio, I swear I didn't.""Then who did?" he sneered. "Did the chandelier just decide to fall on its own?""I don't know," I whispered, tears blurring my vision. "But it wasn't me.""Thea, you've tried to frame Aurelia again and again," his voice was full of disgust. "First the baby's rattle, then the scratches at the hospital, and now this.""I didn't!" I struggled to sit up. "Alessio, why won't you believe me?""Because all the evidence points to you," he said, turning his back on me. "Every time something happens to Aurelia, you're the only one there."I stared at his back, numb."Then let's end this," I said, my voice barely a whisper. "I'll get out of your way. You can have your perfect family."BANG!Alessio spun around and slammed his fist on the bedside table. A glass of whiskey shattered, amber liquid splashing everywhere."Don't you dare say that," he roared, his eyes blazing. "I love you! It has only ever been you!""But you don't

Alessio's POV"Thea?" My voice trembled.No answer. The bed was made. Clean white sheets, cold as a tomb.The vanity was empty. Her little bottles, the ones she loved, gone.The closet door was wide open. Nothing inside but a few lonely hangers.Even her most precious book, Neruda's poems, had vanished.Her jasmine scent was gone from the air."No." I shook my head. "Impossible."I ran into the bathroom. Empty.The balcony. Empty.Even the pot of mint she was growing was gone.Panic washed over me. A tidal wave.I was a caged animal, tearing the place apart.The study. The living room. Every corner was empty of her.I looked to the sunroom in the corner. Her favorite spot.I pushed open the glass door. The flowers were there. She wasn't.Even her favorite rocking chair was covered with a white sheet."No!" I roared. "This can't be happening!""Thea!" My voice was raw. "Stop fucking with me! This isn't funny!"But the only thing that echoed through the manor was my own voice.I rushed t