LOGINShare
CHAPTER 1
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56Hello guys,
Thank you for choosing to read this book. Before you begin, I want to give a big warning. This book is dark; it's messed up and explicit. Don't say I didn't warn you because I am doing it now.
This Story Contains
- Physical and Sexual Abuse
- Violence
- Mature Themes
- Sexual Content
- Strong Language
please leave if you are uncomfortable with any of the mentioned. I will repeat if you are not comfortable with the explicit contents I have mentioned. Leave. Thank you to those who decide to continue.
Enjoy reading the book
*******
Melina adjusts her bag on her shoulder and pulls open the restaurant's back door. She walks inside to the employee changing room. The place is painted gray with blue lockers. Putting in the code for her locker, she pulls it open, takes out her apron, and ties it around her waist over her uniform. She’s wearing a white button-up shirt and a black skirt. Pulling her beautiful blonde hair into a tight ponytail, she walks out to the kitchen. A sigh escapes her lips as she remembers what time she’d be clocking out that night.
The sweet aroma of Italian food hits her as she enters the kitchen. She says hi to her co-workers as she approaches the door that leads to inside the restaurant. Someone beats her to open the door and steps into the kitchen.
"Hi Melina," Jane says, smiling. Jane is a lovely twenty-one-year-old with brunette hair and brown eyes. She’s the same age as Melina, and they work together.
"How’re you doing today, Jane?" Melina smiles back at her.
"I'm good. How're you?"
"I'm good."
"Get any sleep last night?"
"Yeah, why?"
"You have some pretty serious bags under your eyes."
"Really?" Melina puts her hand in her apron and fetches a hand mirror. She was positive the bags under her eyes weren't visible when she left the house. She checks the mirror to see if that's still the case. Her face didn't look bad, but she could still see them.
"Had a nightmare last night?"
"Yeah, I couldn't go back to sleep."
Melina and Jane had grown close working together for the six months since Melina moved to Portland from LA.
"Sorry to hear that; how long have you been up?"
"Since three a.m." It's now five p.m.
"Wow, you must be exhausted."
"I'm used to it," Melina says. She hardly gets enough sleep anymore because of her recurring nightmares. It’d been six months, but she still dreamt about the accident every night.
"I heard talking about it helps," Jane prompts. She’s tried to get Melina to talk to her about the nightmares since the first day Melina told her.
"I know. Hopefully, one day, I’ll be open enough to talk about it." Melina feels too ashamed to tell Jane what happened. Melina also avoids talking about it because it brings back a lot of pain she’s managed to heal from.
"I hope so. If you feel too ashamed or guilty to talk to me, there’re professionals who can help."
"I know." Melina smiles softly at Jane, grateful to have a friend like her. She really cares about Melina and it’s hard to find good friends like that..
"That's good. I wanted to ask you something."
"What is it?"
"My mom is flying in today and needs me to pick her up from the airport. Could you cover for me at the bar and lock up afterward?"
"Sure."
"I knew I could count on you, thank you." She pecks Melina's cheeks.
"You're welcome." Melina smiles.
***
Melina rests her chin in her palm, waiting for the last customer to finish his drink. She leans across the bar, looking at the man. What troubles him? He drank a whole bottle of Jack Daniels and cried silently in the chair. Was he heartbroken? She can sympathize with him as she’s still healing from hers.
She lets out a breath of relief as the man stands up. Melina pushes off the counter, smiling because she finally can go home. She waits for him to walk out before heading to the locker room to get her bag and phone. She can't wait to go home and call it a night.
Melina walks back into the restaurant to find all the lights switched off. Her brows pull together in confusion. She doesn't remember switching the lights off. She shrugs her shoulders, thinking maybe she forgot, and walks to the door to be on her way. She freezes as she’s about to turn the doorknob when she hears a voice. Suddenly,the lights in the room come back on.
"It's not time to go home yet, principessa." Her eyes widen as her brain instantly recognizes the voice. "I’m thirsty; get me something to drink."
Melina's heart starts to pound as she begins to tremble. She looks down at her shaking hands, unable to hold the doorknob anymore.
"There’s no need to be scared, principessa. I’m just here to get what's mine." Even with her back to the man, she could still picture the evil smirk on his face.
"Tho-m-m-as," she stutters. Tears fill her eyes as an ache settles in her heart from saying his name.
"Turn around," he commands.
"I can't."
"You can, and you will. Turn around and look at me!" he yells.
"I'm sorry," she says, trying to apologize for what happened six months ago. It comes out as a whisper as tears escape her eyes.
"I said fucking turn around, Melina," Thomas bangs his fist on a table.
Startled, Melina jumps in her spot as more tears fall down her face. She slowly turns, fearing the worst will happen if she doesn't turn. Her heart sinks and her knees weaken. sShe falls to the floor, staring at him as he sits on one of the restaurant chairs with his legs crossed. Two scary-looking men stand beside him. She recognizes one of them as Thomas's bodyguard, Leo.
She locks eyes with him, and a knot forms in her stomach. His beautiful ocean blue eyes once only held love for her. But now, they’re burning with rage.
"Come closer." He puts his hand into his breast pocket, removing a cigarette. His associate reaches over with a lighter and helps him light it. He takes a drag and waits for Melina to move.
She shakes her head no. Thomas raises his eyebrows, throws his cigarette to the ground and stamps it out.
"I don't know what made you think you fucking have a choice. Fucking get here now," he growls.
"I'm sorry, I swear I didn't want to do it. I didn't have a choice. James forced me," I cried out.
"Really? You didn't fucking have a choice?" he says sarcastically.
"Yes, I swear."
"That's odd considering you’re his fucking wife. Get your goddamn ass over here now."
Melina does the opposite, and tries to get away from him. Standing , she turns to open the door behind her. Unexpectedly, the door is locked. Melina shakes the handle, trying to open it. She panics as she hears footsteps approaching. Turning, she sees Leo walking toward her. She screams as someone grips her by the hair. He drags her away from the door and throws her in front of Thomas.
"Did that kill you?" Thomas asks, sarcastically. "You still look the same as when I met you." he lifts his hands and traces his fingers down her beautiful face. He touches her pointed nose and high cheekbones. His hands linger on her trembling lips as her cheeks become slippery with her tears. He stares into her green eyes and pulls his finger away.
She shuts her eyes and waits for him to smack her, but the blow never comes. Fluttering her eyes open, she finds him staring at her.
"Where’s my money?"
"I don't have it."
"Do I look like I have time to waste, Melina? Tell me where my money is, and I'll make your death less painful."
"I swear I don't have it. James took everything."
"It seems we have to do this the hard way then."
"What do you mean?" Melina asks, eyes widening.
"Leo, grab her, and take her to the car. Get Kimberly on the phone. Tell her I have a gift for her," Thomas smirks as he stands. He buttons his suit and moves to the back of the restaurant.
Melina starts crawling toward the front door, forgetting it's locked. Leo picks her up before she reaches it. She’s screaming and kicking as he throws her over his shoulder, walking them into the kitchen.
"Shut the fuck up," Thomas shouts in Melina's face.
"Please let me go, I swear to you, Thomas. I don't know where the money is. James has it. Please believe me."
He doesn't say anything and walks out the back door. They step outside, and two vehicles pull up beside them. Thomas gets into a car while Leo puts her into a van. Melina opens her mouth to scream for help, but her words get choked as she feels something poke her. A second later, her eyes feel heavy. She sees a syringe in Leo's hand, but her head starts to spin before she can comprehend what's happening. Her body gives out, pulling her into darkness.
Related chapters
A Second Chance CHAPTER 2
Melina opens her eyes, and darkness greets her. She sits up on a hard concrete floor where she was laying . Feeling a wall behind her, she rests her back against it. She pulls her knees to her chest and looks around the dark room, wondering where she is. She can tell she’s underground, as the place has no windows. Other than that, she can't say anything about the room.Her mind drifts and thinks about what Thomas means by doing it the hard way. She’s curious if the rumors about men like him are true. Goosebumps spread out on her skin, as she thought about it. If they are true, things don’t look very good for her.Thinking about Thomas has her thinking about what her life would be like if she didn't steal his money for James. Melina would’ve had a good life. She would’ve been attending school to get her nursing degree. Melina has a deep love for helping people and wanted to work as a nurse. She would’ve been able to throw it in the faces of those who kept saying she could only get by u
A Second Chance CHAPTER 3
Melina snaps out of her reverie when the lights come on. She covers her eyes to fight the brightness. While adjusting to the light, she feels someone grab her left arm. She turns toward them, wondering who’s holding her and why."Get up," the strange, scary-looking, and bulky man says. He pulls her up and begins to drag her out of the room."Where am I? Where are you taking me? Where’s Thomas?"The man ignores all her questions and drags her into an open area. The place is poorly lit, so Melina can't see much other than the chair the man throws her on. She quickly stands up to run but gets pushed back. He glares at her, warning her to stay sitting. Fearing his gaze, she melts into the chair. She looks around, trying to figure out where he’s brought her or what he plans to do to her."Ouch." Melina looks down at her right hand. Her eyes widen as she realizes he’s using cable ties to strap her hands to the chair. He does the same to her legs."Why are you tying me down?" she asks, tryin
A Second Chance CHAPTER 4
Laying on the cold cement floor in the dark, Melina remembers the day she found out Thomas’s true identity.Six Months agoShe wakes up the day after James stole Thomas’s money, to discover that he’s run away with all the money, leaving her signed divorce papers. She’s happy he divorced her but she wonders why. She picks up her phone to call James, wanting a real explanation when she notices he sent her an email. It’s a video. Playing the video, Melina is horrified by what she sees. It’s the most gruesome thing she’s ever seen in her life. It’s Thomas standing in a bar beating someone. Thomas takes the man’s head, banging it against a table over and over again. Melina cringes as she hears the bone in the man’s nose break and his bloods splash all over Thomas’s face and shirt. He grabs a bottle and breaks it on the man’s head. Glass fills his hair and some gets stuck in his face. Thomas smirks before slamming his head into the table again. The glass slices his face and blood is every
A Second Chance CHAPTER 5
Melina wakes up to the sound of the door opening. She doesn’t remember falling asleep. The same man from last time steps inside and asks her to follow him. They walk out of the room to the room where they tortured her. He asks her to sit in the chair covered in her dried blood. She doesn’t fight him this time, but she cringes as he straps her to the chair."How’re you feeling today, Melina?" Kimberly asks, walking toward her from the stairs. She wears black denim jeans and a jacket with a brown T-shirt. Her black ankle boots click hard against the floor as she approaches Melina. She’s wearing the same red lipstick from yesterday and her pitch black hair is in a rough bun."As you would expect." "Hmm.” Kimberly nods, taking off her jacket."Today, we’re going to do things like yesterday. I’m going to give you three chances to tell me where James or the money is before I make you suffer.""I already told you I don’t know."“I can see you’re still choosing to protect him. No problem, we
A Second Chance CHAPTER 6
THOMAS Thomas gently places Melina on the bed. He stares at the wounds on her body, and a deep frown appears on his face. Every fiber in his body is boiling with rage. There’s no one on this earth he hates more than her. Betrayal isn’t something he takes lightly, and the fact that it was her makes it ten times worse. Thomas refocuses his thoughts when the doctor knocks on the door. He tells him to come in as he backs away from the bed to give the man room to work. "Make sure she doesn't die," Thomas plans to kill Melina, but not yet. He isn't going to give her the glory of an easy death. By the time he’s done with her, he’ll make sure she regrets the day she met him. "I will, sir," the doctor replies and begins to work on Melina's wounds. Thomas leaves the doctor to work and returns to his bathroom for a shower. He needs to cool down, and he also needs to wash off Melina's blood. Kimberly really did a number on her. He’s surprised Melina lasted as long as she did before she pass
A Second Chance CHAPTER 7
THOMASThomas walks downstairs to his office where Richard is waiting for him. He enters and takes his seat behind the desk."Sorry for asking to see you so late at night, sir, but we have a big problem.""What is it?""Melina isn’t married to James.""What?" Thomas says, looking at Richard as if he has two heads. He's shocked. “How?”"Six months ago, James filed for divorce?""James filed for it? Not Melina?""Yes, sir."Thomas takes a minute to process what Richard just told him. He can't believe Melina’s no longer married to that cunt. It has him wondering if Melina’s telling the truth, but it doesn't change anything, even if she is. Thomas isn’t looking for James to get his money back. He’s going to make James pay for stealing it, whether Melina is divorced or not. She lied to him. Nothing in this world will change the fact that she approached him to steal his money. Her feelings were fake. She was going to pay for making him fall in love with her."You're implying she might be t
A Second Chance CHAPTER 8
Two weeks later… MELINA It's been two weeks since Melina was in the torture room. She’s figured out she’s in Italy as everyone here speaks Italian. By everyone, that includes the maids living in the house where Melina has been recovering for the past two weeks. Leo had brought her to the maid’s quarters, and until today she hadn't stepped out of it. Right now she’s on her way to Thomas' office with the cleaning supplies Linda gave her. She's surprised she'll be cleaning his office and bedroom as she assumed he wouldn't let her anywhere near him. What will he do when he sees her again? In the last few weeks, she and Linda have become good friends. The forty-year-old woman has been good to Melina. Her kindness makes Melina miss her elder sister, Franky. Melina never knew her mother's true identity. The woman walked out on the family when Melina was two years-old. Franky says that's when her father's drinking problem started. Melina didn't suffer what happened when her father was dr
A Second Chance CHAPTER 9
Melina has no idea how long it has been since she arrived at the Costanzo Estate. She doesn't even want to know because it will remind her of how she has no control over her own life. Melina’s thoughts wander to her co-workers as she fiddles with her food, wondering if they called the police the following day after Thomas kidnapped her. She's sure they did and are worried about her. Picturing Jane's face, Melina imagines how worried she will be about her whereabouts. Her spoon goes limp in her cereal bowl as she realizes she may never see Jane, or worse, her sister, again. "What's the matter, dear?" Linda inquires, jolting Melina out of her reverie. She sits beside Melina in the kitchen."Nothing," Melina shakes her head and picks up her spoon again, but doesn't take a bite."You know you can tell me anything.""I know" Melina says, staring at her cereal bowl and fiddling with its contents, looking distracted."Did something happen with Thomas?" Linda is unaware of Melina's exact rel
Latest chapter
A Second Chance SNEAK PEAK OF A BEAUTIFUL MISTAKE
CHAPTER ONEFranky's PVOFranky slowly opens her eyes but shuts them the second she feels a shooting pain at the back of her head. She gently lifts her hand to touch it and feels a wound with dried blood. She opens her eyes and tries to recall how she got the injury and where she was. Her eyes widen in terror, seeing her environment. She’s in a cell. Oh my God! What am I doing here? How did I even get here? Franky racks her brain, trying to remember anything that can explain why she’s here. Her heartbeat quickens as everything starts to come back to her. She recalls two men sneaking into her room and grabbing her. She can’t believe she got abducted again. Melina must be worried sick about me. Franky wonders if she knows and has started looking for her. Most likely, she believes.Franky whips her head to the cell door as she hears it squeak open. Her heart beats faster against her ribcage as someone approaches her. She wraps her trembling hands around her body and waits at the end of t
A Second Chance EPILOGUE
Months laterMELINAMelina stirs awake in her sleep and gets out of bed. She doesn’t bother putting on her slippers before going downstairs to the kitchen. She opens the freezer and takes out the chocolate mint ice cream. She hates it, but the little one growing inside her loves it.Melina is pregnant and is in her second trimester. So far, everything is great for her. That’s excluding the morning sickness and the weird craving she has lately, but other than that, it’s been wonderful. She’s excited to be a parent, and so is Thomas.Melina remembered the day she found out she was pregnant. Words couldn’t describe the joy she felt that day. Her heart soared to the highest point the moment the doctor said,“Congrats, you’re pregnant.”Melina believed she saw the brightest smile on Thomas’ face that day. She also couldn’t stop smiling the whole day. They are re
A Second Chance CHAPTER 71
Present TimeMELINAMelina steps out of the car once they arrive at the beach house on the island. They touched land a few minutes ago and drove straight here. Thomas links his hand with Melina’s and leads them into the house. She is awed the second they step inside. The place is beautifully decorated with rose petals all over the living room. It has couches that have brown armrests and white pillows on them. To the left is a sliding door that leads outside, and right in front of it is a swing chair. The sun is setting, and the only light illuminating the place, adding to its allure.Melina walks inside, to the bedroom, following the trail of the rose petals. It has a king-sized bed with white covers and a carpet of the same color in front of it. Walking further in, she is blown away by the beautiful view of the beach. The sun casts a shadow on the beach’s crystal-clear blue waters and white sand. The sunset looks so stunning from here
A Second Chance CHAPTER 70
THOMASHe looks at Melina as she settles into her chair. He’s relieved she didn’t question him about why he took so long at the warehouse. It wasn’t something he couldn’t tell Melina; he just didn’t want to bother her with it. Thomas smiles as he thinks about it. He looks at his lighter, and the smile on his face broadens. He couldn’t think of a better way to send the bastard to hell.A few hours agoThomas enters the container where James is being held. The room has buckets, a chair, a table with blades, a blow torch, pliers, and a whip. Rafael was quick to deliver him while Thomas was in the hospital. Thomas wouldn’t have had to deal with him today if he wasn’t on his way to his island with Melina. She deserves the time away after what they’ve been through.Thomas removes his Burberry suit jacket and drapes it over the chair. He unbuttons his sleeves, rolls them up, and re
A Second Chance CHAPTER 69
Two Weeks LaterMELINA“Thomas, I might not know much of Sicily, but at least I know the surrounding area on the way home,” Melina says, looking out the window. They are on their way home. Thomas just got discharged from the hospital. Melina is so happy as he is almost fully recovered.“I know,principessa. I need to make a quick stop at one of the warehouses before we go home.”“You just got discharged. How could you already be working?” Melina asks, concerned he might be stressing himself.“Don’t worry. I’m not doing anything strenuous.”
A Second Chance CHAPTER 68
THOMASHe scrolls through his phone to pass the time while waiting for Melina to return. She stepped out to get him some food as he hated the hospital food. Thomas couldn’t believe she forgave him for everything he did. He really thought she would never forgive him and would always blame him for all her sorrows. He is truly happy she did and intends to spend the rest of their lives making sure she never regrets it.The door swings open, and Thomas lifts his head up from his phone, shocked but happy that Melina is already back. The smile on his face quickly changes into a frown when he sees it isn’t Melina.The unwanted guest causally strolls into his room like he owns the place and walks to stand at the foot of Thomas’ bed. Thomas quickly replaces his phone with the gun his father put u
A Second Chance CHAPTER 67
A few hours have gone by since Thomas was shot. The whole family is in the hospital. Melina fears every second, the doctors will just come out and confirm Thomas is dead.Hopefully, that won’t happen.She snaps out of her reverie when someone calls her.“Melina,” someone says, barging into the room. Melina turns her head to the door, and her eyes widen in shock.“Franky!” Melina jolts out of her seat and runs to her sister.“Hello, Mel,” Franky says, smiling.“Oh, my God! Franky, it’s really you,” Melina says, pulling her in for a hug.“Yes, it’s me.” “I’m so sorry for what happened to Thomas,” Franky says, pulling from their embrace.“I don’t know what I will do, Franky, if he dies. I didn’t even tell him I forgave him before he closed his eyes,” Melina says, as fresh tears sting the back of her eyes.
A Second Chance CHAPTER 66
“Mel,” someone calls from behind her. She turns and sees it’s Leo.“Thomas is dead! He’s dead, Leo,” Melina says, sobbing and showing him her hands filled with Thomas’ blood.“I know, Mel, but do you know something else?” Leo asks calmly.She responds by shaking her head.“Until a doctor fucking calls the time of death, Sotto capo is alive. Do you hear me?”She nods her head, agreeing with him.Thomas could still be alive and just unconscious from blood loss.“He isn’t dead until a doctor says so,” she whispers, looking at his chest. She stares at it, waiting to see it move, but it doesn’t. The little glimpse of hope of him being alive dies. She snaps out of staring at his chest when Leo bends down to her on the floor.“Can you apply pressure to his wounds while we carry him to the car?” he asks, taking off his shi
A Second Chance CHAPTER 65
Unfortunately, this doesn’t help Melina because James surprisingly kicks the bucket off her hands and backs her into a wall. He wraps his hands around her neck, restricting her airflow.“Fuck having your body; I’ll just fucking kill you.” He digs his nails into her skin and draws blood as he strangles her. Her face darkens as the veins around her face appear ready to burst at any moment. Melina places her hands above his to free them from her neck. She scratches his hand, drawing blood, but he doesn’t budge. Melina can’t believe this is how she dies. I have to do something.She checks her surroundings for anything that might be of help. Nothing is within her grasp because everything is on the floor. As he squeezes her neck tighter and presses her head deeper into the wall behind her, the wound behind her head burns. Her eyes become heavy. Melina could feel her soul slipping out of her body.I must act now.
