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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
Mira's POVWas the way I checked my windows every so often paranoid? Absolutely not. I just like to be aware of what is happening around me. But, let’s be honest, the image of a sixty-nine-year-old lady doing exercises in an outfit that left nothing to the imagination was somewhat traumatizing. I mean, good for her to keep in shape, but… that wasn’t the visual I had in mind for my day. But this is where I wanted to be, my place, with my thoughts. It was easier to be tormented by the memory of Vincenzo's lips in the privacy of my four walls. Love wanted me to stay, but I wasn't able to. I needed to distance myself from her as much as I could, at least while I felt like I had a target on my back. I refused to stop living, to stop breathing, to stop being the person I was. But I also refused to drag anyone else into this mess. I also need to escape him. His touch, the soft press of his mouth against mine, still lingered, like an echo of something I couldn’t quite escape. I didn’t want to
"You told him, didn't you?" I ask Tolga."I didn't want to, but it would have been worse if I didn't," Tolga says as he steps backward, leaving me somewhat alone to face Vincenzo."I thought the point of this was to keep me safe, not to spy on me," I tell Vincenzo as he looks me up and down, slowly, taking in every centimeter of my body until our eyes meet. He was furious, but he had no reason to be. My life was my own. I could do what I wanted with it... or so I thought."I can do both." He says. "Actually I can do whatever I want." "And what would that be, exactly?" I ask."Right now... put you over my shoulder and carry you out of here before that bastardo lays another finger on you." My breath catches in my throat, and I can't stop the shiver that runs down my spine. He’s serious, I can tell by the coldness in his eyes. The same eyes that once held so much passion now only reflect something darker. Protective, possessive, too damn controlling. And I refuse to be controlled."Don’t
"Where are you taking me?" I asked as I watched his angry profile, taking in all of his gorgeousness, down to the point of his neck where my mother's scarf peeked through."Home." That was the only thing he told me, and he stayed in silence all the way back to my apartment building. He entered the garage, got out, and opened the door for me. Still, no words were spoken. I took out my key card and opened the elevator while he pressed the floor button. The silence was killing me, it played with my nerves."Was that really necessary?" I asked, breaking the silence."Perhaps that will teach you to listen to me, Trouble." He murmurs under his exhausted breath. "It Mira. Ok? Mira. And you, you had no right, non whatsoever to act that way.!""I have the right. My heart gave me the right." He says as he suddenly turns towards me, my back finding the elevator wall. "My heart claimed you as his and I can't... I won't let you or anyone else take you from me. Trouble." The weight of his words hit
Love’s POV"What do you mean he moved into the building?" I ask Mira over the phone as I walk alone in the garden. As it turns out finding solitude in this enormous house was much harder than I thought. It was as if the walls had eyes and I was forced to walk around with this damn cane all the time."Exactly that, and he has Tolga behind me all the time. I'm telling you I'm gonna go crazy." Meanwhile, I find this reassuring. Vincenzo is keeping his word, keeping her safe. It made what I had to do a bit easier on me."As long as you keep in touch with him, can you pass on a message to me? Tell him it's done." "Done? What are you talking about? What’s done?" Mira’s voice on the other end of the line crackles slightly, her frustration bleeding through the words."You don’t need to worry about the details," I say quietly, my voice steady but with an edge of something darker. "Just tell him. It’s done. I’ve taken care of it." There’s a pause on the other end of the line. I can almost hear
"Christian, to what do I owe this pleasure?" Vincenzo asked as he lifted his head from his book. I had a feeling I would find him at the club, it seemed he operated from here these days."What's the deal with Volkav?" I ask wasting no time. The look on his face tho was awesome enough."Why do you ask?""Because he just left my office, but not before threatening me. He wants me to reopen the deal, and sign the contract with him." Vincenzo listens to me and then nods his head to a man sitting at the table next to us. "And you come to me... why exactly?" He asks."Cut the crap, Vincenzo," I say as I sit down, not wanting to attract more attention to us. "I know what you do, and I know the kind of people you are associated with. So tell me why does he want the deal so bad?"Vincenzo leans back in his chair, his fingers drumming slowly on the table as his eyes narrow. For a moment, the club's muted hum of chatter and clinking glasses fade into the background, leaving the two of us in a ten
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