TWO WEEKs LATER. It's been two weeks since I got the news that Dad's organs were failing him. Doctor Cameron said he must have caught a viral infection from the black mould that stains the ceiling in the hallway of our home. After he finished informing me of his prediction, he wore this expression that shouted: 'I told you so' He never said it, but I knew he was thinking it, and I felt foolish for not taking his advice and letting my pride get the better of me. My father's health rapidly deteriorated the day I returned from Alessandros’ following a night of wicked activities for which my father is now suffering the consequence. If I had known what I do now, I would have done things differently. I wouldn't have brought my father back home, and I wouldn't have slept with Alessandro that ruinous night. I used to believe that my trust in my religion was as razor-sharp as two chains joined, impenetrable, indestructible, and invincible. But now my beliefs are dormant, and I'm qui
FOUR DAYs LATER.The air smells like unclean, wet soil, and the gusting wind whips around us, creating whirlpools that dance in the open air.Droplets of tears fall from my eyes like raindrops falling from the cloudy sky, which reminds me of a certain pair of stormy blue eyes that I miss gazing into.The same pair of eyes that haunt me in my sleep and tortures my every waking moment.Today, alongside Nic and Jax, I stand in front of my father's freshly dug grave, listening to the priest's concluding prayer.I feel numb.Void of any real emotions, zilch, nothing!Though my eyes are bloodshot and a small stream of tears flows down my flushed cheeks, my mind and heart have closed themselves off from me emotionally. I don't even remember arriving here or how we got to this point. I twirl the single red rose in my hand that has a single thorn peeking out of the stem, carelessly, I puncture my finger against it hoping to feel something. But I don't, I just frown, watching the crimson liq
The sound of water running in the background pulls me out of my deep slumber.I turn over onto my back, stretching my aching limbs, slowly prying my eyelids open, and I shoot upright when my eyes land on the white, pristine ceiling I know too well. The moon illuminates the room as the sun has already set, and the rain has also stopped. My eyes dart around the room, looking for Alessandro, and I quickly realise the water that's running in the background is the shower.A feverish chill runs down my spine when I think about Alessandro being naked in the shower in the next room. His bodywash wafts through the room as clouds of condensation escape under the ensuite doorway. I flip over the bedding and swing my legs over the side of the enormous bed. I peer down at myself, and the clothes I once adorned have been stripped from my body, leaving me in my maroon lacy bralette and thong. Alessandro would not have stripped me unless he had a solid reason, which I can only presume was becaus
THREE HOURs AND MANY WHISKEYs LATER.I sigh, laughing. “I don't believe you!” I utter, laying down on the carpet and looking up at the ceiling, with a half-naked Alessandro next to me. “It's true.” He mutters. “The very first time I kissed a girl, I was fourteen years old, and she was the cook's daughter.” For some odd reason, it surprises me that Rose wasn’t his first kiss."Hmm, how old was she?"Clearing his throat. “She was twenty-four years old, and she was the first person I slept with too.” He slowly shifts, sitting upright with his legs fanned out in front of him. He's silent as he stares straight ahead into the distance. I slowly manoeuvre into an upright stance, with my focus solely on him. The tension in the air shifts. It becomes icy, bitter, and raw, and I realise immediately that this is not a scenario he is bragging about.I touch his forearm, letting him know that I am still beside him and that he has my undivided attention if he wishes to express himself further.
I lay awake on my side, watching Alessandro sleep as the sun begins to rise. Beautiful hues of yellow, red and orange cast off the windows, shining through the room gloriously. The gentle rumbling sound of him snoring reverberates off the walls; his features are soft, long lashes fan his cheeks, and he looks peaceful, calm and so relaxed for once. After his confession about Maria grooming him by his fathers' orders, my heart bleeds for him, deeply, and I fear it may bleed itself dry. How can two damaged souls with different outlooks on life try to repair one another? They can't. Especially when all the odds are stacked against you. I need to sort my life out and I can't do that here with all the distractions. And it's why I've made the tough decision to move to Wellington City and stay with my Aunt Mae on my father's side of the family. Aunt Mae with a glass eye. Looking past Alessandro, straining my neck, I glance at the digital alarm clock sitting on top of his bedside
ALESSANDRO, AKA DON VALENTINO. Reaching across the bed with my arm in the hopes to entice Ivy back into my embrace once more, a mischievous smirk plays on the corner of my mouth. I have not slept this well since she left. But having her back in my bed and sharing my hidden truths, has taken some of the weight that has been weighing me down for years off my shoulders. But what makes me weak, is that Ivy didn’t judge me. I am capable of dealing with glances of distaste and repulsiveness. These sentiments are irrelevant to a man like me. A man accustomed to the disdainful, frigid glances of individuals who mean nothing to me. It acts as a buffer between my mind and my emotions. It is the pity that would have been most painful. The sensitivity with which her watery hazel eyes glance at me will be my undoing. She is my vulnerability, my everything, and I wish I could figure out how to stop wounding her fragile heart. When I extend my hand further across the bed, all that remains
“Please, Miss Bishop. There is so much we have to discuss and time is very limited.” The kind doctor insists. Sighing, “all right, this doesn't sound too promising.” I say as I sit back in the armchair. I watch as the doctor walks around her badly damaged desk and sits in her office chair, which looks very outdated as well. She places the small pile of papers down on the desk and moves the mouse to her computer. I wait in silence as I watch her, wishing she would hurry and skip straight to the point. “Okay,” she breathes out as she raises her gaze to meet mine. “The blood work came back, and you are very well, indeed, pregnant.” She pauses as she waits for my reaction. “Pre-pregnant?” I stutter as if the two-syllable word has always been difficult for me to say. “Yes, pregnant.” She states firmly. “When was the last time you had a menstrual cycle?” I think back, “the last time was about six months ago. They aren't regular, so I paid it no attention.” “Mmm-hmm,” the doct
ALESSANDRO, AKA DON VALENTINO. TWO WEEKs EARLIER. I swivel in my chair, turning myself, so I can stare out the window. The same window I always found Ivy gazing out of. Ivy. Ivy Bishop. My headache. The only woman who has managed to put my very existence on hold. She is the only woman who has ever run away from me, causing my heart to stop beating and my breath to cease. Each time Ryan enters my office with an update, a glimmer of optimism for him tracking her down sits on my shoulders. Sadly, that sliver of hope is genuinely starting to disappear, along with the desire of me striving to track her down. The morning she abandoned me in bed, I had relentlessly called her number, but her phone continuously kept going straight to voice mail. By that time, the evening had come around. I had a bad feeling and I drove myself to Nicole's house, the same friend that wouldn't let me leave without her by my side like a thorn in a rose when Ivy had fainted at her papa's funeral
I set the bouquet that little Savannah had gathered from the villa’s lovely rose garden on Roses' grave. I take a step back to where Savannah stands. In her small, delicate hands, she holds the photo frame that contains a picture of her and Rose on their trip to the beach one sunny day. I peer down at her, a sad pout upon her bottom lip, and the tears in her eyes gnaw at the branches of my heart.She is so young and innocent, and she's lost both of her parents. I can't even comprehend what turmoil invades her little body. If anything happens to me or Alessandro, she will be left all alone. Tears pool in my eyes when I imagine her going through life alone, and I nibble on my bottom lip, deep in thought. I wish to give her a sibling. Whether it be blood or through an adoption agency. Conceiving a child is one of my biggest fears after losing our precious child beforehand. But with my tubes being cleaned and two doctors on call at my every whim. The fear that harbours my body isn't
FIVE DAYs LATER.It's been five pleasurable days since I spontaneously married the man whom I love like there is no tomorrow. We finally left the room and joined the rest of civilisation yesterday afternoon. We also took Savannah out to the beach for dinner and an early evening swim in the water. We ate, laughed, sang silly childhood songs from the past and swam. It was a perfect evening to end a perfect wedding and the start of a wonderful life together — as a family. Alessandro hasn't been able to keep his hands off my body either and this morning, I slipped out of the room bright and early to evade his wandering hands. Torturous mouth. And well… I'm sure you get the picture.My body aches in places I never knew it could. My womanly parts have never felt so raw and beautifully used at the same time. But today I'd actually like to sit down without gnawing on the inside of my cheek to mask the hissing wince that escapes my lips. As I descend the stairs, with Viktor not too far
Alessandro lets out a little growl. “You'll be the death of me, woman.” He takes my hand and starts leading us off the dance floor, making a small pit stop when we reach Riccardo and Selena.Riccardo clears his throat, steps away from Selena like her touch suddenly burnt, and he straightens his posture, running a hand through his hair. Selenas’ eyes widen as they dart between Alessandro and Riccardo, placing her hands behind her back. “I think you'll both make one hell of a power couple, and I give you my blessing,” Alessandro says with amusement flickering in his eyes as he thrusts his hand out.Selenas’ head snaps up with a big smile spreading across her face and her mouth agape. Riccardo looks at Alessandro with shock-engulfed irises, and he clears his throat as he takes Alessandros’ hand in his and starts shaking it. “You knew?” “Of course I did,” Alessandro chuckles as he releases Riccardos’ hand and pulls me into his side. “There's not much that goes on in the villa that I
I don't know how many times I have told myself that marrying Alessandro today is crazy.Impulsive.But when I think back to the photos of the stunning Brazilian dancer all over him. Jealousy invades my body like a plague. It's cruel, tormenting, and body crippling. It's a feeling that I wouldn't want to wish upon my greatest enemy.The truth is, I love Alessandro. I want to be his wife. His lifetime companion and I know he feels the same about me. He refers to me as his Farfalla. My glorious, powerful prince charming, who is hell-bent on haunting my nightmares back even though he has demons of his own, lurking in the shadows that I vow to slay on his behalf.Together, we can be unstoppable. We can conquer the impossible and build an indestructible empire.Together as one.We have old wounds that have been opened and exposed, forcing me to face my insecurities as they lured cruel enemies back into our lives from the shadows of hell.We slipped through each other's fingers multipl
MINUTES EARLIER.Walking out of the bathroom, a knock sounds at my bedroom door. “Come in,” I call out, jumping back under the sheets in the bed I share with Alessandro.The door slowly pries open. I glance up and watch as Nic and Selena walk into the room, looking like utter shit. They look how I feel. Pointing to the bottle of painkillers on the bedside table, “help yourself, there's no ice water, so you'll have to go downstairs for that,” I say as I try to stifle a yawn behind my hands.“Babe,” Nic says in her 'I have something to tell you, and you're not going to like it' voice.Shit…The blood drains from my face. “What's wrong?” I ask as I sit upright, pulling the sheet with me.Selena sits down on the bed, followed by Nic, and she opens the laptop she had walked in with and turns it around to face me. “There are some pictures…” Selena says as she glances at Nic.“Of what?” I ask before looking at the screen.If it's about the shitfest that happened last night. I might jus
“Come on, hon,” I say to Nic as I loop our arms together and follow Riccardo out of the club.Nic stumbles across the dance floor muttering, “I seriously like Reece, I mean, I think he's a top-notch bloke, but…” She sighs, leaving her sentence unfinished and I let her be.I just want to get out of here and go home to my big, comfortable bed. As we exit the club, we take a right, following Riccardo and I watch as he catches up with Selena, wrapping his long fingers around her upper arm; she instantly halts her movements, spinning around to face him. “What do you want from me, Cardo?” She cries out as she shrugs him.“What the cazzo’s gotten into you?” He growls incredulously.“Gotten into me?” She snorts as she violently wipes the tears sliding down her cheeks. “Si, you.” He hisses. She laughs bitterly at him as her eyes search his face. “You're unbelievable.” She spits as she walks away from him once again.Nic and I try to keep our distance to give them their privacy, as we lurk
THE FOLLOWING WEEK.As I walk into Alessandros’ office, knowing that his meeting is drawing to an end; I hear his velvet voice fill the vicinity.“Is there still no word from Ryan?” He asks his henchmen with frustration.I trip over my feet, thanking the God's no one saw me, as everyone is distracted with the folios they have in their grasps.“I'll take that as a firm no,” Alessandro mutters under his breath as he types away on his keyboard.Guilt nibbles away at my heart.I desperately want to tell him where Ryan is to prevent him from stressing out any further. Then I consider the consequences of telling him that I sent one of his finest men on a mission without his knowledge.It's undoubtedly safer if I don't tell him. I scan the third row of books at the bottom of the bookcase and halt when my finger lands on Roses' favourite novel. I remove it from the shelf and open it, turning the pages as dust escapes from the spine.Just as I'm about to close it, a scrap of paper falls out
I turn my attention to the large clock on the wall. “Shit!” I mutter, walking out of the kitchen with my stomach twisting in knots. “Viktor?” I call out as I see him talking to one of the other henchmen. He expresses his farewells and jogs towards me. “You called, Miss Bishop?” He responds with a broad grin. “I did.” I chuckle. Viktor is always smiling, and I've noticed whenever he smiles, I smile too, as his is infectious. “I need to go into town. I have a lunch date with the girls and if I don't leave now, I'm going to be super late.” I exhale loudly, wanting nothing more than to curl up in bed and sleep the rest of the week away. “Very well, I'll bring the car around and inform Ryan?” He curtly bows his head and walks away before I can respond. I make my way out of the villa after retrieving my handbag and to where the car awaits, with Ryan behind the wheel and Viktor holding the passenger door wide open. As I slide into the car, I raise my brows at him. “Don't.” He mu
I run my hands through my hair as I exhale. I have no idea what is going on and am completely bewildered. Riccardo tells me this is Alessandros’ method of submitting to me as he drapes an extremely thick coat with weights over Alessandros’ shoulders. His face distorts in anguish as he attempts to maintain his calm and stance. “Tell him what's bothering you and what you expect from him.” Riccardo shares with me. I nod my head, looking around the yard, and I become well aware that we have an audience on our hands. Part of me wants to tell them all to piss right off, but then the other part of me wants them to stay. So they can hear what I've said straight from my mouth, rather than the gossip that spreads through the thin walls like wildfire. I return my attention to Alessandro. His head is bowed as he continues to kneel before me. Swallowing my pride, I lower myself onto my knees. “You hurt me,” I declare in an even tone. “I know you have been driven by wrath to find Mrs D