CHARLIE'S POVI gradually opened my eyes, groggily taking in my surroundings. Then the memory of what happened in Leo’s house yesterday, right in his room, came flooding back. The warmth of Leo’s tender touches and gentle kisses snapped me back to the present moment. As I lay beside him, his eyes were locked on mine, gazing at me with a tenderness that sent a flutter through my heart.“Hey, you okay?” he asked, his voice gentle and full of concern.I tried to respond, but my voice was rough. Leo quickly handed me a glass of water, and after a sip, the dryness in my throat eased.“I... I’m fine,” I stammered, still piecing together what had happened yesterday.Leo grinned, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “You sure?” he teased, his voice dropping slightly as he shifted down. I knew what he was about to check. “You seem a little sore, sweetheart,” he said, his thumb brushing against my folds. I flinched slightly, earning a soft chuckle from him before he placed a gentle kiss there.He
CHARLIE'S POVBianca glanced up at me, tears brimming in her eyes. "A part of my heart still cares for him, while another part despises him for his actions. I've made it clear to him that I don't want him anymore, and he's still persistent with his approaches."I inhaled deeply, trying to offer some guidance. "Bianca, you deserve so much better than him, just like you've told me about Alex. Don’t let him trick you into reconciling. You’re worth so much more than that."Bianca’s face hardened, her eyes sparkling with determination. "I’m not affected by him, Charlie. I just want him to disappear completely.”I agreed, feeling proud of my friend. "That’s right, Bianca. You’re way out of his league."Bianca’s expression grew colder. "I know what I want, and I’ve found it with Alessandro. He’s amazing, and he makes me feel safe and secure. I don’t have to question his feelings for me."I grinned, happy for her. "I can see that. You two are meant for each other."Bianca’s demeanor shifted t
BIANCA’S POVI walked over to Alessandro as he held out his phone. Apparently, Luca had decided to call him after I had been unreachable, and guilt gnawed at my insides.I had been too wrapped up in other people lately, forgetting about my number one man. Luca came before anyone, before Alessandro, Matteo, and even Charlie. I had spent too much time away from my son, so much that I could barely recognize who he was becoming.The incident of him getting bruises at school hit me again; honestly, it never really left my mind. Although he was acting out of protection, that was not the Luca I raised. My son would always use his words to bring down his opponents. That was the first time he used his fists.“Hello, honeypie,” I cooed into the phone.“Mom, where are you?” Luca whined. I could sense his irritation, and the feeling of guilt in my heart spread to a suffocating point.“I’m at Alessandro’s place, my little man,” I said, hoping Alessandro’s name would be enough to make Luca less ang
BIANCA’S POVI shoved back all my cacophonous feelings and focused on getting home first. The thought of seeing my baby smiling and no longer angry at me served to cool my ire as I got into my car. I consciously decided to put off all thoughts of my boyfriend until he apologized.The drive home was a blur; guilt, anxiety, fear, and anger were warring in my heart. Matteo was getting more and more persistent in his efforts to reach me, and the stunt he pulled the other night at the club that made me black out was an indication that he didn’t care what Alessandro said. I didn’t trust Matteo within an inch of my life anymore—if he was bold enough to hurt me, then he was bold enough to try to hurt Luca.As I got home and opened my arms to let my son jump into them, a thought solidified in my head. I couldn’t wait for Alessandro to make a move; I had to hire security, especially for my baby. Luca smelled like strawberry candy and light baby oil—he smelled like home.“You came ten minutes la
ALESSANDRO’S POVI couldn’t believe she had pushed me away like that. Like I was some invalid begging for her attention. I understood that she missed Luca, but the least she could do was stay with me a little bit instead of outrightly pushing me away.I gritted my teeth and walked over to the living room where Charlie was now asleep. With a sigh, I called Leo; he needed to take his girlfriend away. They had come in after hours of Bianca leaving for Leo's house without me, and I was in no mood to entertain guests.“Hey bud, are the girls done?” Leo asked. The environment he was in seemed loud, and I didn’t think he would hear me if I spoke anyway, so I cut the call and texted him to come get his girl.The sexual frustration I felt at Bianca’s reaction was overwhelming. I had never been rejected that way before, and I least expected it from her.The chime of my phone distracted me from my thoughts, and I picked it up only to see a text that sent my world shattering to pieces. My breath
BIANCA’S POV “I have some information about Alessandro you need to know,” Matteo repeated, stilling my movements. I knew next to nothing about Alessandro, and thinking about it, we knew next to nothing about each other. We had spent more time physically than we had emotionally connected, and I was beginning to regret it. How stupid was I? This was turning into a repeat of Matteo all over again. Back then, I had known next to nothing about him too, but I decided to marry him because he ticked all my boxes for a ‘good man.’ And look where that got me. “Dolcezza, are you there?” Matteo’s voice sounded gentle, and I sneered. “Why can’t you gather information about your dumb wife instead, huh? Why are you so obsessed with Alessandro? Are you secretly gay?” I was tired of him always trying to one-up Alessandro. If I were ever to leave Alessandro, it definitely wouldn’t be for Matteo of all people. Matteo spluttered angrily. “How—What’s wrong with you?! I’m trying to save you! Ales
BIANCA’S POVAs I moved to check who was at the door through the intercom, any thought that it could be Maria vanished from my head. Maria wouldn’t know I was back home, so she wouldn’t bother with the doorbell. A peek at the outdoor camera showed me that there were at least five burly men in suits standing outside, alongside Hector.Fear seized me, but Hector didn’t look scared; he was conversing with one of the men. Still, I had to make sure my baby was safe, so I sent him upstairs first, leaving the men at the door without a response until I saw his little legs disappear above the stairs.“Who is it?” I asked calmly, keeping the tremor out of my voice. Did Matteo send men to take me? It didn’t seem out of character for him.“We are Mr. Moretti’s men, Miss Rossi,” a deep baritone called out. He was the one Hector was conversing with before. Alessandro’s men? A sudden surge of anger took over me. Did he send his men over because I left him abruptly? Were the men here to bring me back
BIANCA’S POV*A week later*“Madam Rossi, do you have any holdups?” I was jerked out of my thoughts by the voice of the deputy director of one of the branches of my company. I blinked and looked at her face clearly; she was in charge of Nirvania, the branch in France. I did indeed have a lot of holdups with their branch. They had let other brands get ahead of them during the last fashion week. I couldn’t muster up the energy to begin to recount all their mistakes. However, I was sure everyone in the conference room realized how distraught I was during the meeting. “I’ll send an email; let’s close this meeting,” I said tiredly. The people gathered around the table began to protest. I didn’t blame them—most of them had traveled over from their various branches, ready to curry extra favor. But I wasn’t in the best frame of mind for anything related to work right then. Thankfully, Darren shut their protests down quickly enough. “The boss has preoccupations to get to. We will inform