Dodging A Bullet

In the tenth year of being the secret lover of Luca, a Mafia Don, I died. When the bullet tore through my chest, I used the last of my strength to dial his number. “Luca, I’ve been shot… Please, save me…” On the other end, he let out a careless, mocking snort. “Eva, is this another one of your tragic‑act routines? Helena’s waiting for me to have breakfast with her. I’m tired of this game. Stop bothering me.” Then, the call cut off without mercy, and so I closed my eyes in despair. When I opened them again, I had gone back seven days before the shooting. This time, with trembling fingers, I dialed a number I hadn’t dared to touch in three years. “Marcus, three years ago, you said you’d marry me. Do you still stand by it?” The voice on the other end exploded. “Eva! You finally called me! I’m in Sicily, clearing out an enemy faction. I can’t get back right now. “Give me seven days. I swear I’ll come back to you in a blaze of glory!”

"For a moment his eyes locked onto me with an intensity that left me breathless." ●●● "Oh my goodness. Sir, are you okay?" I check his pulse. Thank God the pulse is there but barely there. I look around his body for any injury and almost in a second find the bullet wound near his kidney. "...My god." Shit, there is no service in this stormy weather. I look at his almost lifeless body and the next I know I am driving him to my house. ●●● Victoria Forbes. A young doctor. Still healing from the past. She is kind, caring, loving but most of all lonely and broken. Christian Amore Vasquez. The Italian alluring, beckoning, bewitching, captivating, Mafia leader. He's not the typical, ruthless Mafia leader. He actually has a heart of gold and is ready to die for who he loves. He stumbles into Victoria's life. There is an obvious connection between the two that cannot be easily ignored. With Victoria thrown into Christian's life without even knowing uncovers a lot of secrets and brings back all the demons from the past. They both learn so much, together. "Love isn't baggage or a blame." "It's a risk, but worth taking."

Amara Cross sacrificed everything for her Alpha husband—taking a silver bullet that permanently weakened her wolf, enduring a pregnancy that nearly killed her, and shrinking herself for five years hoping to earn his love. Instead, she found him with his mistress and watched her five-year-old son call another woman "mommy." Broken and discarded, she walked away from the pack that never valued her. Three years later, Amara returns as a powerful tech mogul worth millions—stunning, confident, and untouchable. Everything her ex-husband said she'd never be. But her carefully constructed walls face two threats: Damien, who suddenly wants her back now that she's successful, and Lucian Volkov—a ruthless Lycan mafia king who's also her second-chance mate. Lucian is possessive, dominant, and refuses to accept her rejection. He sees through her armor to the terrified woman beneath who's scared of being destroyed again. Caught between a past that broke her and a future she's afraid to want, Amara must decide: will she let fear keep her alone forever, or will she risk everything to reclaim not just her power, but her heart? Sometimes the greatest strength is choosing to trust again.

She knew the wedding was inevitable. That’s why she let herself have one last night, one reckless, sinful night with him. Nico Moreti. The man who made her forget the world. It was supposed to be their final goodbye. A stolen moment before she was forced into a marriage she never wanted. But when she walks down the aisle the next day, ready to marry the most feared mafia boss in the country, she looks up and sees him. Her Nico. Standing beside the groom as his son. The realization hits her like a bullet to the chest as his cold, burning gaze strips her bare in front of everyone. She never thought she’d see him again much more him turning out to be her new stepson. She never wanted this marriage. Never wanted to belong to Salvatore Moreti, a man who buries his wives before their bodies go cold. But she’s trapped. And the man she loves? He’s part of the people sharpening the knife. Because Nico won’t forgive nor let her go. And he sure as hell won’t let her forget who touched her first. Now, there’s no way out. Because in this world, love doesn’t save you. It destroys you.

Luciano Salvatore 'The Bullet' was born, raised, and comes from a long family line of serial killers. But he wants nothing to do with that legacy. The block that has made it impossible for him to run away from all of it is his uncle, Don Mauro. The most powerful drug lord and a serial killer who had snapped a long time ago. Don Mauro promised to kill Luciano's remaining family to keep him in check. On his mother's death anniversary, Luciano tried to go against Don Mauro to make his mother proud by doing the right thing and trying to save a woman named Keirah from becoming his uncle's victim in his sex trade. Unfortunately for him, he fell in love with her at first sight. He finds out later that Don Mauro was not after Keirah for the sex trade, but Keirah is a biomedical engineer his uncle has been searching for. A person Don Mauro will do anything to possess. Succumbing to his heart's desire, even after Luciano finds out about this information. He tries to protect her in the only way he knows how. By kidnapping her and running away with her and his family out of the Mafia world. Setting them both on an expected path toward a love-and-hate relationship while discovering the hidden supernatural fate set upon them. What chances does Luciano have for survival and redemption while caught up in his unfamiliar feelings for Keirah?

Anita," her angelic voice calls to me. Thunder rumbles in the distance. Her soft, delicate hands caressing my face, sparkling green eyes grounding me from the dark past I wish I could forget. "You're safe, it's okay." I bring my hand up, running my finger over the mound of scar tissue. The constant reminder of that night. The raised bump covers the bullet fragment embedded in my sternum. She takes my hands as more thunder rumbles and tears roll down my cheeks. "Breathe Anita," she says in a soothing whisper. My lungs were burning with the need for air and it was then that I realized I'd been holding it. I take in a gasping breath and recall the first time my eyes met her green eyes. My sister had been lifted off me and my eyes opening had startled her. The first time she touched me gave me strength to hold on. I held her hand tight, trying to tell her what happened, but couldn't get enough breath to form words. Sitting in the present going through the same as I had five years ago. "They were all found, Anita. They can't hurt you anymore. It's just a storm. All the doors and windows are locked, the alarm is set. It's just you and me." "Will you keep the light on tonight, please?"

Elian Lanchester doesn’t need a bodyguard, he needs the world to stay out of his way. Cold, calculated, and impossible to touch, the tech billionaire has built an empire with his brain and burned bridges with his bite. But when a stalker’s threats become dangerously real, his board forces him to get a bodyguard. Unfortunately, they send Dax Reyes, a man Elian hates genuinely. Back in military university, Elian was the guy everyone idolised because of his riches while Dax was a scholarship student who swore to be a ruthless dedicated soldier. Dax is rugged, discreet and unshakably disciplined. The ex-military bodyguard is everything Elian despises and everything he can’t stop watching. Dax isn’t intimidated by Elian’s wealth or his venom. He’s unbothered in the face of provocation, even when the tension burning between them threatens to set the house on fire. But Dax has secrets of his own. He has a family, a past and a line he swore never to cross. When one kiss turns into something that can no longer be denied, Elian and Dax find themselves on the edge of something real and terrifying. Then a bullet changes everything. Desire turns to devastation. Lies twist into betrayal and just when Elian thinks he’s been used and discarded, he discovers the truth was never what it seemed. Now, it's a race against the silence they've both used as an armor. And this time, loving each other might be the most dangerous thing of all.

“I will never love you,” Anthony said with a determined look. However, the girl didn't care about his words. Regina still repaired a table full of beautiful dishes. Then, she took some food and put it in his mouth. His whole body relaxed and savored the satisfying sensation in his mouth. “I know. But can we enjoy the meal first? I have made your favorite food,” Regina blinked her moving eyes which made Anthony's heart a little unbearable. He gulped and sat down on the chair. “I love your food, not you,” Anthony began to take the meal while he was maintaining his harsh expression. Regina secretly smiled but she knew he wouldn't run away from her. ------------------------------------- Regina lived two human lives. In her first life, her family sold her to Anthony, the head of the Dominic mafia family. Regina and Anthony tormented each other until he accepted to let go of her hand. The good life was disrupted by the adultery and deception of her sister and her husband. Anthony was always waiting for Regina to return, but she ended up dying in his arms while taking the bullet for him. Reviving at the age of 17, Regina decided to change everything and accept being with Anthony. However, Anthony seemed to avoid Regina causing her to actively pursue him.

On the night the family manor was set on fire, my husband Don Luciano Cacciola whisked Loretta Peri away. "Be a good girl and wait for me here, Tati. I'll send my men over to pick you up soon." As soon as he left, the explosions buried around the villa were set off instantly. That's when I sent Luciano one last text. "Luciano, we're even now." Rumors had it that Luciano had gone mad after that incident. As he gripped the burned ring, he purged the entire mafia family on his own. After that, he kneeled before my grave for three long days. When Luciano found out that there was a possibility of my surviving the explosion, he decided to give away half of his family fortune just so he could track me down. Three years later, Luciano stares at the woman, who's toying with a pistol, with red-rimmed eyes at the family's negotiation table. "Tati… Is that you?" I pull the trigger in response, causing a bullet to ricochet past Luciano's ear. "You got the wrong person, Mr. Cacciola. I'm here to take your life." As I watch Luciano kneel by my feet and press a kiss onto the tip of my high heel, I can't help but laugh. This time, it's my turn to choose.

Divorced and remarried—I've lost count of how many times Aaron and I stepped in and out of marriage. He once treated me like something precious, but less than a year after our wedding, he asked for our first divorce. The reason was simple, Vivian was coming back. "Vivian's a public figure," he told me. "I don't want anyone thinking she's involved with a married man." That third-tier actress had nothing but her father's sacrifice to her name. He had taken a bullet for Aaron—a life for a life. And because of that, Aaron believed he owed her everything. Every time Vivian returned to the country, Aaron divorced me. And every time she left, we remarried. The first time we split, I drowned my tears in whiskey and stumbled back to his house half-drunk. The lights inside were warm. He was with her. And I stood outside, shivering through the night. The second time, I tracked his every move—restaurants, auctions, charity galas—just to "accidentally" run into him again. Later, I learned better. The moment he mentioned divorce, I would quietly pack my suitcase and disappear from his mansion. My love and humiliation kept me trapped in that endless cycle of breaking up and coming back together. But this time, when Aaron waited for me at City Hall to remarry, I never showed up.