The moment I stepped onto campus, I felt it.Tension.It crackled in the air like static before a storm, making the halls feel smaller, the air thicker. Students were whispering in hushed voices, heads bent together, eyes darting around as if expecting the walls to grow ears.And maybe they should.Because Ridgecrest wasn’t the same school it had been a week ago.It was on fire.Not literal flames, but something more dangerous.Truth.The whispers started as rumors. Little fragments of doubt planted in the right ears, the right minds.And now?They had spread like wildfire.Matteo Russo’s name was everywhere.No one was bold enough to say it outright, but the tension was unmistakable. Teachers were distracted, the administration was on high alert, and the students—especially the rich, powerful ones—were nervous.Because if Ridgecrest’s dirtiest secrets were dragged into the light, they wouldn’t be the only ones exposed.—“Luca,” I whispered, gripping his arm as we walked through the
Sienna could feel the weight of the walls closing in.It wasn’t just in the way people whispered now when they passed by, their voices hushed but their eyes sharp with curiosity. It wasn’t even in the way Luca had become more obsessive, more relentless in his pursuit of the truth about his father.No.It was in the way he looked at her.Like he knew. Like he could sense that she was keeping something from him, that the silence between them wasn’t just exhaustion or stress—it was a barrier she couldn’t let him break through.She gripped the edges of the textbook in front of her, her nails digging into the worn paper. The library was quiet, save for the soft scratching of pens against notebooks and the occasional rustle of a page turning. Across from her, Luca sat with his head down, flipping through the endless notes he had been compiling over the last few weeks.If she closed her eyes, she could still remember the first time she’d seen him like this—so focused, so determined. But back
I was running out of time.I could feel it in the way my stomach twisted every time Luca looked at me with trust in his eyes. In the way my chest tightened when he spoke about exposing his father like it was the only thing that mattered.He didn’t know.He had no idea that the very thing he was fighting against—the corruption, the power plays, the debts that destroyed families—was the same thing that had granted me a place at Ridgecrest.The same thing that was keeping me here.I wasn’t here because I deserved to be.I was here because Matteo Russo had made it happen.I curled my fingers around the bedsheet, staring at the ceiling as the morning light bled through the window. I hadn’t slept, but that was nothing new.How could I?How could I sleep knowing that Luca was walking straight into a war he didn’t fully understand? That every move he made was bringing him closer to the one truth that could ruin everything between us?He thought I was on his side.And I was.God, I was.But I
I should’ve expected the warning.I should’ve seen it coming the second I started pulling at the loose threads of my father’s empire, unraveling secrets that had been buried for years.But knowing it was coming didn’t stop the rage from boiling in my chest.Someone thought they could scare me off.Someone thought a single message would be enough to make me stop.They were wrong.If anything, it only made me more determined.But as I sat there, staring at Sienna’s pale face, another thought crept in—one that I hated, one that made my jaw clench so hard it hurt.If they were warning me, it meant they knew I was getting close.And if they knew I was getting close…They knew about Sienna too.I exhaled sharply, shoving my phone into my pocket and pushing back from the table. “I need to talk to you.” My voice was low, controlled. But she knew me well enough now to hear the tension beneath it.She hesitated, her fingers tightening around the hem of her sweater, before nodding. “Okay.”I sto
The silence was worse than his anger.Luca stood there, his back to me, shoulders tight with tension. The wind ruffled his hair, but he didn’t move, didn’t speak, didn’t turn around.I felt like I was standing on the edge of a cliff, waiting for the ground to crumble beneath me.“Luca.” My voice was small, almost swallowed by the wind.He didn’t respond.I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Please, say something.”When he finally turned, his eyes were like ice. “You should have told me.”Guilt slammed into my chest, heavy and suffocating. “I know.”His jaw flexed. “How long?”I hesitated.His brows furrowed, and his voice dropped, low and sharp. “Sienna.”“Since before I came to Ridgecrest,” I admitted, my stomach twisting. “My dad… he was drowning in debt. And I didn’t know everything at first, but I knew it was bad. I knew Matteo Russo had something to do with it.”His face hardened. “And you still came here.”I nodded, my hands gripping the hem of my sweater. “I had no choice, Luca.
My hands trembled as I gripped the edge of the bathroom sink, watching the water swirl down the drain.She lied to me.I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out the image of Sienna standing there, her face streaked with tears, her voice breaking as she admitted everything.I should’ve known.I should’ve seen the signs—the way she always hesitated when I brought up Matteo, the way she looked over her shoulder when we talked about my family.And now, after everything, after I let her in, after I gave her every part of me… she was connected to him.My father.The man I hated more than anything in this world.The man I was trying to destroy.I slammed my fist into the sink, the sharp pain doing nothing to ground me. My breathing was uneven, my heart racing, my body torn between fury and something else—something worse.Betrayal.I wasn’t sure how long I stood there, staring at my reflection, before a voice cut through the roaring in my head.“Luca.”Ethan.I turned, my chest rising and
I had never felt this hollow before.Standing there, watching Luca walk away from me, the ache in my chest deepened into something unbearable. It wasn’t anger in his eyes when he looked at me—it was worse. It was devastation.I broke him.And that realization shattered something inside me.The rain started to fall in slow, heavy drops, soaking through my sweater as I stood frozen on the edge of the rugby field. Luca’s figure disappeared into the darkness, his broad shoulders stiff, his entire body coiled with tension.I wanted to run after him.I wanted to tell him I was sorry a thousand times over.But the words weren’t enough.They never would be.I had lied. I had kept the one secret that could destroy him, and now that he knew, I wasn’t sure if I could ever fix this.A gust of wind sent a shiver down my spine, and I realized I was still standing there, clutching my arms around myself as if I could hold myself together.Ethan’s voice cut through the silence. “You should let him coo
I had never known silence could be this loud.The entire school was buzzing, but all I could hear was the roar in my head.Sienna Hayes.Lies.Betrayal.Her father.My father.It all blurred together, a tangled mess of deceit and destruction, and she was right in the middle of it.And so was I.I stood there, watching her across the hall, while students whispered around us, their gazes bouncing between the two of us like they were waiting for a fight to break out.But I didn’t move.I just stared.Because for the first time in my life, I didn’t know what the hell to do.She looked pale. Fragile. Like a gust of wind would knock her over.Good.Because I felt the same.I felt like the ground had been ripped from beneath me, like I was free-falling into an abyss with no end.And she did this.Sienna.The girl who made me believe in something more. The girl who made me think I could have something real—someone real.It was all a lie.The weight of it pressed down on my chest, suffocating
(Sienna’s POV)The house was alive with laughter, the scent of fresh flowers and warm food mingling in the air as the guests arrived one after another. It felt surreal—this moment, this day. A day that marked the beginning of something far greater than Luca and me. It was the start of a new legacy, a new generation.I stood in front of the mirror, adjusting the delicate lace on my white and gold dress. The fitted bodice hugged my waist, the flowy skirt cascading down to the floor in elegant waves. It was tradition to wear white for purity, for new beginnings, and today, everything felt pure.“Are you ready?” Luca’s voice came from behind me, deep and soothing.I turned, and there he was—my husband, the father of my children, the love of my life. He looked breathtaking in his custom-fitted navy-blue suit, the gold cufflinks matching the accents on my dress. His dark hair was styled to perfection, but it was his eyes—the way they softened when they met mine—that made my heart race.“As
(Sienna’s POV)The house was finally quiet. It was a fragile silence, the kind that came after hours of soothing newborn cries, calming restless toddlers, and making sure everything was set for the next day. I stood at the doorway of the nursery, my fingers gripping the frame as I watched my daughters sleeping soundly in their cribs.Elena and Isabella.It still felt surreal, even though I had spent the past eight weeks holding them, feeding them, memorizing every little detail about their tiny features. The gentle rise and fall of their chests, the way Isabella’s little fingers always curled around her sister’s when they were placed beside each other, the way Elena would turn her head in search of my voice.A soft smile tugged at my lips.It wasn’t just them that made my heart feel impossibly full—it was everything. The house, now brimming with life. The sound of Matteo and Alessandro’s giggles echoing through the halls. The way Luca looked at me with a depth of love that made me wea
(Luca's POV) Sienna was asleep.After more than fifteen hours of labor, screaming, crying, and a near bone-breaking grip on my hand, she had finally drifted into a well-earned rest. Her body was utterly exhausted, her face soft in slumber, strands of hair still sticking to her forehead.But me? I couldn’t sleep. Not even for a second.Because right in front of me, in the transparent bassinet beside Sienna’s hospital bed, lay our daughters.My daughters.I still couldn’t wrap my head around it. It didn’t feel real. How could it? One moment, it was just the two of us—just me and Sienna, figuring out life, navigating chaos, and now… now there were four of us.My heart clenched.They were so tiny. So fragile.One of them let out a small, soft sigh in her sleep, her tiny fingers twitching before settling against the soft pink blanket wrapped around her. Her sister lay beside her, her lips pursed slightly, looking just as peaceful.Matteo had arrived with Alessandro a few hours ago, and af
(Luca's POV) Time had never felt so slow and so fast at the same time.The past eight months had been a whirlwind. From setting up the nursery to attending doctor’s appointments, every single day had been a countdown to this moment. And now—now it was here.Sienna was in labor.And I was losing my goddamn mind.I had rehearsed this moment a thousand times. I had planned, prepared, and memorized every step of the process. But all of that went out the window the second Sienna gripped my arm and gasped, “Luca… my water just broke.”For a solid five seconds, I stared at her like a complete idiot.Then chaos erupted.“Okay—okay! We’re ready! We have the bag! We have the—where’s my phone?!” I patted down my pockets, my movements jerky and uncoordinated. My heart was pounding so loudly in my ears that I barely heard Sienna groan.“Luca,” she exhaled, gripping the kitchen counter as she breathed through a contraction. “Stop panicking.”“I’m not panicking,” I lied, my hands shaking as I reach
(Sienna's POV) The news of our twin girls spread like wildfire. By the time Luca and I had finished calling everyone in our immediate circle, our families had already told their friends, and somehow, I suspected half the neighborhood knew too.Luca’s mother had called again—twice—to ask if she could start planning the baby shower immediately. My own mother had sent me a list of name suggestions before I could even finish breakfast. Even Cassie had texted me with an absurd amount of baby girl outfits she wanted to buy.And through all of this, Luca looked like a man who had been hit by a freight train.“Are you okay?” I asked him as he slumped against the kitchen counter, staring at his phone.He let out a slow breath. “I just got a message from my uncle. He says congratulations, and that we should start looking into bulletproof windows for when the girls are teenagers.”I snorted. “He’s not wrong.”Luca groaned, rubbing his face. “Sienna, do you realize how much trouble I’m in?”I ra
(Luca’s POV)I didn’t know how long I sat there, staring at the ultrasound screen like a man who’d just had his entire world flipped upside down. Twin girls.Two.Jesus Christ.I ran a hand through my hair, exhaling sharply as I tried to process the reality of it. One baby had already been enough to completely wreck me in the best possible way, but two? I was so f***ed.Sienna was watching me, her fingers squeezing mine, probably waiting for me to say something more profound than the string of curses I’d already let loose. But my mind was short-circuiting.Twin daughters.“Luca,” she murmured, her voice softer now, like she was worried about me.I shook myself out of the trance, blinking at her before looking back at the screen, where two tiny, indistinct shapes flickered with life. My daughters.I swallowed hard, my chest tightening with something dangerously close to tears. “They’re so small,” I rasped.Dr. Caldwell chuckled. “That’s because they’re only about ten weeks along. But I
(Sienna’s POV)I sat on the edge of the bed, my fingers idly tracing the fabric of my nightgown. The past few months had been a whirlwind—recovery, adjusting back to normal life, and trying to find a sense of peace after everything we’d been through. Luca had been my rock, never leaving my side, always knowing exactly what I needed before I even said a word. And now, as the early morning light filtered through the curtains, I found myself staring down at the pregnancy test in my hands.Two lines.Two lines.I blinked. My breath hitched.No. This couldn’t be right.I grabbed another test from the drawer—one of the fancy digital ones. My hands shook as I followed the instructions, waiting the agonizing minutes for the result.“Pregnant. 3+ weeks.”A choked gasp left my lips. My heart pounded so hard I could hear it in my ears.Pregnant.I pressed a hand to my stomach, a thousand thoughts racing through my mind. We hadn’t been trying, not exactly, but we also hadn’t been preventing it. I
Luca's POV I never thought the sight of home would make my chest ache the way it did today. As the car rolled up the driveway, the massive wrought-iron gates slowly opening, I tightened my grip on Sienna’s hand.“We’re here, baby,” I murmured, pressing a kiss to her temple.Her head rested against the seat, exhaustion still etched into her delicate features, but when she lifted her gaze to meet mine, I saw something there—relief. Hope. A softness that had been missing for too long.She smiled, small but real. “Home,” she whispered, as if testing the word on her tongue.It had been months of uncertainty, months of fighting battles that neither of us had been prepared for. The long nights in the hospital, the painful procedures, the endless waiting for answers that never seemed to come fast enough. But we had made it through.And now, we were finally back where we belonged.The front door swung open before the driver even fully stopped the car. My mother rushed out first, wiping her ha
(Sienna’s POV)The hospital doors slid open, ushering in a crisp breeze that smelled like rain-soaked pavement. It was the scent of freedom, of normalcy, of the life we had fought so hard to return to. After what felt like an eternity inside these sterile white walls, we were finally walking out as a family again.Luca held Matteo in his arms, pressing a soft kiss to our son’s temple. Matteo had always been a light sleeper, but today, exhaustion had won, and he rested against his father’s chest, his small fingers curled into the fabric of Luca’s hoodie. Alessandro clutched my hand tightly, his grip firm as if he were afraid someone would try to pull us back inside. He had been so strong through all of this, stronger than any five-year-old should ever have to be.Outside, Dr. Caldwell and Dr. Moreau stood near the entrance, watching us go.“Remember,” Dr. Moreau said, adjusting the glasses perched on his nose, “his immune system is still delicate. Keep him away from crowded places for