Levi didn’t speak for a long time. He just lay there, his breathing slow and measured, his expression unreadable. But I could see it in his eyes. The storm that was raging inside him. I should have been angry that he had kept something like this from me, but right now, all I felt was dread. His sister had been alive this entire time, hiding in the shadows, and she had chosen this moment to reveal herself. That wasn’t a coincidence. I swallowed hard. “Do you think she’s been planning this for a long time?” Levi closed his eyes for a second before nodding. “I don’t doubt it.” His voice was rough, strained. “She wouldn’t have just let all these years pass without a reason. If she’s here now, it’s because she thinks it’s the perfect time to strike.” I clenched my fists. “Then we don’t give her that chance.” His eyes met mine, something dark and knowing lurking beneath the surface. “Easier said than done, Eliana.” Maybe. But I refused to believe she was untouchable. “She’s no
Paris was a city that had always carried a certain kind of reputation. Romance. Elegance. Power. But for us, it meant something entirely different. It was the heart of the enemy’s stronghold, the place where Livia had built her empire and, as we had just discovered, the city where Levi’s sister had been hiding in plain sight. The jet ride was silent, tense. Levi sat across from me, his fingers drumming against his knee, his jaw tight. I knew what was going through his mind. He was trying to stay one step ahead, trying to predict his sister’s next move before we even landed. But the truth was, we had no idea what we were walking into. I studied him for a long moment. The exhaustion in his eyes was something I had only seen a handful of times. He was holding everything in, keeping it locked up tight, but I knew better. “She is your twin,” I finally said. His eyes flickered up to me. “I mean that in every way,” I continued. “You are stubborn and calculating and you never let an
The gunfire stopped, leaving only the ringing in my ears and the heavy sound of my own breathing. Smoke curled in the air, mixing with the metallic scent of blood. Livia was on the ground, barely breathing, but she was not my concern. Levi’s sister was gone. Levi stood across the warehouse, his gun lowered but still tight in his grip. His eyes were locked on the spot where she had vanished, his entire body tense with something I could not name. I stepped closer, my voice steady despite the chaos still buzzing in my veins. “She was playing with us.” Levi exhaled sharply, dragging a hand down his face. “She always was good at that.” I knew this was not just a fight for him. It was personal in a way that made his usual cold control slip. His sister was supposed to be dead. He had buried the memories of her, the guilt, the loss. Now she was here, working with the enemy, turning his past into a weapon against him. “She let us come here,” I said, my mind racing to catch up. “She
The gunfire rattled through the halls, a deafening sound that echoed off the high ceilings. The estate was a maze of old stone and darkened corridors, and every step we took felt like walking deeper into her trap. Levi moved beside me, his expression unreadable, his gun steady as he took out anyone standing in our way. His sister was out there, watching, waiting, and the longer this dragged on, the clearer it became that she was playing with us. We pressed forward, cutting through the estate like a blade through flesh, leaving bodies behind. I did not think about them. I could not. My mind was too focused, too sharp, locking onto every movement, every flicker of light that could mean danger. Levi signaled for me to take cover as we reached a grand staircase. The second floor loomed above us, shadows stretching along the balcony railings. This place had been his home once, but now it was a graveyard waiting to be filled. A voice rang out from above. “You are making this too e
The air was thick with smoke, the scent of burning wood and crumbling stone choking my lungs as I helped Levi to his feet. The estate groaned around us, weakened by the series of explosions. It would not stand much longer. "We need to move," I said, my voice hoarse from the dust and debris. Levi wiped the blood from his forehead, his jaw tightening. His entire body was coiled with tension, his muscles rigid as if he were resisting the urge to go after her right now. "Levi," I repeated, gripping his arm. "We have to get out before this place buries us alive." His eyes flickered to mine, torn between fury and something deeper. But he nodded. Together, we pushed forward, dodging fallen beams and leaping over shattered furniture as the walls trembled around us. Every step was a battle against time. Flames licked at the edges of the hallway, the heat pressing against my skin. The grand staircase that had once been the heart of the estate was barely standing, half of it caved in f
The drive to the warehouse was tense, the silence stretching between Levi and me like a taut wire ready to snap. He gripped the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles turned white. His jaw was set, his expression carved from stone, but I could see the fury burning in his eyes. Livia had crossed a line. She had already taken too much, but now she had made it personal. I stared at the dark road ahead, my heart pounding. The thought of what we were walking into made my stomach twist. Nathan had once been someone I trusted, someone I cared about. I had mourned him, believing him dead for years, only to find out he had been alive all this time. And now he was at Livia’s mercy, caught in the crossfire of a war he never should have been part of. Levi did not speak, but the tension rolling off him was suffocating. I reached across the center console and rested my hand on his arm. "We are going to end this," I said quietly. His fingers flexed on the wheel, but he did not respond
The ride back to the estate was a blur of pain and exhaustion. My side throbbed where Nathan’s blade had sliced through flesh, but the wound was not deep enough to be fatal. The adrenaline still coursing through my veins kept me upright, but I knew the moment it faded, I would feel the full force of it. Levi’s grip on the steering wheel was murderous, his knuckles white, his jaw clenched so tight I swore I could hear his teeth grinding. He had not spoken since we left the warehouse, his fury simmering just beneath the surface. The weight of the detonator in my lap felt heavier than it should have been. Livia had left it behind, whether by accident or design, I did not know. But if she was willing to bring explosives into the equation, then this war had just escalated into something far worse. Levi pulled up to the estate, the iron gates swinging open as the guards let us through. The moment the car stopped, he was out and rounding to my side before I could even open the door.
The silence that followed was suffocating. Levi stood rigid, his chest rising and falling in uneven breaths. I could feel the fury rolling off him in waves, sharp and violent like a storm waiting to break. The shattered remains of the chair lay scattered across the floor, but it was not enough. He wanted to destroy more. He wanted to burn the entire world down. I swallowed, my throat tight. My mind raced through the possibilities, through the meaning behind what we had just seen. Livia had my sonogram. She knew. I pressed a hand to my stomach, fingers trembling slightly. This was no longer about territory or revenge. This was personal. Levi turned suddenly, eyes locking onto mine. "We end this now." His voice was raw, laced with something deeper than rage. Fear. For me. For our child. I nodded, because there was no other choice. Livia had crossed a line that could never be undone. This was not a war anymore. It was survival. Levi stormed out of the security room withou
Years had passed since the day we fought for freedom, for peace, and for the life we have now. The life we had dreamed of for so long but never dared to imagine in the depth of our darkest days.Our home was no longer a symbol of chaos or fear—it was a sanctuary. The walls that once echoed with tension now hummed with the laughter of our children and the soft murmur of conversations that held no weight of the past. It was a place of peace, of love, of family.Levi stood by the window, looking out over the vast grounds of our estate. The sun was setting, casting a warm, golden light over everything. He had always been the protector, the one who looked out for everyone, but now, as I watched him from behind, I saw the shift. The years had softened him in ways I hadn't expected. His gaze, once sharp and filled with purpose, now held a quiet w
We stood together, the weight of the world no longer pressing down on us. For the first time in what felt like forever, I could finally see the horizon ahead—clear, unobstructed, and full of promise. The past had been a storm, one we’d weathered with everything we had, but now the skies were calm, the air sweet with the scent of new beginnings.Levi’s hand found mine, his fingers wrapping around mine with that familiar, comforting strength. We had come so far, from the darkness of a life we never asked for, to this—this quiet, peaceful moment where everything felt right. We had built a life together, piece by piece, through the pain and the loss, through every challenge that had come our way. And now, we were free.I looked down at our son, sleeping peacefully in Levi’s arms, his tiny chest rising and falling with every breath. He was a symbol of everything we had fought for, everything we had dreamed of. He was our future, and that
The world had changed for us. For the first time in a long while, I could breathe without the weight of the past suffocating me. Levi and I, side by side, were finally at peace. The endless battles, the constant fight for survival, all of it felt like it was behind us. There was no more running, no more hiding. We had built something together, something we never thought we’d have: a life that was free of fear, full of hope, and, most importantly, full of love.I watched Levi as he stood by the window, his hands resting lightly on the sill. The evening sun bathed him in a warm golden light, casting long shadows across the room. His face, once hardened by years of war and loss, now wore a calmness that I hadn’t thought possible. There were lines on his face, yes, but they were no longer lines of anger or sorrow. They were lines of experience, of wisdom. He had lived through so much, and yet, now, in this quiet moment, he was at peace. We both were.I leaned a
Levi held the envelope in his hands, his fingers tracing the edges of it as if unsure whether to open it. The silence was heavy between us, each of us waiting for him to make the first move. I could feel the weight of the moment pressing down on me. I had never expected to find myself in this situation, not with Levi’s mother standing before us, and certainly not with her holding something that could change everything. The tension was palpable, and for a moment, it felt like the room itself was holding its breath.I glanced at Levi, who was still staring down at the envelope, his jaw tense, his mind clearly processing everything. It wasn’t just the content of the letter that he was contemplating; it was the years of abandonment, of unanswered questions, of the emptiness that his mother had left in his life. No matter how much he tried to shield himself from it, the truth about her absence, the reason why she had walked away all those years ago, was something that
The days after our vow renewal passed in a peaceful blur. For the first time in what felt like forever, there were no enemies at the gates, no secrets threatening to tear us apart. There was only the present—the quiet, intimate moments we shared as a family. Levi and I spent hours talking about our future, about the life we were going to build for our son. We reflected on all we had endured to get to this point, but even more so on the love we had for each other and the trust that had grown between us.In these moments, I felt a sense of calm that was foreign to me. In the past, I had always been on edge, waiting for the next betrayal, the next threat to arise. But now, in the safety of our home, with our son sleeping peacefully in his crib, I allowed myself to feel what I had always longed for—peace.Levi and I shared a quiet dinner one evening, the soft glow of the lights illuminating the room. Our son was asleep in his room, and for the first time,
As I watched Levi hold our son, the weight of everything that had happened seemed to melt away. It was hard to believe that just months ago, we were fighting for survival, struggling with betrayals, with enemies lurking at every corner. And now here we were, in a hospital room, surrounded by the soft hum of machines and the faint scent of antiseptic, with our child between us. I couldn’t remember a time when I had felt more at peace.Levi had always been the force of nature, the leader who commanded respect, but here, in this moment, I saw a side of him I hadn’t truly known before. The man I thought I understood—cold, calculated, driven by the mission—was now softened, changed by the simple act of holding our child. Our son, our little miracle, had transformed him in ways I didn’t think were possible.I turned my head to look at him, my hand resting gently on his arm. He was staring down at the baby with a soft expression on his face, his
The moment Levi held our baby for the first time was one I would never forget. I had seen him strong, cold, ruthless in battle, and yet here, in the quiet, dimly lit hospital room, all that faded away. It was just him, me, and the tiny life we had created together.His arms were gentle, yet his grip was firm, as if he were afraid to let go, as if the very idea of losing this moment, losing this piece of him, terrified him more than anything else. His face was soft, his eyes filled with a vulnerability I had never seen before. He looked at our child with a kind of reverence, his gaze intense and full of awe.“I never thought…” Levi’s voice faltered, thick with emotion, and for the first time, I saw the cracks in his armor. His gaze flickered from the baby to me, and there was a shift in him, something profound. “I never thought I could feel like this. So... so helpless. But in the best way. This... this little one has already changed
The world around me was a blur of motion, flashes of light and darkness, the steady beep of machines blending with the sound of Levi’s voice. He was calling my name, his hand gripping mine tightly, but everything felt distant, as though I was floating somewhere far from him.“Eliana, stay with me,” he said, his voice strained, as though it was costing him everything to speak. I could hear the panic there, the fear, but there was something else too—something I hadn’t heard before. Something raw. His hand tightened around mine, and I tried to squeeze back, but my fingers felt heavy, sluggish. I couldn’t focus, couldn’t stay present. My body felt foreign to me, as though I was losing control of it.“Eliana,” Levi’s voice broke through again, more urgent this time. “I need you to stay with me. Just a little longer, please.”I tried to respond, but no words came. Instead, I felt the p
I wasn’t sure how long we’d been fighting, but it felt like hours, maybe days. Each moment blurred into the next as we moved, fought, and fought some more. The Rossettis, Livia, even Mr. Rossetti—they had been obstacles, pieces of the puzzle, but they weren’t the true threat. They were pawns, caught in a game they didn’t understand. It was always her. Levi’s twin sister. I had sensed it all along, but I hadn’t been able to put the pieces together until now. Every step we had taken, every move, it had all been leading us to her. She was the one who orchestrated this entire nightmare. The Rossettis had been too predictable, too visible. It had been her, pulling the strings from behind the scenes. And now, as we stood on the precipice of everything we had fought for, it became clear. She was here. She was the storm we had been trying to survive, and now it was time to face it head-on. Levi’s anger was palpable beside me. I could feel the tension in his every muscle, the way he gripp