Kimberly POV I woke to a persistent knock on my door. Did I mention I’ve moved out of this room already? Well, now I’m back here again, the only place that feels familiar in this twisted mansion.“Come in,” I said groggily, rubbing my eyes.Enzo entered, casting me a look laced with impatience.“You’ve been sleeping since yesterday, until now?” he asked, his tone dripping with judgement.I sighed, irritation stirring. This guy was really starting to get under my skin.“What—” I began, but he cut me off.“The boss wants to see you. Now,” he said.“The boss? Leonardo’s back? Since when?”“Please come with me,” Enzo replied, pretending he hadn’t heard me. He clearly had no intention of filling me in.I was still in shorts and an oversized T-shirt. Since he hadn’t suggested I change, I took that as permission to stay as I was. If Leonardo didn’t like it, he could blame Enzo, not me.Following his brisk pace, I realised we were heading to a part of the house I’d never seen before. The furt
Kimberly POV I paced the hallway, my mind racing. Was Leonardo serious? Would he actually hurt Lan? I’d been calling him for hours, but he wasn’t picking up. At one point, his phone had been switched off, and my heart leapt into my throat. “Please, Lan, answer me.’Seeing Mario near the entrance, I hurried over. He seemed friendlier than the others, and maybe he’d tell me something I could believe.“Mario,” I called out, my voice laced with nervous energy.He turned and offered a casual smile, as though nothing were wrong. For a second, I was stunned. “Didn’t he just witness a murder? How do they all do it?” “Hey, Kimberly, what’s up?” he asked, seemingly oblivious to my distress.“Kimberly? You okay?” he said again, his brows knitting together.“No, Mario. I need to talk to my brother.” My voice wavered. “Leonardo threatened him earlier, and now I can’t reach Lan.”Mario smiled slightly, but I saw something flicker in his gaze, just for a second. “Leonardo wouldn’t hurt Lan,” he repl
Kimberly POV Enzo soon called to tell me it was time to leave. I was glad I came. It had been a good day already.Luciana clung to my cargo pants as I tried to go. “It’s okay, she’ll come visit another time,” Emily said, trying to coax her daughter. Lucy reluctantly let go, but the tears in her eyes nearly undid me. “Babies—they’re so sweet,” I murmured, bending down to hug her. “You’ll come again, huh?” she whispered, her lip trembling. “Pinky promise,” she said, thrusting her tiny finger toward me. I laughed softly and hooked my pinky around hers. “Pinky promise,” I whispered, meaning it. I already saw family here, even if they weren’t supposed to be mine. Behind me, Enzo cleared his throat. I shot him to look sharp enough to cut glass. I understood their rules—emotions weren’t encouraged. But was he really this heartless? I hissed under my breath and gave Emily a final hug before following him out the door. In the car, I noticed the food flask beside me. Emily had
Kimberly POV I knew I wasn’t supposed to talk to this person, but curiosity got the better of me. At first, I tried to ignore the strange message—some random person offering me help out of nowhere—but something in the words pulled at me. “Help.” The idea of escaping this life, of leaving Leonardo and this sick life behind, was too tempting to resist. So, I opened the message and replied. “Who is this?” I typed. The response came almost instantly, making my heart skip. “Someone who can help you.” Help. The word wrapped around me like a lifeline, and suddenly, I couldn’t let go. Help meant hope. It meant a way out. “How?” I typed quickly, my fingers trembling slightly as I hit send. “I can help you leave that place,” came the reply. My chest tightened, and I sat up straighter on the bed, now wide awake. The weight I carried every day—the helplessness, the suffocation—shifted, just a little. Could this really be the way out? “Help me leave here? How?” There was a pause,
The night before That evening, I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling as my mind spun in circles. The air in the room felt too thick, pressing down on my chest like a weight I couldn’t escape. The phone beside me glowed faintly in the dark, a reminder that everything I knew was about to change. Sleep teased the edges of my mind, but it refused to stay. My thoughts raced. What if I had gone too far? What if there was no way back? Just as I felt myself slipping into unconsciousness, the phone buzzed, sharp and intrusive. I grabbed it with shaky fingers. A message from S. "Just a little push. Tomorrow, everything will change."I swallowed hard, my throat dry. I wanted to believe I'm just not doing the wrong thing.The Next Morning The moment my eyes opened, my hand instinctively reached for my phone. Lately, checking my I*******m has become a reflex—since I met s. Today was no different. I scrolled mindlessly until a message from S appeared, waiting for me like a coiled snake."You'
Kimberly POV A sharp sting jolted me awake, pain searing through my back. I blinked, struggling to piece together what was happening, as the sound of gunshots broke through the haze, bringing me back to reality.“Kimberly.” My name floated through the chaos, barely audible.“Kimberly!” The voice came again, louder this time, unmistakable. Leonardo. I could pick out his voice anywhere.Gritting my teeth, I made a feeble attempt to stand, but it was futile. The stone crumbled instantly under my fingers, tumbling down in a dusty heap. The mansion was nothing but rubble now, reduced to mere debris.Another explosion ripped through the air, and I stumbled back to the ground, clutching my side as pain flared up my spine.I forced myself up again, only to see Leonardo rushing toward me. But a pile of fallen bricks had already risen between us, forming an impassable wall.I couldn’t go out, and he couldn’t get in. All around me, the walls continued to cave, pieces collapsing one after anothe
Leonardo POV I rested my head on the desk, the world around me fading as the conversation with Salvatore played on repeat in my mind. His voice was so clear, full of malice, too alive in my thoughts, and every word was like a fresh reminder that he never left.****** The Day Of The Explosion I was sipping my morning coffee when my phone buzzed. It was an unknown number. I picked it up regardless.Silence hung in the air before a voice cut through it—cold, smooth, and maddeningly familiar.“Hello, Mr. Leonardo,” he greeted.The sound of his voice was enough to make my blood run cold. I gripped the edge of the table, forcing myself to stay calm. “Salvatore.”“Nardo,” he purred, his tone thick with mockery. Only Salvatore called me that, his favourite insult hidden under a thin layer of sarcasm.“So quick to remember me”My teeth clenched, jaw tight. “What do you want?”“Ah, straight to business, as always.” He chuckled—a low, grating sound that made me clench my fist around the coff
Kimberly POV A week had passed since we relocated to the mansion in the southern part of Spain. It was grand, imposing, just like the previous one. Talking about that, the name of the man responsible for my turmoil had finally reached my ears—Salvatore. The realisation twisted in my gut like a cruel joke.Days earlier, Luca had demanded my Instagram login after my phone had been shattered, reducing any shred of privacy I clung to. Together, we scrolled through my exchanges with Salvatore. Each word felt like a confession, staining me as Mario and Enzo looked on. Shame prickled up my neck, burning my skin. At that point, I couldn't help but agree I had been stupid. Enzo’s gaze hardened as if silently branding me a fool. I didn't need his disdain to confirm what I already knew—I had been careless.Leonardo rose from his chair, the scrape of wood against the marble tile slicing through the tense silence. He walked to the bar, filling a glass of wine with steady hands, but his jaw clen