ROGERIOThe wind blew debris across the estate as I stepped out of the front door. I watched the gardener and another worker dash toward the trash bins, trying to gather the scattered pieces and secure them. Climbing into the car, I glanced back at the house one last time.Maria’s response lingered in my mind as the vehicle hummed to life. The driver guided us through the gates and into the bustling city center, a blur of movement and noise. My visit to Maria had been a dead end; she was hell-bent on keeping Charlotte’s whereabouts from me, and for good reason.I was certain Maria knew exactly where Charlotte was staying, but she’d made the same calculations I had. My confession hadn’t helped my case.I’d assumed that being honest with her would make her see reason, that she might even try to help me out of this impossible situation. But hope, as I’ve learned, is a fickle emotion— present one moment, gone the next. As soon as she started laughing, I knew I’d lost the fight completely.
CHARLOTTEThe party had gone according to plan; everyone had a great time, and I was delighted to have pulled it off despite my initial doubts. It felt like, for the first time in a long while, something had gone according to plan without any hitches, and I was delighted to be part of it.As people filed out of the establishment, I settled into my office chair, sipping wine straight from the bottle. It felt like a small reward for a job well done. However, by the time I reached my second bottle, I knew leaving the office without stumbling over objects, or even people, was becoming increasingly unlikely.I giggled at the thought of falling over things, but knew it would be a terrible sight for everyone involved to watch their new manager embarrass herself because she couldn’t hold her alcohol. That was why I had stuck to drinking only a few glasses while the party was in full swing. Now that I was certain everyone had enjoyed themselves, it was time for my little celebration.When I le
CHARLOTTEWhen I opened my eyes, the car had slowed to a halt in front of a building. The air felt different - oddly familiar. I was too drowsy to look around and assumed it was the alcohol creating the effect I wanted when I started drinking. Without much thought, I went back to sleep.A light tap on my shoulder stirred me. I tried to open my eyes, but muttered something incomprehensible instead. The last thing I heard was Thiago’s chuckle before I felt my body being lifted from the seat.“Can’t let you fall asleep here. Let’s get you somewhere comfortable,” he said softly.Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my head against his chest.His scent filled my senses as I drifted into a semi-conscious state. Unlike me, reeking of alcohol, he smelled different. A blend of something sweet and musky. I tried to identify the scent, but surrendered to the pull of sleep again.Time blurred as I slept. When I tried to open my eyes again, I realized I was no longer in his
CharlotteAfter spending some time moving around the house, I decided I was ready to read what was in the folder. I walked to the room, grabbed the file from the bedside table, and moved to the couch in the middle of the room.The first few pages contained what seemed like legal jargon I’d need a lawyer to properly interpret, but I kept reading. Soon, I got the hang of it, though I wasn’t sure I completely understood what was happening - until I got to the sixth page.At the bottom of the page was a highlighted section that showed my parents’ names as the owners of a property and detailed how the ownership had been illegally transferred to a member of the Narhzy family.The next line was a court order stating that the property should be returned to “… Charlotte Naomi Edwards within weeks of this…” I started reading out loud, and my eyes widened in surprise.I let go of the file, and its contents scattered to the ground as a gasp escaped my lips. I stared at the papers for a few minute
ELENA "Hello, Thiago," I said, trying to steady my voice as he came out of the shadows. My heart beat against my chest with every step he took, and the closer he got, the less sure I was that I'd be able to maintain my composure. "Why are you here?" "What? Milan is like home to me too. I can't come over to see my family and friends for a bit?" he said with a crooked smile as he walked toward me. We were standing in the middle of an abandoned warehouse with high windows and no wind beating against the sheets, yet I felt a cold shiver shoot up my spine.I hadn't seen Thiago in a long time, technically, since the last trip we had, and I had deliberately spent my entire time in Milan putting that experience behind me.I had chosen to forget what it felt like, smelled like, and the steps that led to making that decision. But now that Thiago was standing in front of me, my brain turned to mush. The closer he got, the colder I felt, and my thoughts flew all over the place. What was h
ELENA"What if I told you all that can be in the past and we could make things right?" he asked, stepping a few paces forward. I shook my head and clicked my tongue against the roof of my mouth. "Fool me once, Thiago. Shame on you. Fool me twice? Shame on me. I won't let you fool me a third time." "A third time? I don’t understand. I haven’t…" He began, confusion crossing his features. He paused, clearly thinking about what I had said. I glanced out the window and noticed the sky had grown darker since I arrived. Light still streaked into the warehouse, just enough to illuminate the puzzled expression on his face. "The first time was when you convinced me you were in love with me and had good intentions," I started. "The second time was when you got me to abandon my family and follow you to a place that didn’t feel like home. But I was determined to make it one. Until you left." "I'm never going to hear the end of it, am I?" he said quietly, and I shrugged. "You're the one
ELENA"I don’t love Rogerio," I started, pouting as I carefully picked my words. "I’m not even sure if he still has feelings for me. It would be surprising if he did, considering I left him at the altar, waiting for a bride who never showed. But… what I’m most curious about is, why now?" "Why now?" he repeated, lines forming on his forehead as he tried to understand the question. "Yes. Why are you asking me to leave now? You asked the same thing right before the wedding. And now, you’re asking again. You haven’t called me in what—years? Months? Yet, a few weeks before my wedding, you show up… here," I replied, throwing my hands up. "To convince me to leave again. Why? What’s in it for you?" "Oh…" He shifted his weight to his right foot. I couldn’t tell if he was nervous or just trying to come up with an answer he thought I’d find acceptable, but it was clear he was deep in thought. It amused me to see him struggle for an immediate answer. What had he been thinking? That he cou
CHARLOTTEI heard the doorbell ring and ran to open the door quickly. I was expecting to see Thiago, but Sonia’s face came into view, and my excitement tripled. "How long have you known about this?" I asked as a huge grin spread across my face. She stepped into the house and chuckled as we locked gazes, then feigned ignorance. "Known about what?" "Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m referring to - this," I replied, pointing to everything in the house as we moved from the front door to the living room. She maintained her expression, looking around in confusion before handing me my bag. "I don’t know what you’re talking about, ‘Signora,’” she answered, and I rolled my eyes before digging into the bag to find my phone. "Drop the act, Sonia. There’s no way you didn’t know that Thiago had gotten the house back for me. Why didn’t you say something?" I replied, glancing at my phone’s screen. I had missed three calls: one from an unknown number and two from Maria. I made a me
Dear Readers,We’ve reached the end of this story, and I can’t begin to express how grateful I am for each and every one of you. From the first chapter to the last, your support, comments, encouragement, and even your wild theories have made this journey unforgettable. Writing this book was an adventure, but sharing it with you was the real magic.Your patience, love, and engagement mean the world to me. Whether you’ve been here from the very start or just joined along the way, thank you for believing in these characters and their journey.But while one story ends… another is just beginning.🔥 Introducing my new book: S.I.X: The Mafia’s Kryptonite 🔥A story of power. Romance. Loyalty. Blood. In the world of the Mafia, trust is a luxury, and betrayal comes at a deadly cost.🔫 He was the legend. The nightmare. The one name whispered in fear—S.I.X.For ten years, SIX ruled the underworld as a ruthless enforcer for the La Fratellanza Mafia. But now, he’s desperate to leave. There’s just
EPILOGUEFive years had passed since Charlotte and Rogerio decided to give their relationship a second chance. They had committed to the process, putting in the work, and it had blossomed into something beautiful.Their marriage had grown stronger, filled with mutual respect, understanding, and a shared vision for the future.Together, they built a family, welcoming two children, a boy and a girl, into their lives. They vowed to raise them with love, patience, and the wisdom gained from their own past mistakes, ensuring they grew up to be better people than they had ever been.Determined to create lasting memories, they prioritized family time, going on trips, attending couple’s therapy, working on their businesses as a team, and making sure they were present in each other’s lives.Over time, both of them had changed in ways neither had expected, shaped by experience, love, and the desire to be better versions of themselves.Rogerio had learned to treat people with more empathy, to be
CHARLOTTEElena’s trial had concluded, and she had been sentenced to life imprisonment in a maximum-security prison. I wasn’t sure if the verdict truly satisfied me, but knowing she would be locked away for a very long time, unable to pose a threat to me or anyone else, filled me with reassurance.I decided to visit Thiago, who had returned to Milan to support his friend during the trial. I sent him a text asking if we could have dinner together; there were things I needed to discuss with him and I wanted his honest opinion. He readily agreed, and the next day, I boarded a plane to Milan.The entire flight, I couldn’t shake the gnawing feeling that this would be the last time I set foot in this city for a very long time.As soon as I arrived, I went straight to the estate to speak with the staff. I was still undecided about selling the villa, but if they were willing to stay and take care of the place in my absence, I would consider keeping it. When I spoke to the chef about this, he
ROGERIOI had been visiting Maria’s grave every week since my memory returned. Mostly out of guilt. I felt responsible for what had happened to her in more ways than one. If I had listened, if I had stopped Elena before she spiraled, none of this would have happened.Maria would still be alive, and perhaps, Charlotte would still be here too. But it was too late for “maybes” and “could-haves.”I hadn’t returned to the office yet. There was nothing there that my grandfather and mother couldn’t handle, and I needed to be alone. This place, the cemetery, seemed like the perfect escape.It had become a ritual. Each day, I knelt by Maria’s tombstone, remembering our time at the estate. She had been the mother figure mine never was, and losing her had affected me more than I could have imagined. I hated myself for it. As I sat there, lost in grief, I heard a branch snap behind me.I turned, expecting Thiago or one of the guards checking in on me. But when I saw who it was, every nerve in my
CHAPTER 148 CHARLOTTEThings in L.A. had been going smoothly, but my heart was still in Milan. The case remained unresolved, making a return seem like a foolish idea, yet each passing day filled me with the temptation to board a flight and see things for myself.The air here carried a tension of its own as the reveal Thiago and I had planned drew closer. I wanted to delay it further, but there was no point, it was better to get it over with once and for all.School was the only thing holding together any shred of sanity I had left, and I didn’t take it for granted.I allowed myself to grieve Maria and heal at my own pace, though the days dragged on, making it feel like there was no coming back from such a loss.While I tried to focus on the silver linings, I still felt alone, even with Thiago’s unwavering support. I hated how lost I felt deep down. Two weeks later, I decided to damn the consequences and visit Milan. What was the worst that could happen?If things went terribly wrong,
ROGERIOWe had returned to Milan, and the police dropped by the house to question me about the accident, the trip, and a million other things, but Thiago wouldn’t let them past the gates after the first interview.In his words, I needed time to recuperate, and this was true. I had gone from feeling much better to being disoriented.I couldn’t tell if it was the barrage of questions or the flashing lights from the press trying to get pictures of me when I came out of the apartment, but I certainly needed a break from everything. Things were moving too fast, and to top it off, I was having occasional headaches.My memory was still hazy, but I would occasionally remember things, only for some parts to remain out of reach, leaving me struggling to recall.It was a continuous struggle between trying to stay in the present and drifting into fragments of the past, but I tried to maintain some composure and hoped that things went as planned.My mom and grandfather occasionally came to visit,
CHARLOTTEAfter carefully processing the information I had uncovered, I decided to return to Milan to warn Rogerio about Elena. I chose not to inform Thiago, knowing he would try to stop me.Besides, he had told me it was my prerogative to do what I felt was right, and I fully intended to do just that.Upon arriving in Milan, I went straight to the detective I had previously hired. Though he had mixed feelings about my return, he remained in charge of Maria’s case, which made things easier.I laid out everything I had learned about Elena’s involvement in the attacks and her plans for Rogerio. When I refused to disclose my source, he assured me that they would treat it as an anonymous tip to protect my safety while they investigated further.I asked if I could speak to Rogerio directly, only to learn that he had already left the city, with his last known destination being Mykonos. The realization hit me, he had been following me.That only reinforced my suspicions. If Elena knew he was
ELENARealizing that I had made such a grave mistake kept me on edge. I hadn’t heard anything implicating from the media or Rogerio, but I was still nervous.I had stayed away from the public eye and ensured that my return to the city hadn’t made any headlines. It was enough that the topic had shifted from my disastrous wedding to the attack on the Thuthai estate and Maria’s death.The news hadn’t mentioned anything about Charlotte, and I started to wonder if Rogerio had brought her up just to rattle my nerves.“Well, if that was his plan, then he succeeded,” I muttered to myself, wondering if I had gone too far in ordering the men to attack his vehicle.I hadn’t wanted anything serious to happen to him, just enough to make him come back home and give up his search for his ex-wife. But the silence from his end over the past few days was starting to bother me.I didn’t want to show up at his mother’s estate uninvited; she must be irritated with all the chaos surrounding her family, and
ROGERIOThe sun’s rays beat against my face and I put out an arm to block it, then looked around. The last thing I remember was getting off the plane and the car somersaulting several times in the air.I didn’t know where I was or what exactly had brought me here. I got up from the ground and tried to brush the sand off my clothes when I realized that I was injured in a few places, but it was nothing serious.The car, however, lay turned on its back, tires rolling in the air, which smelled of petrol and something else. I looked at the car and realized that there were people trapped inside. I wasn’t sure how I had gotten out, but I had to help them out too.I tried to move and realized that I had sprained my ankle. I didn’t realize how terrible it was earlier because my body was still recovering from the shock.As I tried to move my limbs, my body let me know that it had gone through much more than I could reckon. I couldn’t move as quickly as I wanted to, and I wondered if I would be