HELENA’S POVI left the hotel room feeling even worse than I did when I walked in. Everything Matteo told me brought my world to a shocking pause and I couldn’t fathom me. Cars flew by, the city seemed quiet as I sat in the passenger seat of the car as Matteo drove me a home. Home? It seemed outrageous to call it that especially when I shared it with a selfish monster, willing to sell his wife for wealth.Painful tears stung my eyes and threatened to fall, but what would that solve. It wouldn’t fill the hole that was gaping at my heart already, it wouldn’t solve the Dante’s betrayal and it definitely wouldn’t make me feel better.“You okay?” Matteo’s voice filled my head pulling me out from my toxic train of thoughts and I sighed.“What do you care?” I was angry at him too. He didn’t have to do all of that, he didn’t have to prove it this way, and at the end of the day I was just the collateral damage between their fight.“I’m not the enemy here Helena, your husband is” he said in a s
HELENA’S POVThe next morning I was able to slip away from Matteo’s entangle while he snored lightly on the bed. I gathered my clothes strewn about the room in a tiptoe and, quietly put them on before I slipped quietly out of the room. Apart from the familiar pain in my leg, my entire body ached in a way that I couldn’t exactly hate. My legs trembled from last night shenanigans with Matteo, my hair was a disheveled hair on top of my mess and my mouth smelled like stale booze and finally the unsettling feeling settled within me when I remembered the whole ordeal with Dante.I was nearing the house and my heart began to pound, I wasn’t sure what I was going to find, I wasn’t sure what the situation was going to be, I didn’t know if Dante and returned home waiting for me – my head spun, weaving different scenarios together and finally I pulled through the grand entrance.By the time I walked through the double ornate doors, Dante was sitting waiting for me. He had a glass of whiskey in h
HELENA’S POV“Yea and I fucking enjoyed it too” I said to Dante, a subtle smirk on my phone. I wanted him to feel half the pain I felt, both the physical and the emotional one that stung at my heart“maybe, just maybe he might be the better brother – if you know what I mean” I winked at him, and everything happened in a split second. Dante’s eyes flared and before I knew it he was charging towards me. He grabbed my hands and pushing me against the wall, his booze breath hot on my face and the fiery glint in his eyes burning brighter and brighter, I was scared I might get engulfed in it.“You don’t mean that” he said “You don’t bloody mean that Helena”“Why do you care?” I shot back “You sold me to him after all”“I didn’t – I just – how can I fix it?”“You can’t” I said in his face, loud enough that he flinched a little. “When are you going to get it Dante, you’re the villain in this story, you’re not a hero – you’re the evil villain who’s not going to get the girl at the end” I pushe
HELENA’S POV“Matteo, I want you to speak using your words. Did you plan this whole thing?” I asked again, emphasizing on my words because at this point Matteo had moved away from me to the kitchen area and was now pouring himself a glass of water. I didn’t care about the pain on my leg, I pushed myself up from the chair and followed him.“You’re not supposed to stressing my leg” he said turning to face me, running his eyes from my face to my leg.“I have had it with you D’angelo boys, thinking you can just play mind games and using me as a collateral”“No one is using you as a collateral Helena, this is a fight between me and Dante and I didn’t want you getting involved so I removed you from the equation”“Oh” a dirty scoff escaped my lips “So what now, I’m supposed to grovel on my knees and thank you?”He smirked “Well you can’t actually do that” he gestured to my legs and I wanted nothing much but to smack him in that moment.“Look Helena, you’re getting this all wrong. All I did wa
HELENA’S POVI put on the dress Matteo bought me, a little slutty with a long slit at the side exposing my creamy thighs. My eyes had lesser dark circles than it did in the morning, but nothing eyeliner couldn’t fix and throwing on a perfect shade of red lipstick which Matteo had also slipped into the bags, I didn’t know he had taste like that and I loved it.“Damn” Matteo deep voice filled my voice when I stepped out of the room to him waiting just outside my door, dressed in a black shirt with the sleeves rolled up, exposing his biceps with the veins ripping through them.“You look – ”“Like a hooker” I completed for him, and he looked at me like I was crazy.“No damn – you look hot, you are hot and you should be mine” he breathed in my ears pulling me close, his deep husky voice causing goosebumps on my skin and I shivered slightly. This was all new, all these feelings that were beginning to ignite because of Matteo, the way he looked at me like he wanted to devour me on the spot.“
MATTEO’S POVThe cool night air brushed against my skin as Helena clung to me, her fingers wrapped tightly around my arm. Her flushed cheeks and wide, sparkling eyes were magnetic, like I was seeing her for the first time. Her laughter still echoed in my head, the sound of it rolling through the haze of the raunchy time we’d shared inside the club. The pulsing lights, the music, the feel of her body pressed against mine—everything about tonight felt like a dream.She looked up at me, her lips parted, slightly swollen from where she’d bitten them while dancing. My breath hitched as the urge to pin her against the nearest wall and kiss her until we both forgot our names overtook me. But I didn’t. Not yet. Not here. Instead, I held her steady, guiding her toward the car as her voice broke the moment.“God I’m starving” she said again, her voice light and airy.I smirked, trying to shake the wild thoughts coursing through my head. “Starving, huh? All that dancing must’ve done a number on
HELENA’S POVThe water was colder than I imagined, sharp and biting, and I felt it burrow into my skin, freezing me from the inside out. As the surface swallowed me whole, a single, panicked thought clawed through my mind: I can’t swim. The screws in my hip made sure of that. Every kick of my legs felt heavy, like I was dragging chains beneath me. But it was the only way.It was the only way to escape Dante—because I knew if I stayed, he wouldn’t just drag me out of there by my hair. He’d kill Matteo, and every ounce of defiance I’d summoned would have been for nothing.The pressure of the water wrapped around me like a fist, squeezing my lungs. My chest burned, desperate for air. I flailed my arms, trying to stay afloat, but my body betrayed me, weighted down by both the freezing cold and my own limits. Panic clawed at my throat, but I forced myself to think. Stay calm, Helena. Just keep moving. Help will come.I didn’t have to wait long.A splash rippled through the water near me, a
HELENA’S POVI stirred awake slowly, the warm sunlight filtering through the curtains. Matteo was still sprawled on the bed beside me, his chest rising and falling in steady rhythm. His face looked so peaceful, free of the sharp, tense lines it usually carried. I turned lazily, propping myself up on one elbow to study him. His dark lashes rested against his cheekbones, his jawline relaxed. His hair fell in soft waves, and I had the sudden urge to run my fingers through it, to feel its silkiness. Maybe even kiss him, just once, full on the mouth.But I held myself back. He must’ve been exhausted after everything that happened last night. Having a gun pointed at your face tends to do that to people. Yet here he was, the same Matteo who made me feel something I hadn’t felt in a long time: safe. Being with him was so different from being with Dante. With Dante, every moment was a storm. With Matteo, there was calm, a quiet comfort I hadn’t realized I needed until now."Are you done staring
Chapter: The Weight of Leaving“Leave?” I repeated, my voice barely above a whisper. The word tasted foreign on my tongue. “What do you mean, leave?”Matteo stood in the doorway, his tall frame silhouetted by the dim light filtering in from the living room. His expression was guarded, but I could see the tension in the way his hand repeatedly ran through his hair. “It’s not safe here anymore. Not for us. Not for Ava. The leaks, the attempts on my life… it’s escalating. There’s someone behind it, and I don’t think this is a war I’m ready to take. Not anymore.” He paused, his voice softening. “Especially now that I have people to consider—you and Ava.”The words hung in the air like a weight pressing down on my chest. I gripped the edge of the kitchen counter for support, feeling as though the ground beneath me had shifted. “Matteo, this is our home,” I said, my voice cracking. “It’s Ava’s home. We can’t just—”“We can,” he interrupted, his tone firm but not cruel. His dark eyes locked
HELENA’S POVFEW YEARS LATERIt was more than two years later, and I was still married to Matteo D’angelo, in fact we had a little girl now – Ava D’angelo and she was a splitting image of her father, they had the same piercing look, beautiful clear blue eyes but at least she had my hair.It was almost peaceful these past years, although I spent half of it looking over my shoulder thinking someone was going to sneak up behind me and press a cold hard pistol to my back, of course that never happened, apart from the few hiccups with the cartel and the company which by the way Matteo shielded me from – like I said it was almost peaceful but I could feel it in the air, like a smoke without fire, something was brewing and I could sense it. Matteo seemed more tense than usual, sometimes he went to bed still fully clothed, he mumbled in his sleep which wasn’t unusual but this time was different, he kept saying a name – Venza.The sky was a soft watercolor of blues and whites, with the occasio
Leadership wasn’t something you chose—it was something thrust upon you. After Dante’s death, it became clear who the next king of Algreen Cove was. The whispers had already started during the wedding reception, even as the gunfire echoed and the blood of Dante's last ploy stained the marble floors.Paulo had made his stance clear long ago. “I’m not cut out to lead,” he’d told me. And I believed him. Paulo was loyal, ruthless when necessary, and dependable in the trenches, but he didn’t have the vision or the temperament to run the cartel. That left the mantle of leadership squarely on my shoulders, a weight I had carried before I even realized I was strong enough to bear it.Two days had passed since the wedding. Two days of waking up beside Helena, the woman who had brought light back into my life in ways I hadn’t thought possible. She was mine now—my wife, the mother of the child growing inside her. I had her in my arms every morning, her soft brown eyes meeting mine as sunlight spi
HELENA’S POVA month later, it was my wedding day—a day I once thought I’d never experience again. Yet here I was, standing in the grand chapel with its towering stone walls, ancient wooden pews, and arched ceilings that seemed to stretch toward the heavens. The air was thick with the scent of lilies, and the soft hum of the organ echoed through the sacred space.Despite the joy and the wealth surrounding me, the past weeks had been tense. Every moment felt borrowed, every shadow held the potential for danger. Dante’s ghost lingered, not in whispers or memories, but in the palpable fear that someone, somewhere, was still following his orders. And yet, amidst it all, Matteo remained steadfast, his presence like a beacon guiding me through the storm.The flowing wedding dress hugged my body, a delicate lace overlay cascading down to the floor. Pearls lined my hair, glimmering like tiny moons against the soft waves. My hand instinctively rested on my abdomen, where a barely-there bump he
Two weeks passed since the night I stared at that little plus sign, and my world tilted on its axis. I'd managed to keep it to myself, burying the secret beneath a mask of normalcy. But today, as I stood in Vivianna’s hospital room, staring at her tiny, pink-faced daughter lying peacefully in the cot, I felt the weight of my silence crushing me.The words tumbled out before I could stop them. “I think I’m pregnant.”Vivianna whipped her head around, eyes wide in disbelief. “What do you mean you think you’re pregnant?”I sighed, wringing my hands together. “I am pregnant.”“For Dante?” she asked, her voice sharp and her gaze piercing.“No,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “Matteo.”The name felt fragile in my mouth, as if saying it out loud might shatter something. Vivianna’s shock melted into something softer, though her brows still knit together.“And you ended things with him again because...?”“It’s complicated,” I said, pacing the room on quiet, restless steps. “Do you think
HELENA’S POVThe letter felt heavier in my trembling hands than it had any right to. I unfolded it slowly, the familiar scent of Dante—smoky, musky, and utterly suffocating—seeping out from the paper as if he had intended for it to linger. His handwriting sprawled across the page in bold, unapologetic strokes, commanding attention even in death.Helena,If you’re reading this, it means I’m dead.Congratulations. Or condolences. Whichever fits your mood better. If it’s Matteo who pulled the trigger—or ordered it—then he’s as much a fool as I’ve always thought him to be. But don’t think for a second that my death gives you freedom. You’ll never have freedom, not from me.Do you really think I’d allow you to be with him? Not in life, and certainly not in death. No, my darling, I’ve thought this through. I’ve ensured that if you ever dare to pursue a life with Matteo, there will be consequences. Dead men don’t just roll over, Helena, especially not me.I hired someone—a shadow, let’s call
HELENA’S POVThe city felt strange tonight—unusually quiet, like it knew what had happened. Even as I drove down the winding streets, tears streaking my face and my dress stiff with Dante’s blood, there was a hush that sat heavy in the air. It wasn’t peaceful, though. No, it was eerie, like the city itself mourned the life that had been snuffed out.Paulo had insisted I leave the hospital, promising me that Matteo would pull through. “Go home, rest,” he had said. “He’s going to be fine, I promise.”I wanted to believe him. I had to believe him.But Dante was dead. That fact alone had unraveled me.The man who had once held my heart so effortlessly and crushed it just as easily was gone. Dead. It didn’t feel real. He was larger than life, impossible to defeat, and yet, I’d seen his body sprawled on the ground. Despite everything he’d done—every cruel, merciless act—I couldn’t stop the ache that pulsed in my chest. A life had been lost, and no amount of hatred could erase the part of me
HELENA’S POVThe world had gone silent around me. My ears rang with the deafening echo of the gunshot, but my mind refused to process it. I crumpled to the floor, the weight of dread pinning me down. I couldn’t open my eyes. I didn’t want to.What if he was gone?What if Dante had finally done it?My heart pounded erratically, each beat clawing at my ribs as if it wanted to burst free. Somewhere in the haze, I expected Dante’s taunting voice—his self-assured arrogance slicing through the tension like it always did. But there was nothing. Just an eerie, suffocating quiet.My hands trembled as I forced my eyes open, and when I did, the sight before me turned my blood to ice.Dante was sprawled on the ground, a crimson pool spreading beneath him, staining the earth like a macabre halo. His lifeless eyes stared at nothing, the usual malice in them extinguished. I blinked rapidly, trying to piece together what I was seeing.“W-What…” My voice cracked as I struggled to comprehend.Then I sa
MATTEO’S POVHelena didn’t look back.She gave me a single glance as she stepped through the grand entrance of the masked ball, her red dress shimmering under the low lights like spilled wine. It was a glance meant to reassure, but all it did was tighten the knot in my stomach. As she disappeared into the crowd, I stayed behind, lingering by the car, letting the cool night air ground me.There was a heaviness to the night, a thickness in the air that clung to my skin like smoke. People filed into the hall, their laughter and idle chatter masking the tension beneath their ornate feathers and flashy masks. They came here to escape, to lose themselves in the decadence and mystery of the night.But I had no intention of hiding.My mask was a reflection of who I truly was—dark, daunting, and utterly unafraid. It wasn’t meant to conceal but to intimidate, to remind anyone who dared look too long that I wasn’t here to play their games. I was here for one thing, and one thing only.To kill Da