Novels by Sal.Abk

I sit on the bathroom floor, speechless and paralyzed.“Nana,” is all I can whisper.Why was all this happening to me?I rack my head, trying to remember what the 17th was supposed to be. My hand, trembling, rests against my lips.I hold my breath, clinging to my last sliver of hope. “Nana, did you come alone?” My voice is barely above a whisper. I shut my eyes tight, praying she truly came alone.“No, stupid, of course I’m not alone. Lucas was supposed to come back home to Vivian, but we haven’t heard from either of you. We’ve both been very worried, so we came along with the children. I thought it’d be fun to return to the big city for a while,” Nana giggles into the phone like she just shared some kind of secret—while I feel like I’m falling apart.She has no idea what she just did. I should’ve called to cancel her treatment.Nana is a mother figure to both Lucas and me, and a grandmother to the children. She was diagnosed with ischemic cardiomyopathy—a heart disease—and she’s in de

I watch as Angelo recoils further into himself for a second before he tries to shake off the uncertainty of the man in front of him—but I already caught a glimpse of his weakness.And in that moment, I discovered that Angelo was scared of Rino, even with all his bluff on the phone.“K-King,” Angelo mutters, calling Rino by his title.I straighten my spine against Rino, realizing I’ve been holding my breath since he got here.They know each other?“I didn’t think you’d be attending.” The statement sits between a question and a declaration, his voice cold, empty, and detached.“Fabiano sends his apologies for not being present. He sends his congratulations and a gift to both you and your wife.” Angelo’s voice sounds stuffy, like it’s filled with sand.Rino waves off his words without lifting a hand. With my back still against my husband, I can feel the tension bristling within him—but I’m too wrapped in my own anxious breathing to fully process it.I feel Rino’s eyes dip toward me, scann

The screeching of my chair interrupts his lawyers from announcing her congratulations to a well-signed deal. There is nothing worth a congratulations to me, and I’m not going to wait around and pretend.I feel his heated gaze on my back as I walk out of the room, an unsettling feeling gnawing at the bottom of my chest at his mention of Nana and my brother's family. I chew on my bottom lip, a deep bubble of worry sitting in my soul for my brother. I know that his sworn allegiance lies with me, but what amount of torture could they have inflicted upon him to get this information? And if he didn’t tell Rino, then how did Rino know?Somehow, I begin to feel like my world is starting to close in around me, and I need to sort this all out one after the other.The first thing on my mind is to get a lead on reaching my brother in time, but that would mean having to speak to Rino—and my hatred for him burns harsher in this moment than ever before, after his indirect threat to take away the chil

Rino nods at him before leading me out of the hall and into a different room.My heart hammers beneath my chest, knowing I’m about to seal my soul even tighter to Rino's.We walk into the room to find six professionals, all clad in black suits—two women and four men.I glance at Rino, wondering why everything seems so organized and serious for a contract. The last time we did this, only three people were present: myself, Rino, and Mario.Uneasiness creeps in, especially with the unreadable and withdrawn look Rino wears—a stark contrast to the man he's been all day.“Rino?” I call out pathetically, my voice barely above a whisper.A flicker passes through his eyes, but it’s gone before I can decipher what it means.Rino takes a seat on the opposite side of the table, and the rest of his supposed lawyers follow suit.“Please sit, Mrs. Garcia,” one of the men says with a charming smile. It does nothing to calm my nerves.I tell myself it’s just a simple gathering—the process is just bein

Rino continues to lead me past the large crowd of reporters with their massive cameras.There's a round of applause welcoming us into the hall, along with loud whispers from people whose faces I can’t see—tucked as I am against Rino’s side.“Are you alright?” Rino’s voice, reverberating so close to my neck, sends a shiver down my spine.I nod in answer. We stop right in front of his family as bright lights flicker on and point directly at us, highlighting our features.Rino stands stoic and rigid, like he’s preparing to defend us from an attack. If he’s this uncomfortable, then why go through all the trouble of hosting this event? I hiss inwardly.“Freya.”Mario’s voice calls to me tenderly, leaning on his walking cane.I haven’t been able to look in his direction since my visit to the hospital. I’m afraid I’ll see loathing in his eyes—loathing that I hid his grandchild and lied. I don’t think I’d be able to handle that look.“Mario,” I greet stiffly, reluctantly peeling myself away f

“You look breathtaking, Mrs. Garcia,” Mrs. Willow says with a warm smile as I step carefully down the flight of stairs.“Thank you,” I murmur, plastering a small smile onto my face.I place my hands over my white dress and onto my belly. I don't know if I look as she's described, but I hope I don't look too nervous. I feel out of place—like this house and family have always reminded me to feel—that I am nothing more than an outsider.“Freya.”The sound of his voice makes me grow stiff and tense.My fingers grip my dress as I slowly turn to face him. He looks dashing in his deep blue tux, but he won't be hearing that from me. I haven’t seen him in the last week since our last encounter with Micah and Riley.“Rino,” I say firmly, meeting his eyes. Rino’s gaze moves all over my form, lingering on my lips before he speaks again.The tone of his voice sends a deep shiver down my spine, and I have to hold back a tremble.“It’s time,” he says, barely above a whisper, before bringing his hand