I finally dared to open my eyes and was greeted by the sight of blood.My body started shaking.Is Adriano dead? What have I done?I see fresh blood flowing on the floor.The sight of blood makes me uneasy.Blood was flowing down, near my feet and I finally looked up to find that the blood belonged to Mr. Ficco and his men.I started shaking.Ficco is dead. His lifeless body was lying on the floor.I pressed a hand on my mouth to suppress the scream.How?What the hell happened?How did all this men die? Who killed them?I don't know how it happened, but Adriano stood up.He rubbed his hands around his wrists and tried to relax.I don't even know how his hands got untied or who untied him.But he stood there, tall and broad, in front of me.It's intimidating.My legs started shaking. I don't know whether I would be able to stand on these legs for long."Now repeat it once again darling, what were you saying about getting a divorce, hmm." He rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, taking a
"WHAT?" Adriano's words left me in disbelief. He must be joking right? This ain't no place for a joke.Everyone's eyes were on me.The fear in my heart is immense. Never in my life have I been so terrified."Are you high, Adriano? Do you even understand what you are even saying. Have you completely lost your mind?" I couldn't recover from the shock that he just gave me.He looked dead serious."Well, did I warn you before. I warned you several times but I don't understand how you were living in your own little world, dreaming with your eyes open and thinking that you can even stand a chance against me? Really?" His words hurt me as they came out of his mouth."Now Emilia, unlike you we all here have a business to run. So quit wasting our time and do what Adriano says. As quickly as possible." Dante jumped in the argument.Argh, I hate this man so much. Someone teach him to shut up. Every single words that comes out of his mind makes my blood boil. Adriano can stand on the second posit
"Thank you, for punishing me, I....I deserved it." I murmured as low as I could."Are you mad at me?" Adriano questioned me."No." Just one word answer, it's all I could speak without crying."Who's fault was it, Emilia?""Mine.""Have you learnt your lesson?""I....I did.""How will you behave from this very day?""I will be very obedient, I will never look up at any man's face until told to. I will follow every single order. I will never talk back. I will never question you. I will be docile and will be devoted to you for the rest...... rest of my life.""Will you let me do anything I want to do to you, Emilia?""Y....Yes. Anything that you want. I will.....I will not object.""Am I forcing you to say all of it, baby?""No, I am willing saying what I think, I did wrong and I deserved every thing that happened today." I held back my tears while saying all this bullshit.But what other choice do I have.We were still at the warehouse and I drifted off to sleep, I don't know when it ha
"Chose one Adriano. Either them or me." I put forward my condition. There is no way his family and I can ever get along.Plus, it puts me on a place of advantage. If he chooses me then he will have to turn against his family.Adriano stood silently over there for minutes trying to absorb my words, then he finally spoke."You know that you are my priority, Emilia. I don't need to prove it to anyone, not even to you. If it's not me standing between you and my uncles you would have been dead by now. You matter the most to me without a doubt." It hurts to hear it from his mouth. But then again I reminded myself that how good Adriano is at lying.I cannot be caught in these webs of emotions anymore. I have learnt my lesson the harder way.There is no going back to Adriano, I would rather choose death.I hate him so much but still a very tiny part of my heart wants him to be a good guy.Deep down, very deep though I still wish that Adriano was never a bad guy. I wanted this marriage to work
Flashback:I recovered from the grief of losing my brother but I need to be strong. I need to be two steps ahead of Adriano in order to make him pay for his crimes. He is smart, really clever and I cannot underestimate him and his influence. Having a backup plan will guarantee my success positively."Now I need to do some preprations for tomorrow, I need to prepare the warehouse." John commented as he stood up to leave.We plan to execute our calculated plan in a deserted warehouse owned by this mystery man that John talks about."What preparations?" I asked John with curiosity."A backup plan." John is really helpful. A nice man, nothing like Adriano. I am glad that he is helping me so much."I also have some work to do, you will know about it by tomorrow." I told him.He nodded and left. And I followed John quitely, without letting him know. Of course I need to see what is going on in his mind. Even though John has helped me a lot I cannot blindly trust anyone.I need to be aware o
When I opened my eyes, I found myself in the bed. I scanned my environment and nothing feels familiar. Then I saw the syringes and bottles and hospital beds and realised I am admitted in hospital.My whole body pains.My leg is plastered, I am sure some bone are damaged. Even if I try to move my leg it kills me.It feels so painful to move even a single inch.I am alive. I cannot believe I am alive.I thanked God.Doctors rushed in to check on me, but did not say anything to me. After assuring that everything was fine and now I am in stable state they left me alone to rest.But how did I get here? And where is John? Who brought me to the hospital? I lifted my eyes to see Sofia standing right across me, staring at my injured body.Shit. I know I failed Sofia when I did not take her side. Adriano sent her off to the brothel ad she was very upset. She must be really angry with me. And now maybe she knows that I am behind the explosion.She came towards me. "Sofia. I can explain. They w
3 weeks later-Life had taken a new course for me, one that led me away from the darkness of Adriano's world and into the warmth of the light. Adriano and all his cruel uncles and cousins, were no more. Justice had been served, and I had finally found peace.I try my best not to remember it all and cry about it but I am a human and somedays I lose control over my emotions.But I have started a new life, I need to commit to it.Living with Sofia, was a balm to my injured soul. Sofia is a gentle and helpful woman. We shifted into a new city together and her daughters started to go to school here.We had found solace in each other's company, supporting one another through the trials we had faced. I had even taken a step I had once deemed impossible—I had adopted Aida, Marcus and Gianna's daughter, as my own. She was a source of joy and hope, and a reminder of Gianna for me. I joined a local library and started working there. It's just been a few days there but it keeps my mind busy.As
Life had taken a significant turn for me, and put me in a difficult condition.Though I am far from the world of darkness and fear I had once known I am out into the fear of newness. I had found something that is the provider of peace and healing, and my new daily routine brought a sense of normalcy that I had yearned for.I started working in a local library.Working in the local library had become an escape for me.I enjoy the company of books. I love being alone and surrounded by books.Each day, I would arrive to the gentle hum of whispered conversations and the soft rustling of pages. I really enjoyed every minute of it. The serene and silent atmosphere of the library offered a peaceful environment and calmed my mind down. It's funny how my life now is a stark contrast to the chaos that I felt in my past.I am glad to work at this place.My days were spent amidst rows of books, helping visitors find their literary treasures. The feeling of a book in my hands, its pages filled wi
I woke up to the gentle rays of sunlight filtering through the curtains, casting a warm glow across the room. Its peaceful.Today was the day I had been dreaming of for so long – my wedding day. I cannot believe it's all happening in reality.I am getting married to Salvatore. I am so excited.I stretched and yawned, a wave of excitement washed over me.I don't remember being this happy ever before.There was a newly found sense of peace that I hadn't felt in years. Today, Salvatore would become my husband, and I would leave behind the shadows of my past.Today I completely move on and start a new life.Adriano is dead. And so is Dante. My biological father who tried to trick me is also dead.I have dealt with enough problems in my life now. And today I am setting myself free.These deaths have been a turning point in my life. It was as if a heavy burden had been lifted from my shoulders, allowing me to breathe freely again. I was excited and so were Aida and Emma. After what eve
You and Emma were asleep when you heard a loud bang and the sound of guns firing.You immediately hugged Emma and closed her ears.Emma also jumped and woke up hearing the sound."What is happening mommy?" She asked looking scared and I had no answer to her question because I was unaware too.The sound of guns firing cannot be good, but I don't want Emma to be terrified.Then there was a sound of loud explosion and Adriano came rushing in."Emma, Emilia, he took us out of the bed. We need to run. We are under attack." He grabbed the gun from his drawer and took us out of the room.Me and Emma were being rushed down the stairs and when I reached down I saw Dante with his gun. Dante ran towards the other way from where the sound was coming from."We need to leave as soon as possible. He is here." Adriano said.Who is here? I wanted to ask.But when I moved my head the other way I saw a silhouette of a familiar man.Salvatore.My eyes lit up.I freed my hand from Adriano's grip. Grabbed
I woke up in the morning by the sound of Adriano screaming at someone on the phone."I will kill that fucker." He yelled in the phone."Dante, I will take all the matters in my hand now. You do as I say." Speaking this Adriano turned to look at me.He cut the call and told me to get dressed. "That fucking boy-toy of yours is getting on my nerves now. Apparantly he is on a mission to find out where I have kept you. He reached one of my warehouses and found the drugs that I had kept there before selling them offshore. Now the police is involved and I might end up getting in trouble, but don't worry honey I will never let that fucker find you and destroy our family again." Saying this he barged out of the room.I hope Salvatore is well.I know he is working according to the plan and so am I but Adriano seemed really furious now. He looses his cool and do some reckless shit when things start to get out of his hands.Adriano came back inside the bedroom to get his coat."You are leaving?"
I sat on the bed, waiting for Adriano to arrive.To my surprise he did not lock me again in the basement. He did not starve or tried to manipulate me.Instead he took me to a bedroom upstairs.I peeked out of the window and realised I am in middle of nowhere. The house that I was kept in was searching facing and I was hearing the sounds of the waves.It took me minutes to realise that I was on a island. Adriano is holding me capative in the island so that I cannot escape."If you are looking out for an escape, there isn't any." He informed me.I still sat near the window.He came closer. "Also there are lots of wild animals here, if you set a foot out they will hunt you down. And I don't want my child to be motherless for rest of her life." He chuckled after that.It irritated me. "Aren't you so pathetic Adriano. Trying to use Emma in every possible way to blackmail me. Act like a grown man for once." I barked at him."I want to keep you alive, that just my motto. I never said about
Adriano entered the basement and came and sat next to me on the floor.I was furious that he took Emma away from me. I am furious that I had to leave Aida and follow his orders.I know Salvatore must be taking really good care of Aida, but I am her mother. I feel the loss.For more than twenty minutes we both sat in silence.I decided that this time I am not going to be scared of him. This time I am not going to let him brainwash me.I will stand strong.I know he had many things he wanted to say, but I am pretty sure they all will be horrible."Got back from where we started, huh?" Adriano finally broke the layer of silence.I did not respond."Emma was missing you." He commented after seeing me not react to his words earlier.And I tried my best, I truly did but I couldn't hold back."Where is Emma? How is she? I wanna see her." I sounded so desperate, which I was, for my daughter.I want to see Emma, I want to talk to her, I want to play with her, I want to hug her.There is nothing
Dante ordered me to go and sit in the car. I had no other option but to obey.As I tried to step inside my heart started beating loudly.My heart was screaming to turn around and somehow try to run away. I realised I am not at all ready to go and face Adriano again. I turned around to see Dante standing near the car, he was carrying a gun in his holster. So running away won't do me any good. He might shoot and injure me while I try to escape.At the same time I was worried about Emma. I have come this far, I cannot give up. I will rescue my daughter. I reminded myself of the promises I made to myself.It's not the time to give up, it's time to act smart. So I followed Dante's words and silently got into the car.After removing all the evidence of burning my things Dante got in the car. The whole car ride was silent.We did not even look at each other. I kept looking out of the window when a sudden thought hit my mind.Why does Dante hate me so much?I never knew anyone in my whole li
Aida was asleep when I left. I am happy about it, otherwise it would have been really difficult for me to say goodbye to her in this situation.Salvatore handed me the key of the car and assured me that he will soon come to rescue me. I need to believe him, which I do, but there is a strong fear in my mind regarding Adriano.Before getting in the car I looked back at Salvatore. He has done so much for me. Our relationship is based on maturity and equal respect for each other. This makes me even more happy. But now my life is about to take a drastic turn. I know Adriano must have planned something horrible for me. But I will bear it all until I get to know about the whereabouts of Emma.After driving for another forty five minutes I reached the address Adriano texted me.The whole street was empty and right in front of the spit where I stopped my car, there was another car already waiting for me there.I got out of my car and took my travel bag out and wheeled it to that car.I was ex
I worked according to the plan. I am not going to be scared of Adriano this time. I will fool him instead.He cannot win against me.Salvatore came up with a plan but I am not completely relying on it. I am quite aware how clever Adriano is. He will somehow sabotage all the plans against him.And Emma needs to realise that her father is a bad person. I know in this process her heart will break. I won't tell her myself but somehow I will let her know Adriano's true face.Adriano warned me not to tell the cops about it, and I would not risk it. Because there might be some corrupt policemen who might be working for Adriano.So I only told Salvatore about it. He assured me that in order to keep me and Emma safe, Logan will do his best. Salvatore told me how he and Logan have been friends since childhood and he can be completely trusted. Salvatore told Logan not to let everyone in his department know about the phone call from Adriano. Logan exactly did what Salvatore told him to.More th
Logan sent some of his men to check the CCTV cameras of the roads.If was getting worried sick. I was getting paranoid with each and every moment. I went to Aida's room for atleast 4 times in one hour to check whether she is there or not.I am too scared to lose anymore people in my life.Turns out that Emma left on her own, no body forced her or she has not been kidnapped. I started rethinking my decisions. I did not consider in the beginning that Emma will be so hurt seeing me and Salvatore as a couple. In just a couple of months she has gotten so close to Adriano that her little heart is not ready to accept any other man as her guardian.I understand that this fact is painful and difficult for her to accept but she needs to know the truth that her father is a terrible person, I am not sure that I will be able to tell her anything in details because it's horrible, and I am sure her childlike brain won't be able to listen and understand to so much trauma.Another thought stuck in my