All Chapters of Hold Me, Then Hurt Me: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

When I opened my eyes again, I was pinned against the floor-to-ceiling window of the skyscraper by my stepbrother, Rocco. The man I had been infatuated with for a decade.He panted, his hot lips and tongue trailing along my collarbone as he murmured, "Don't go."In my past life, on the night I received my acceptance letter from London Business School, Rocco got blind drunk.Late that night, I gave in to his pleas for me to stay. I willingly gave myself to him.After a debauched night, his cherished fiancée, Clara, caught me walking out of his room the next morning, my clothes in disarray.She ran out in tears, her parting words ringing in the air, "I'll let you have each other."A month after she disappeared, the family search party found her engagement ring at the edge of a cliff. At the bottom of the cliff lay mangled remains, battered by the waves until they were unrecognizable.Rocco clutched that ring and didn't sleep all night.On the surface, he acted as if nothing had happened

My heart felt as if it had been crushed by an invisible hand, followed by a cold, numb silence.I watched Rocco's black Maybach disappear into the night.Straightening the collar he had messed up, I didn't go home. Instead, I drove to the private art studio I rented in the East District.It was my sanctuary, a place that held all my secrets and the foolish love of my girlhood.While waiting at a red light, my phone screen lit up.Clara had just posted a new Instagram story.In the photo, her hand, adorned with a diamond engagement ring, was intertwined with Rocco's. The background was blurry, but I recognized it instantly as the neighborhood near my studio.The caption was so glaring it was impossible to ignore: "Walking the paths he once walked, as if it would let me possess his entire past."The light turned green. I slammed on the gas.A sense of foreboding wrapped tightly around my heart.When I arrived at the studio, I found the reinforced metal door pried open, its high-security

Rocco stood rooted to the spot, the surrounding music and laughter fading to a distant hum."A one-way ticket?"The smile on Rocco's face froze, a pathetic, twisted sight. He still had his arm around Clara, but it felt numb, as if it belonged to someone else.The old Capo nodded. "That's right. The Don started making arrangements a month ago. This isn't one of her tantrums, Rocco. She's serious about building her own empire in Europe."Clara sensed something was wrong and clutched Rocco's arm tightly. "Rocco, what is it?"But Rocco seemed not to hear her, his gaze distant and empty."That's impossible!"In front of everyone, he pulled out his phone and started dialing my number.Thousands of miles away, at London's Heathrow Airport.I looked at Rocco's name on my phone screen, pulled out the SIM card, and without hesitation, snapped it in two and tossed it into an airport trash can.This time, there was no turning back.On the other end, hearing the automated message, "The number you h

London's rain was, as always, endless.For the past few years, I knew nothing of what was happening in New York. I had my own battles to fight.I not only earned my degree from London Business School but also built my own art investment empire in the auction rooms of Sotheby's, using a sharp eye and the ruthlessness I'd learned growing up in the Costello family.My father had kept his promise.With the seed money my father provided, laundered from family funds, I carved out a niche in the European antiques market, creating the family's first clean and substantial source of legitimate income.I had endured my share of hardships, but the thought of retreating never once crossed my mind.After all, I had survived being thrown into a rival family's warehouse and tortured. This was nothing.Just then, a private number that had long been silent began to ring.I stared at the familiar yet distant name on the screen and finally answered."Harper..."The voice on the other end was hoarse, exhau

I couldn't help it. I laughed out loud.Rocco's heartfelt confession froze on his face. He stared at me, dumbfounded.He asked awkwardly, "Harper, what... what are you laughing at?"I slapped his hand away and answered coldly, "I'm laughing at how full of yourself you are.""You're right, I used to be infatuated with you.""You were good to me when I was little, but even as a teenager, you had no sense of boundaries. It gave me the wrong idea.""The extra birthday surprises every year, the complete lack of inhibition in our physical contact, even tearing up the love letters other boys sent me.""Rocco, you say you love me now, but do you remember what you said back then? You said it would cheapen our special bond."I moved closer to him, my voice dropping low. "The truth is, you never wanted the responsibility. You wanted the Costello inheritance, my adoration, and the image of a devoted man, all without the commitment."He said he loved me, but he didn't want to be tied down by conven