Lahat ng Kabanata ng PROTECTED BY THE DEVIL: Kabanata 71 - Kabanata 80

DIANALying in my old bedroom in Sicily, the dark wrapped around me like a blanket. The thick curtains blocked out any sign of the rainy morning outside. Every breath hurt. My eyes were swollen, my head heavy from crying. The only light in the room came from the occasional crack of lightning cutting across the sky, flashing brief and bright before everything went dark again.My door was cracked open. Voices from the hallway drifted in. Rocco and Alessandro. The sound of them talking made me hold my breath, and every word that reached my ears hit like another wave of pure misery."You did the right thing, ignoring orders and going after Diana yourself. I'm grateful for that," Alessandro said, his voice serious.Rocco didn't answer right away. The silence that followed was deafening. Then Alessandro let out a loud sigh, breaking it."I'll admit, I thought the worst of you for a minute there. When you disappeared last week, I... had my doubts. But now I see you were committed to proving

DIANABy nightfall, I decided I needed to talk to Alessandro. The questions eating at me weren't going to leave me alone until I faced them. I walked toward his office, each step echoing down the quiet hallway. Stopped in front of the door. Hesitated for a second. Then finally knocked."Come in," Alessandro's voice called out, and I pushed the door open to find him sitting at his desk. He looked surprised to see me there."Diana, what's wrong?" he asked, gesturing for me to take the armchair across from him.I sat down, feeling the tension in the air. Looked around, noticed the meeting table off to the side, then brought my eyes back to Alessandro, who was studying me carefully."How'd it go with Francesca?" he asked, referring to the woman I'd met earlier, while tucking some papers into his desk drawer."Fine," I said, vague. Not wanting to get into it.Alessandro nodded. He could tell I was there for something else."What do you want to talk about?"I took a deep breath, gathering t

DIANAI stared at my reflection, not really wanting to face the woman looking back at me. The dress was white silk, plain and simple, no embroidery or anything flashy. It draped over my body the way it was supposed to, following my curves in this soft, delicate way. The neckline was modest—just enough to keep up appearances—and the thin straps held the fabric like it was almost blending into my skin.My hair, usually loose and all over the place, was pinned up in a low bun, done with that kind of precision that screams elegant and traditional. A few thin, wavy pieces were left out on purpose, framing my face in a way I knew Francesca would call appropriate for a bride. The makeup artist—a woman of few words—had finished up a few minutes ago, leaving my skin flawless, my eyes subtly defined with neutral shadows, my lips a soft pinkish shade. Everything was exactly how it was supposed to be. Except for the one thing that actually mattered. My mind was a million miles away.Night had alr

DIANAEverything around us seemed to move in slow motion, like time was giving us one last second to process what was about to happen. But then reality hit like a fucking truck. Rocco climbed off me fast, and I scrambled to get up, clumsy and shaky, moving behind him.Alessandro's face was pure hate as he pulled out a gun, and I knew right then—he was a second away from pulling the trigger. Without thinking, I threw myself in front of Rocco, arms spread wide, blocking Alessandro's view."No!" I screamed, my voice louder than I expected, bouncing off the walls of the office.Alessandro stopped, but the fury in his eyes only grew. He stared at me, jaw clenched, breathing hard."Get out of the way, Diana.""I'm not moving!" My body was shaking, but I held my ground. "I won't let you do this!""Diana, get out of the way!" Rocco's voice came from behind me, trying to pull me aside, but I didn't budge."Stay there!" I snapped, pushing him back."I knew it!" Francesco shouted. "I fucking tol

DIANAThe underwater lights blinded me for a second, but I forced my eyes to adjust, swimming frantically back and forth until I finally saw him. Rocco was sitting at the bottom, slumped against the wall, his body completely still. Fear squeezed my heart as I swam toward him.When I got close, I could see the bruises on his face. How weak he looked. His eyes were closed, and for a moment, I was terrified he was gone. But then he slowly opened them, and in that brief second, the world seemed to stop. There was exhaustion and pain in his gaze, but also a flicker of life. A thread of hope.With a desperate look, I tried to tell him I would get him out of here. That I wasn't leaving him behind. I grabbed his arm and started pulling him up, but something was holding him down. That's when I realized: his hands were tied. My heart sank. Our eyes met again. Through that look, it felt like he was saying goodbye. Like he'd accepted his fate. Bubbles escaped his lips as he weakly whispered, I lo