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CHAPTER 31
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2024-10-29 19:42:56A big yawn escapes Melina's lips as the car pulls to a stop at a traffic light. She forces her eyes open as her eyelids drop on their own. I don’t understand. I just woke up a few minutes ago. How can I be feeling sleepy again? Melina looks out the window, blinking her eyes to drive the sleep away, when she sees that they have stopped not too far from a pharmacy. Melina remembers she needs tampons. She was going to ask Thomas to get it tomorrow morning, but she has started spotting, so it would be safer to get it now. She’s unsure when her period will begin. Melina takes a deep breath and moves closer to Thomas to ask him if they can stop by the pharmacy so she can get some tampons.
"Thomas, can I ask for something?"
"Why are you suddenly so close to me, and did you say something?" Thomas looks between their touching thighs and Melina's face. Melina moved closer to him so that Leo and the driver wouldn’t hear her question. She doesn't feel comfortable lettin
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A Second Chance CHAPTER 32
Thomas doesn’t let go of Melina’s hand on the ride home. She wishes he would, as the blood is making their hands sticky. Clearing her throat, she looks up at him and tells him about it.“Oh, I totally forgot,” he says, letting go of her hand.“Thank you,” Melina says, looking at her palm filled with Xiao Zhan’s blood. Thank God he’s still alive; even Thomas’ hands are as bloody.“Here,” Thomas says, placing a handkerchief in her hand, but before Melina can touch it, he grabs it and begins to clean the blood off her hands.“Thank you again,” Melina says. Thomas grunts in response before speaking to Jacob.“Find somewhere with a bathroom close by.”“Okay, sir.”“How long?”“What?” Melina asks.“How long have you been having the nightmare?”“Since I left that house,” she says. Thomas hums in response, and a comfortable silence settles between them.Melina suddenly starts feeling sleepy on the way and rests her head on Thomas’ neck. She quickly pulls it away once she realizes what she did
A Second Chance CHAPTER 33
Melina knocks softly on Franky’s door and waits eagerly for her to open it. Franky gasps the second she opens the door. She looks at Melina like she’s a ghost standing in front of her. Melina smiles and pulls her in for a hug. Franky hesitates to hug Melina back for a second but quickly wraps her arms around her and squeezes the life out of her. Tears fill Melina’s eyes as she takes in the scent of Franky, which reminds her of home. Melina has missed her sister a lot. She wishes she would never have to part with her.“Let me take a look at you,” Franky says, pulling away from Melina. She takes a step back and scans her from head to toe. “Thank God you’re fine. I was so worried about you, Mel. Where have you been?”“Italy.”“Italy? What the hell were you doing there, and why didn’t you tell me you were going there? I reported you missing to the police, Mel. A text would have been enough to let me know you were fine.”“I’ll explain everything. Can we go inside and talk?”“Of course, com
A Second Chance CHAPTER 34
Melina walks into the restaurant with Thomas behind her. They make their way to the cashier to place their order.“What can I get for you today, ma’am?” the young girl asks.“I’ll have large fries, two double cheeseburgers, nuggets, popcorn chicken, four wings, and a vanilla milkshake,” Melina says, and the place goes silent. She looks around, puzzled as to why everyone is staring at her like she just ordered food for five people.“That’s quite a lot you ordered for a small woman like you,” Thomas says, tilting his head to the side. Melina was never a big eater, so it’s understandable he is surprised that her appetite has increased.“Is that so? I don’t think so,” Melina says, avoiding eye contact with him. She hopes he doesn’t read too much into it.“Are you sure you can even finish all that you ordered?”“Yes,”B
A Second Chance CHAPTER 35
"Ciao Tom," Aurora greets, hugging Thomas once he gets to her table."How're you doing, Aurora?" Thomas pecks her cheeks before taking his seat across from her."Good, and you?""I'm good. Have you eaten?" Thomas motions to a waiter, who is standing close by to their table."No, but the food can wait. I need to talk to you about something important.""Oh, what's up?" Thomas waves the waiter away and sits up."I wanted to ask, do you think our family can afford to go to war with another Russian gang?""Why are you asking?" Thomas furrows his brows. He didn't expect his sister to say that."Let's say Kirill is having problems with another Russian gang. Will we be able to help if a war breaks out between them?""Unfortunately, we won't.""Really, why?" Aurora appears deeply disappointed, which Thomas finds a little odd given that she hasn't been dating Kirill for long enough to care that much about him.
A Second Chance CHAPTER 36
ThomasThomas takes off his Hermes suit jacket and tosses it onto the couch. He walks to the bar and pours himself a drink. Thomas gestures for the man who looks like he’s about to pee in his pants to approach him. The man trembles with fear as he gets closer to Thomas. Thomas takes a sip of his scotch before reaching into his back pocket for a cigarette. “Light it up for me, Alberto,” Thomas says, holding out his cigarette, but the man is unable to do so because he won’t stop quivering. “Don’t worry, I can do it myself.” Thomas takes the lighter from his hand and lights it himself. “So tell me what happened again,” Thomas says, taking a drag on his cigarette. The man narrates to Thomas what happened in the past few minutes. Once the man is done talking, Thomas puts out his cigarette and finishes his drink in one swing. “Repeat the last sentence, Alberto,” Thomas says, folding his shirt sleeves.“That’s how I lost Miss Melina, sotto capo…” Thomas lands a hard punch on Alberto’s f
A Second Chance CHAPTER 37
Melina gets down from the kitchen stool, swallowing a lump in her throat. She takes a look at James and notices he’s dressed in the Givenchy suit she bought for him before they split. That can’t be a good sign.“James, w-wh-h-a-at are you doing here?”“I heard you were in town, so I thought I’d stop by and say hi,” James says, walking closer to Melina, his scent drifting through her nose. Melina’s brain immediately recalls how she would smell like him for days, despite doing everything she could to scrub his scent off her body. Tears well up in her eyes, remembering why she even had his scent on her body in the first place.“Really? That’s so nice of you,” Melina says, blinking away tears. Her nose stings, telling Melina she’s not doing a good job of suppressing her emotions. It’s hard for Melina because she recalls all the times she cried silently, staring at the ceiling as J
A Second Chance CHAPTER 38
Melina wakes up with an excruciating headache and a burn on her left cheek. She looks around and finds herself in a dimly lit room, on a bed she doesn't recall getting on. Melina remembers falling asleep in the van but has no idea how she got here. They must have moved her to this location."Franky," Melina calls, but receives no response. She gets out of the bed and reaches for the room's wall with her hands. Hitting her foot on something hard, she bends down to rub it when the lights in the room suddenly turn on. She closes her eyes as the sudden brightness blinds her. Slowly opening her eyes, Melina tries to adjust to the light."I was starting to worry you were dead. You slept for quite a few hours, Mel," James says, standing near the light switch by the wall."Where is Franky?" Melina looks around the room for Franky, but she is nowhere to be found. Melina wonders where she is."Somewhere safe, and don't worry, she’s not dead yet," James says.
A Second Chance CHAPTER 39
As the first punch is thrown at her belly, Melina doesn't even pretend it doesn't hurt. Screaming at the top of her lungs as his iron-ringed knuckles punch her stomach, Melina hunches forward, forcing her stomach in as her ribs burn; her face snaps backward as James punches her chin."James, please, I am beg…." Melina's words get choked in her throat as James punches her square in the face. A splitting pain shoots through Melina's nose as it breaks in two. Melina tastes the metal in her mouth as blood pours out of her nose."I wonder if he will still love you once I make you ugly," James says, punching her in the stomach again.“Please” she rasps."This is just the beginning, love. By the time I'm done with you, Thomas will know never to mess with the Mexican cartel again."The punches continue until Melina’s black eyes can no longer stay open. Every part of her body hurts beyond words. Melina feels as if she's being ripped
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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.
