Stay tuned... we are about to make some time jumps to speed the story which Im so excited for since its the part that made me think of this story in the first place... dont miss it...
"This is getting ridiculous, how much longer are they going to follow us?" Mira asked about the bodyguard that walked behind us in the mall. It was safe to say she didn't like to feel watched, and to be fair neither did I. I spend all of my time pretending while in the house, and now I have to continue doing it outside. "Christian doesn't want us walking around alone, he doesn't think it's safe. I dont know if he is right or not yet somehow I'd rather be safe than sorry. And so should you." But she pretends she is above it, about the worry, about everything that happened."Well if he wants to keep you under wraps, taking you to the high-profile party isn't the best course of action," Mira states as we walk into a high-end dress store."Actually he thinks that being in the eyes of the world would make me safer, and besides it's his birthday party, as his girlfriend I have to be there. And now so do you." Mira gave a resigned shrug and walked deeper into the store, clearly still harbori
The room is buzzing with laughter, chatter, and the clinking of glasses as guests chat, dressed in elegant attire, but I don’t miss the subtle glances from the crowd even when I have to pretend not to see. The bodyguards are present, though they’re more discreet now, blending into the surroundings like shadows. I couldn't tell how much Grace knew about what happened while she was away but if she knew everything she did a hell of a good job at hiding it. What I hated most of all was that I could feel everyone watching me. They don't know me, but they know of me. The little they know is a lie. And that makes it worse."Dont you look stunning?" I hear Tam's voice behind me while I stand in the middle of the room with Mira. For some reason, Christian decided to disappear for a moment, and without him here I felt more than lost."Tam, I'm so glad you could make it," I say as I hug her."Glad to be here." She says as she pulls away and looks at Mira. For a second her face remains serious but
“What do you want, Mr.DeLuca?” I ask, the words slipping from my mouth sharper than I intended. "What happens now? What is your point?"His smile widens, a dangerous curve of lips that sends a chill through me. "I’m not interested in making points, Miss Bennett. I’m interested in leverage." He steps back, his posture relaxed now, almost casual as he grabs the glass that Mira drank from, taking a slow sip. The tension in my stomach coils tighter. I want to shout, I want to demand he leave, but instead, I force myself to take a deep breath, trying to remain calm and smile."I don’t know what you think you have on me, but whatever it is… you’re wasting your time."He tilts his head, eyes flicking to my hand, where I grip the glass too tightly, my knuckles white. "Am I? You’re a smart woman, Miss Bennett. Surely, you realize I have plenty of ways to make things very uncomfortable for you." I swallow hard, fighting the surge of panic threatening to rise in my chest. "Just tell me what you
The world goes black.For a split second, everything is still, as if time itself has paused to give me a moment to breathe, to think. But it’s only a heartbeat before reality crashes back in, a voice calling out to me."Love," Christian’s voice pierces through the haze, urgent but gentle."She will be fine, she just fainted." I hear Mira's voice as some acidic smell comes up my nose. "See, she is coming to." She says as I gently open my tired eyes. My breath comes in shallow gasps, my chest tight. I close my eyes, trying to steady myself.“Love?” Christian’s voice is close now, his hand warm and steady on my arm. "Christian," I croak, still disoriented. Christian brushes a lock of hair from my face, his fingers lingering just a second too long. “You scared me.” His voice cracked, and its vulnerability made my chest ache."Let her breathe," Mira says as she brings a glass of water closer. "Perhaps you should go downstairs and check on your guests. I'll stay with her until she can get
Mira's POVLove made a choice, she will marry Christian, and at this moment as I clapped my hands together with the rest of the guests at this wonderful news I kept thinking if the advice I gave her was a good one. It's a price for happiness. But what did I know of happiness? A big fat nothing. The word meant nothing to me, not for a very long time, what I did know of was peace... and that was the only thing I had for the last six years, something I feel like I'm losing ever since he showed up. He, Vincenzo, an enigma staring at me from across the room. Our last conversation left a lot of things in the air, and he managed to dig his way deeper into my head to the point where he is the first thing I think about when I wake up and the last before falling asleep. And now I have one more question to add to the list. What did he want with Love?I stared back at him, which seemed almost like a challenge. He smiled so I smiled back. He raised his glass as if to toast with me, so I did the sa
Tamara's POVIt wasn't a secret I didn't exactly approve of Love's decisions when it came to her relationship with Christian, but at the same time as her friend I couldn't, didn't say anything. Something that ate at me, at my sense of justice and truth. But at the same time, this was Love at the end of the day. She wasn't a criminal or a murderer, she was a good, perhaps the best person I knew. She didn't do it to hurt anyone, more so she got cut up in a lie that Mira said. Now my relationship with her is a different thing. The way Mira thought, acted, her morals bendable, questionable, always put a knot in my stomach. She had a way of making people feel like they didn’t know whether to love her or hate her or if it was possible to feel both at the same time. And when it came to her and Vincenzo, the whole dynamic made my skin crawl. He was bad news, and she just didn't seem to care. But I did, I didn't want to see her get hurt. I looked around and didn't see her anywhere, to no surp
Love's POVOne month later..."You did what?!" I asked Grace as she sat across from me at the breakfast table after Christian left for work. Mira was determined to go back to the apartment while Christian was set in stone that I won't leave his sight... ever. So I was stuck here, so to speak. "I took the liberty to talk to your parents." She said it with such ease while sipping on her coffee. "You were having a hard time and with a wedding to plan we needed that out of the way." "What... What did you tell them? Why haven't they called me? I know my dad, he would have called me." I was freaking out. My dad didn't approve of lies and deceptions, both of which I was doing to Christian. "Calm down, and lower your voice. Sebastian has incredible hearing." Why is it that every time someone tells me to calm down my blood pressure seems to spike?"They think Christian knows. I told them we were doing this for Sebastian. To be honest, your father didn't take it the best way but your mother s
I knew what I was about to do was wrong. Playing at Vincenzo's game went hand in hand with betraying Christian, but I had to do it to keep him safe. Keep Mira safe. I had no idea how I was going to convince him to drop that deal but I will. One way or another.I paced the room, trying to gather my thoughts. How was I going to convince Christian to drop a deal that was already set in motion? He wasn’t a man who was easily swayed, especially when it came to business. This wasn’t something he would take lightly. It would have to be something big, something personal, if I was going to make him even consider backing out.The thought of asking myself What would Mira do? felt almost ironic in the moment. I knew what she would tell me. Seduce him, sweet talk him, mesmerize him... to me, all of those sounded like manipulation, something I didn't want to do, not to him.Shower. I need a shower to clear my head.I stripped off my clothes, letting the steam fill the room as I turned the knob, step
He didn’t respond. Then, footsteps. Slow, deliberate. He moved closer, and my breath hitched in my throat even though I tried not to let it show. I turned my face slightly toward where I thought he was standing, listening for the soft rustle of his suit, the shift in the air. I didn't need my eyes to feel the gravity of him near me. "You wore a mask, every single day. Lied, to our faces... and you say it was for our own good. You are no better than the bastard I had for a father." His voice was closer now, a whisper laced with venom. "But I am not him." "Perhaps you are even worse. He at least didn't pretend to love us, at least not in the end." Christian says, anger blooming inside of him. "I love you, Christian. More than I ever thought was possible." I say trying to reach him but he pushes back at me, my back against the wall. "Shut up, you lie so well I might believe you for a second." “If I wanted to keep lying, I wouldn’t have told you the truth, I wouldn't still be here
Four weeks later...The last night in the dark...I am on the edge.I can't take this darkness anymore. I keep telling myself it's soon going to be over, that at least I will be able to act freely, even walk into the world alone free of pretenses. I want my parents to see that the lie is over, and I want Bash to get over everything soon, even if that means that whatever this is I have with Christian comes to an end.We have been living in this penthouse for three weeks now, and every second for me has been hell. His indifference at times is worse than his hate, at least hating me meant he still had me somewhere in his soul, in silence alongside this darkness that was eating at me.If it weren't for Mira I would be completely alone, she is the only good thing here. She told me to take off the bandages while Christian was at work but I just couldn't. He was far too unpredictable, popping in and out at different times as if trying to surprise me by doing something wrong and I didn't feel
Hearing the voices of people I love around me made me feel peace, so much so that I never wanted them to leave. In front of them, Christian was the man, the husband I always thought he would be. He was loving, kind, and caring. I never wanted it to end.But all that is good has its end, so did this.My friends were about to leave, at least Grace and Bash would be around. At least not until Christian makes us move again.Tamara and Bash were aside, talking. It is nice to hear that the friendship between them is blooming, hopefully into something bigger and better. Grace pulled Christian away to the office for a moment leaving me alone with Mira."Love, call me crazy but something here doesn't feel right. Are you sure you are as happy as you say you are?" I knew she would sense something, and despite promising Christian I would say anything I needed to let go with someone, and who better than Mira? I need someone on my side, someone to stand in my corner... make me feel less alone."Mira
"People are still talking about the wedding. It's the talk of every event since." Grace says as we sit at the table. Christian is right next to me, holding my hand, his thumb tracing the side of my knuckle. It feels nice. Too nice. "And no one thinks you are pregnant anymore, so now they believe it's true love." Bash comments. "Good, because it is. As true as it gets," Christian says as he kisses my cheek. I smile. It is so hard to be in this darkness. The voices around me keep surprising me. Every movement strikes a nerve within me, and I have to pretend to be relaxed. "Why didn't you tell us about doing the surgery?" Bash asks. "We wanted you to see firsthand that the surgery you will go under would work because she will be taking off the bandages just before you go under. That will give you all the training you need to go there without a doubt in your mind that this will work." Christian’s words are calm like he’s presenting a plan instead of revealing something deeply personal.
Love's POVI think I understand Bash now better than ever. Being trapped in the dark was horrible. No wonder he felt the way he did. Even when I knew well that this would last only four weeks, walking around with my eyes bandaged up was hard. even harder than I imagined it would be.But one thing was good... as long as I couldn't see I wouldn't have to look at the hatred that grew inside Christian's eyes. This situation goes from bad to worse. The silence between us felt like it was splitting me in two. I could feel Christian beside me, his presence so tense, so tightly wound. I couldn’t see his face, but I didn’t need to. I could feel the sharp edge of his anger cutting through the air between us. The hatred I’d seen in his eyes before, that dark, simmering look, now felt like a constant companion. He didn’t even have to say anything. I could feel it in the way he handled me, the way he spoke, the way he didn’t speak.But I liked the fact we were back home. Perhaps that way I won't fe
"How long is this going to take? We have a plane to catch." That's not true. It's not like my private plane would go somewhere without me, but I wanted out of this doctor's office as soon as possible."I thought you were returning in a month. If it's supposed we just did the surgery she wouldn't be recovered by now. The world won't believe it." The good doctor says as Love glances up at me."Plans change. Tell her what to do to fake it, she's good at that." I was on edge. Playing nice was so hard and I needed all the willpower I had to do this charade infront of my family, not him."We would need to bandage her eyes... keep her like that for about three to four weeks. And even after that she would need to use sunglasses outside for a period of time... pretend to adjust." Somehow that sounded perfect in my head. She would, even for a short four weeks be forced to walk around blind. She would get to taste her lie on her own skin. "She can do it," I say as I glance at her. "In fact, wrap
Christian's POV I hate her. But somehow I hate myself more for still loving her. I hate how I still want her, and I hate even more the thought of another man having her. The image of the doctor's hand on her filled my chest with rage. She was mine. In every way possible, she was mine. Mine to torture, mine to punish, mine to hate. I wanted to break her. I wanted to watch her unravel beneath me until she knew, without a doubt, who she belonged to. My own torment, my own suffering, would be her punishment. But would it be enough? Would it ever be enough? I have never wanted anyone as much as he wanted her, but with every passing day, the love I thought I had for her had twisted into something darker. The same shade of dark I once felt for my lying father. He was the first and only lesson I need to understand how much a lie can destroy a life. He lied to my mother, he betrayed another woman. He would lie and leave us, his family, to be with someone else. A woman who probably just wa
I didn’t know how I felt anymore. I still loved him, but a part of me was starting to fear him. The love that once felt so pure, so effortless, was now tangled in a web of control and lies. Every interaction, every word exchanged between us, left me more uncertain. The warmth I once felt in his touch had turned into something that made my bones feel frozen.I wanted to reach out, to say something that would make him hear me, make him understand the pain that I was going through. But every time I opened my mouth, the words felt wrong, twisted by the fear of saying the wrong thing, of pushing him further away. Every time I tried to speak, I felt like I was walking on a tightrope, the fear of falling into his wrath too great.After spending a week and a half not leaving the villa, he finally decided to leave. Here he would just casually reach for my hand as we walked but he did not talk much. At a spot with a beautiful view, he asked a stranger to take a photo of us, and he hugged and eve
Christian kept his word. To the outside world, we were this perfect, happy newlywed couple. So in love, so eager to start our honeymoon. But behind the facade, everything was different. Every touch, every word, every look felt hollow. His arms around me were nothing more than a carefully constructed performance, a show for the people around us. As we walked through the airport, I couldn’t help but feel the weight of the eyes on us. The casual paparazzi snapped their pictures, capturing our smiles, our closeness, and the image of a perfect couple. But it was all just that, a picture. A snapshot of a life that didn’t belong to us.Christian kept his distance from the photographers, his presence almost protective. He would always make sure no one got too close, his hand gripping my arm just a little tighter whenever the flashes started. In that moment, I felt both protected and imprisoned, wrapped in a cocoon of control that had nothing to do with love and everything to do with appearanc