The Return
I never thought I’d set foot in this city again. After everything I went through—after everything I sacrificed to keep myself and my children safe—it was the last place I ever wanted to be. But life has a twisted sense of humor. One wrong turn, one damn accident, and everything I’d been running from came crashing down around me.
The sound of screeching tires still rings in my ears. It was supposed to be a quick stop on the outskirts of town, but fate had other plans. A drunk driver veered into my car at the intersection, pushing me into the spotlight. Cameras, cops, and witnesses swarmed the scene before I even realized what was happening.
I could feel the walls closing in as the police officers asked for my identification, as bystanders snapped photos and filmed the aftermath with their phones. I wasn’t just another woman involved in a fender bender—I was Elena Romano, the ghost of the Romano mafia empire. And now, I was visible again.
By the time I got back to the safe house I’d rented in the shadows of this city, it was already too late. I could feel it in my bones—the storm was coming. Dante, Sasha, Luca…they would know I was back. And this time, they wouldn’t let me slip through their fingers so easily.
I had nowhere to hide anymore since I knew I had their kids. Triplets.
I couldn't beat the weight of the thoughts anymore.
I pushed through the front door, my heart pounding like a war drum in my chest. My hands trembled as I locked the door behind me, hoping I’d have enough time to figure out a plan before they found me. But I wasn’t prepared for what I found waiting inside.
"Dante…" The name slipped from my lips before I could stop it.
He stood in the center of the room, his dark eyes locked on me with an intensity that made my stomach twist. I hadn’t seen him in five months, but he looked exactly as I remembered—tall, broad, and devastatingly handsome, with the cold fury of a man who had spent every waking moment searching for the woman who’d broken him. Me.
“Elena.” His voice was low, almost a growl, sending a shiver down my spine. “You thought you could run from me?”
I swallowed hard, trying to keep my composure. I couldn’t afford to show weakness now. “I didn’t have a choice.”
“You always had a choice,” Dante spat, taking a step toward me. “You chose to take my son away from me. You chose to disappear without a word. You chose to betray me.”
I backed up, my eyes flicking toward the door, but it was pointless. Dante was blocking my only exit, and even if I made it past him, he wouldn’t let me go that easily. Not this time.
“I had to protect him,” I said, my voice shaking with the weight of the truth. “I had to protect all of them.”
Dante’s eyes darkened, and in that moment, I knew he already knew. He knew about the other children. About the other fathers. “You mean them, don’t you?” He took another step toward me, his hand reaching out to cup my chin, tilting my face up to meet his gaze. “You were carrying more than just my son, weren’t you, Elena?”
I couldn’t answer. The words caught in my throat, tangled with the fear and guilt that had been gnawing at me for years. I didn’t want to admit it, not to him—not to any of them—but the truth was staring me in the face. Dante wasn’t the only one I’d betrayed.
Before I could say another word, the door behind me burst open. I whipped around, my heart leaping into my throat as Aleksandr Ivanov commonly called Sasha, his nickname, strode into the room, his icy blue eyes sweeping over me with a mixture of anger and hunger.
“Elena,” he said, his Russian accent sharp, like a blade slicing through the tension in the room. “I should have known you’d run back to him first.”
“I didn’t—” I started to protest, but the words died in my mouth as Sasha’s gaze flicked to Dante.
“I see you’ve already found her,” Sasha said, his voice dripping with disdain. “Typical. You’ve always been one step ahead, haven’t you?”
Dante’s grip on my chin tightened, his eyes never leaving mine. “She was mine first, Ivanov. Don’t forget that.”
Sasha’s lips curled into a cold smile. “Is that what you think? That she was ever truly yours?” He took a step closer, his gaze burning into me. “Tell me, Elena. Was he the first one you ran to, or did you miss me too?”
I felt like a caged animal, trapped between two predators. I’d spent years hiding from them, keeping my children’s existence a secret to protect them from this very moment. But now, here I was, cornered by the two men I had once loved—and who now both wanted to claim what they believed was theirs.
“I didn’t run to either of you,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt. “I’ve been running from you. From all of this.”
“Liar,” Dante growled, his fingers digging into my skin. “You’ve been hiding from us, hiding our children. You think you can just waltz back into our lives and pretend like nothing happened?”
“I never wanted to come back,” I shot back, wrenching my chin free from his grip. “But you didn’t give me a choice. None of you did.”
“And neither will he,” a third voice cut through the air like a whip, sending chills down my spine.
I turned to see Luca Greco standing in the doorway, his dark, unreadable eyes fixed on me. Of all of them, Luca was the one I feared most. Not because of his cruelty—he wasn’t like Dante or Sasha in that way. But because of his quiet, obsessive nature. He had always been the one who watched from the shadows, the one who never let his emotions show.
Now, as he stepped into the room, closing the door behind him, I could see the simmering rage lurking beneath the surface of his calm exterior. “You lied to all of us,” he said, his voice low and steady. “You took everything from us—our children, our legacies. You made a fool of us, Elena.”
I backed away from all three of them, my heart racing in my chest. I could feel the walls closing in, their anger and betrayal washing over me like a tidal wave. I had known this moment would come eventually, but I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t prepared for the intensity of their hatred—or the undeniable pull of the past.
“I did what I had to do to protect them,” I said, my voice trembling. “You would have torn each other apart. You would have destroyed them. I couldn’t let that happen.”
Dante, Sasha, and Luca exchanged a look, the tension between them crackling like electricity. For the first time, they seemed to be united in their anger toward me.
“You should have trusted us,” Dante said, stepping closer. “But now it’s too late for that.”
Sasha crossed his arms, his gaze cold and calculating. “You made your bed, Elena. Now you’ll have to lie in it.”
Luca, who had remained silent until now, took a step forward, his eyes dark and intense. “You took something from each of us. Now we’re going to take something from you.”
My breath caught in my throat. “What are you talking about?”
Dante’s lips curled into a dangerous smile. “We’re not leaving without our children. All three of them.”
My heart plummeted. They knew. They knew about the children—about my secret. And now they wanted to claim them, to take them from me.
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “You can’t—”
“You don’t have a choice,” Sasha cut in, his voice like ice. “You lost that the moment you decided to keep them from us.”
Luca’s eyes softened, just for a moment, as he stepped closer. “You’re not alone in this anymore, Elena. You don’t have to be.”
His words, meant to be comforting, only filled me with more dread. I wasn’t just fighting against them now—I was fighting for my children’s future. For their safety.
I opened my mouth to protest, but before I could speak, the sound of my phone buzzing in my pocket cut through the tension.
I fumbled to pull it out, my hands shaking as I looked at the screen. A private number.
My blood turned to ice. I already knew who it was.
The fourth man. The one I’d been running from for even longer than Dante, Sasha, or Luca. The man who was the real threat in all of this.
I answered the call, my voice barely a whisper. “Hello?”
The voice on the other end was cold, menacing. “Did you really think you could hide from me forever, Elena?”
My heart sank as I realized that my nightmare was far from over. If anything, it had only just begun.
Shadows of the PastThe chill of the voice on the other end of the line cut through me, sending icy tendrils of fear creeping up my spine. I could almost picture him—tall and imposing, with a predatory smile that could freeze your blood. This was no ordinary man; he was the mastermind behind everything that had gone wrong in my life. “Who gave you this number?” I demanded, trying to sound brave despite my racing heart. There was a pause, a low chuckle that sent a wave of nausea washing over me. “Does it matter? You’re back in the city, my dear. You know how the game works. You’re in my territory now.”“Get out of my life,” I snapped, forcing the words out through clenched teeth. “I’ll do whatever it takes to protect my children from you.”“Protect them? You think you can protect them from me? From what’s coming? They are already in my sights, Elena. They are the keys to everything.” The line went dead, and the weight of his threat hung in the air like a storm cloud ready to unleash
The Calm Before the StormThe air outside was thick with tension, a palpable sense of dread hanging in the cool night. I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins as Ryder led us into the shadows of the alley. Each step was measured, every noise amplified in the eerie silence that surrounded us. The weight of the moment pressed down on me, a reminder that the calm we were experiencing was deceptive—a mere prelude to the storm that was sure to follow.“Stay close,” Ryder instructed, glancing back at me as he led the way. I nodded, tightening my grip on Luca’s hand, our fingers entwined as if he could anchor me to this world where danger was looming just beyond our reach.The dim glow of the streetlights barely penetrated the darkness, casting long shadows that twisted and turned with the wind. It was disorienting, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were being watched. Every rustle of leaves, every distant footstep sent my heart racing, and I forced myself to breathe ste
Shadows of the PastThe silence that followed his entrance was suffocating, like the air itself had frozen in fear. My heart pounded so violently in my chest I was sure everyone in the room could hear it. He stood there, tall and menacing, like a specter from my worst nightmares—a figure who had once been a ghost, but was now flesh and blood, staring me down.“How...?” I managed to choke out, my voice trembling. How had he found us so quickly? It didn’t make sense.The man who had burst through the door looked like he had stepped out of a nightmare—his eyes dark, calculating, and filled with cruel amusement. His presence alone seemed to suck the oxygen from the room.“I’ve always known where to find you, Elena,” he said with a sickening smirk. His voice was smooth, filled with the kind of calm arrogance that came from knowing he held all the power. “You didn’t think you could hide forever, did you?”Ryder moved in front of me, his body tense, ready for anything. Luca and Sasha flanked
A Mother’s BetrayalThe world tilted on its axis.My mother. The woman I had mourned, the one I had buried in my heart alongside my father’s cold corpse—was standing right in front of me. Alive. Whole. And watching.Everything inside me froze. My mind screamed at me to move, to act, to defend myself, but my body refused to respond. I could only stare, my breath caught in my throat, my heart pounding so loudly I thought it would explode.The chaos of the fight blurred around me. Dante and Ryder had engaged Lorenzo, their fists flying, while Sasha and Luca struggled to gain the upper hand. But none of it registered—not when the ghost of my mother stood before me.She took a step forward, her gaze locked on mine, and I saw it then. The cold indifference in her eyes. The hardness that had always lingered beneath the surface, now fully revealed. It was like seeing her for the first time—as she truly was.“Elena,” she said softly, her voice carrying over the chaos as though she wasn’t surr
Shattered Pieces“No!” I screamed, my voice cracking with desperation. I lunged forward, but it was too late—my son had already taken that fatal step toward Lorenzo. The room seemed to shrink around me, everything else fading into the background as I focused on him—on my baby boy, whose wide, innocent eyes looked so confused. He didn’t understand the danger, the darkness surrounding him. And I couldn’t save him.“Mom?” His voice was small, scared. The fear in his eyes ripped through me, but it was nothing compared to the icy grip of terror when I saw Lorenzo’s hand land on his shoulder.Time slowed to a crawl.Lorenzo’s smile was cold and cruel. His hand, so gentle on my son’s small frame, was a mockery of the violence he carried in his veins. I could see it in his eyes—the hunger for control, the ruthless need to dominate. And my son, my son, was just a tool in his twisted game.I tried to scream again, to force myself to move, but my body was frozen, paralyzed by the sheer terror of
The ChoiceSilence hung heavy in the room, thicker than the tension that crackled in the air. I could feel the eyes of everyone around me—Dante, Sasha, Luca—all of them waiting, watching for my next move. But none of it mattered. The only thing that mattered was my son, standing just inches away from a man who could take him from me forever.Lorenzo’s ultimatum echoed in my ears, and my mind raced, trying to find a way out, a loophole, something that would let me save my son without condemning everything my father had built.“Think carefully, Elena,” Lorenzo said, his voice low and dangerous. “You have one chance. Choose wisely.”I swallowed hard, my throat tight with emotion. “How do I know you’ll keep your word?” I asked, my voice shaking. “How do I know you’ll let him go if I walk away?”Lorenzo’s smile didn’t falter, but there was something darker in his eyes now. “You don’t. But that’s the risk you’ll have to take.”I clenched my fists, anger, and fear warring within me. He was t
The GambleThe words spun in my head, and every instinct screamed at me to act—to tear my son away from Lorenzo and run. But where would we go? How could I protect him, protect all of them, when this world was built on violence and betrayal?Dante’s voice sliced through the tension, harsh and unyielding. “Don’t do it, Elena. You know he’s lying.”I turned toward him, my vision blurring with tears. “And if he’s not? What if he’s telling the truth?”Luca growled, stepping forward, fists clenched at his sides. “We’ll kill him before he can lay a hand on your son. You don’t have to make this choice.”Sasha remained silent, his cold, calculating gaze focused entirely on Lorenzo. His mind was already working through every possible outcome, but even I could see the doubt flickering in his eyes. Sasha didn’t gamble. He only played games he knew he could win, and this… this was too much of a risk.Lorenzo, sensing my hesitation, squeezed my son’s shoulder. “You don’t have the luxury of time, E
Shadows of BetrayalThe adrenaline surged as we burst through the door, stepping into the chaos outside. The moonlight illuminated the battlefield that had erupted in front of us, revealing the unmistakable silhouettes of armed men exchanging fire. My heart raced as I scanned the area, searching for my children and hoping they were safe.“Stick close!” Luca ordered, positioning himself in front of me as we ducked behind a wall. “We need to find cover and regroup.”Bullets whizzed by us, ricocheting off the walls with deadly precision. The air was thick with tension, and I could feel my pulse quickening with every moment. I had spent five years running from this life, trying to protect my children from its dangers, and now I was thrown right back into the storm.“Who are they?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.Dante glanced around, his jaw tight. “I don’t know, but they’re not with us. They’re here for Lorenzo, and we can’t let them get to him first.”“Or the kids,” Sasha adde