CHAPTER 11

Matteo’s POVThe boardroom was silent in the way only powerful rooms ever were.Glass walls. Muted city skyline. Men seated around the table waiting for my next words as if they were law. Contracts lay open in front of them, figures running into numbers that could collapse companies or resurrect them.I had just finished speaking when my phone vibrated once against the table.Once was enough.I did not look at it immediately. I never did. Urgency was a luxury I did not indulge. Instead, I closed the folder in front of me, nodded at the executives, and dismissed them with a glance.“Lorenzo,” I said calmly. “Stay.”The others stood, chairs scraping softly against the marble floor, murmured their goodbyes, and filtered out. The door shut behind them with a quiet finality.Only then did I pick up the phone.The message was waiting.An image filled the screen.Emily.Outside a building I knew too well.And standing beside her like he belonged there was Caleb.My fingers stilled.For a lon

Last Updated : 2026-01-29

CHAPTER 12

Emily's pov I knew something was wrong the moment I woke up. Not because the house was loud. Not because Sophia was already awake. But because the house felt occupied in a way it usually did not at this hour. Matteo was home. Not asleep. Not rushing out. Present. I dressed slowly, choosing something simple and appropriate, though my hands hesitated longer than necessary at the buttons. By the time I stepped into the hallway, I could already hear voices drifting up from downstairs. Sophia’s laughter. A deeper voice beneath it. Calm. Amused. His. When I reached the kitchen, the sight of him stopped me short. Matteo stood by the counter in a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, forearms bare, a coffee mug in his hand. No jacket. No tie. He looked nothing like the man who left for work every morning with precision and distance. This Matteo belonged to the house. To the morning light spilling across marble and glass. Sophia sat on a stool beside him, swinging her legs. “Em

Last Updated : 2026-01-30

CHAPTER 13

Emily's Pov Sunlight streamed through the tall windows of the Rinaldi estate. I moved quietly around the kitchen, trying to focus on breakfast while my nerves hummed like live wires. Matteo was home today, the second day in weeks he hadn’t left for work. It should have been comforting, especially for Sophia, but every glance he sent my way made my pulse spike.Sophia sat at the table, her tiny hands clutching crayons as she colored furiously, oblivious to the charged tension in the room. Her innocence grounded me. She reminded me why I had to stay composed, even when Matteo’s presence pressed against my back like a physical force.I slid a plate of scrambled eggs toward her. “Careful, don’t spill,” I said, forcing a casual tone.“I won’t, Emily!” she replied, eyes sparkling.I glanced toward the doorway, catching Matteo leaning casually against it. He didn’t speak, just observed, his presence filling the kitchen like a quiet, unshakable gravity.“Busy morning?” he asked finally, voic

Last Updated : 2026-01-30

CHAPTER 14

Matteo's pov The ambulance screeched to a halt outside the hospital entrance, lights bouncing off the glass walls. My hands tightened around Sophia’s small fingers, my pulse thundering in my ears. One hand clutched the car door handle, the other held hers, keeping her close, anchoring her to me while everything else spun. “Papa?” Sophia’s voice wavered, small and uncertain. She looked up at me with wide eyes, sensing the urgency in the air. “I’ve got you, principessa. Don’t let go,” I said, forcing steadiness into my voice, though every fiber of me was screaming. Two paramedics emerged, carefully lifting Emily onto the stretcher. Her face was pale, lips slightly parted, eyes closed. Her breathing was shallow, and though I knew nothing for certain, the tension coiling in my chest told me this was serious. I followed close, keeping Sophia close to my side as the paramedics wheeled Emily inside. The doors slid open, and we moved into the bright hospital corridor. Nurses and doctors

Last Updated : 2026-02-05

CHAPTER 15

Emily's Pov The first thing I became aware of was the brightness a soft, white glow pressing against the inside of my eyelids, too harsh, too clean. It felt nothing like morning sunlight. This light hummed. Artificial. Cold.The second thing was the smell.Antiseptic. Sterile. A kind of sharp, medicinal scent that filled my lungs and drifted through the haze clouding my mind.I frowned. Or at least, I think I did. My face felt heavy, like my muscles were slow to receive commands.Where…?A soft beeping registered next, steady and rhythmic, like a machine exhaling. Somewhere beside me, a chair creaked, followed by a slow, even breath someone sleeping.I blinked, opening my eyes.Immediately, pain stabbed through my abdomen, sharp and sudden, like a hot blade.“Aah….” The sound tore from me before I could swallow it.The figure beside me jolted awake. Matteo.His head snapped up from where it had been resting on the side of my bed, dark hair slightly messy, his suit jacket wrinkled in