Time doesn't heal, you just start to live with the pain and it becomes a part of you. ~ A. GuptaCOLE“What the hell are you doing here?” I asked as I stepped out of the bedroom and found Alex lounging in one of the sofas in the drawing room.“Is this how you tell me that you missed me?” He said, “Explains all this empty bottles.”I looked at the mentioned bottles. Since that night when everything went to shît, I had barely eaten but chose to drink my sorrows. It didn't help but at least it lessened the frequency of my nightmares. “What do you want, Alex? I thought you all didn't care anymore.”“Don’t be sad, Cole. We didn't abandon you but we couldn’t let Vi think that we were taking your side.” His dark brows lowered and he pointed at my hands that were bruised and swollen from the fight I got into last night. “You could've called me or better yet Maddox if you wanted to use your fists. He is the one who is too furious with you.”“Not you?” I asked.He shrugged one shoulder. “I don'
It’s a bitter pill to swallow— to love someone so intensely yet unable to bridge the divide that has created between the two. ~ A. Gupta.VIOLETI Wasn’t ready to face him yet, not after that day when he told me that he won’t give me my dream and never become part of it. All these days, I had spent pretending that my heart doesn’t hurt. I went on with my life like he hadn’t stomped all over my emotions and my dreams to be with him. To build a family with him like Mad had with Bree, and now Dom was getting with Kiara. Next, it will be Brandon and if fate had it one day it will be Alex but if I stayed with him and I won’t, because he wouldn’t let me.Now as I stood in my small apartment, facing him, palpable tension surrounded us. There was a dot of blood at the corner of his lips where Maddox punched him and made his bottom lip split open, it was now starting to quickly swell as I watched. And instinct almost had me reaching out for me, but I held myself glued to my spot. My scream h
COLE“You need to come back.”I looked down at the text displayed on my phone screen for the dozenth time now and my gut clenched, because something didn't feel right about this text. And a part of me was afraid that Mad was texting me this because Violet got what she really wanted, the timeline was perfect for it as it had been more than three weeks now since I came back to New York.My thumb hovered on the keyboard to type a message back but before I could bring myself to do it, another text popped up. “She tried to burn her paintings, man. This is not good.”A cold chill ran down my spine, freezing my blood in my veins. The glass of whisky slipped from my fingers, making a thud as it dropped down on my father’s office desk, sloshing the golden liquid everywhere. The conversation between my father and Uncle, that I was only pretending to listen to, came to a halt.“What is it?” My father asked and I could feel the weight of my Uncle’s eyes on me through the screen of the laptop.“I
COLEShe hadn’t stopped crying, even when she was sleeping I could see the tears leaking from the corner of her eyes. I hate it. I hate that she’s in so much pain. I didn’t know what I’d have done if she had gotten her wish, but I knew that I didn’t like what she had become now. It’s like she had lost all the spark of life and all she did was cry and stare at her ruined paintings as she stood at the threshold of her painting room.She was standing there now and as I walked to her, in a voice that was low and gentle, I asked her, “Do you want to go to the Carter house, princess?”I knew she heard me, I saw the change in her posture. Every time she has looked at me since last two days, she had that look in her eyes that kept fûcking with my mind. It was not crazed but it didn’t look right either. She looked at me like I was the reason for all her pain and also like she hated me for needing me at the same time. It scares me to think at any moment, she will pull back and decide that she d
NATALIEI learnt it the hard way that being gifted with children was something not every women has. It took me several heart-breaking years to come to that realisation. But I had my son’s and their father to support me, who kept me from going off the deep end into the dark abyss that will chew you up and swallow everything good in your life. Jared had stopped me from slipping into that hole and kept me tethered to my life and saved not only me but our sons from a future where they’ll grow up without a mother.Jared helped me to grow up and made me see reason. He loved me to the point that I won’t ever feel that something was missing. Even when Bree and Kiara came into our sons’ lives he was the one who made me see how I can still be a mother to those who needed one, and they needed me. They came to me when my sons pushed them away and hurt them, they relied on me for advices regarding my own sons and I always remained non-judgemental and unbiased. I always loved them and treated them
White lies are the sweet illusions we create to shield others from the harshness of the reality. .VIOLETI had known for some time that this was my home. The Carter house, where I felt loved and a part of a big family that took me in as their own. Even when I felt alone in my pain I never was, because they never let me be. Just like now.... Bree and Kiara sat on either side of me, their sons were with Mom and Dad who had left me alone with Cole but we were interrupted by Mad and Dom who were followed by their wives.Mad was standing beside Cole, whose sherry eyes I could feel on me as I silently listened to Kiara and Dom bicker as she tried to push him off her lap but he refused to go. “I swear, kitten, if you try to push me again I’ll spânk your arse red.”Kiara let out a low growl but she stopped pushing at him, instead her fingers found their way in his hair as she softly massaged his head. Bree nudged my shoulder and when I looked at her, she whispered, “Dom didn't get to sleep
VIOLETAs I sat in the car next to Cole, the weight of the unknown hung heavily in the air. The suffocating silence pressed down on me, making me more aware of the strange air that surrounded us since he announced in front of everyone that he was going to fulfil a promise made to me. My thoughts were a swirling chaos, each one vying for my attention as I grappled with the uncertainty of what lay ahead as the way he had looked at me refused to leave my mind, and I was sure something will change tonight. What? I did not have any idea, which was the reason every cell in my body felt unsure and nervous.As our small town passed in a blur, doubts gnawed at the edges of my mind, casting shadows on everything I knew about the dynamics between us where he always put my emotions and wants first when it came to the physical or sexual aspect of our relationship. But when this time he asked me to give him tonight, to let him have this... I knew it was his way of asking for control and in return h
VIOLET.WE TOOK A tour of the cottage with my hand in his and put our bags in the bedroom that appeared to be a spare one as the master bedroom had personal knickknacks that belonged to mom and dad. As far as I knew this place was a sanctuary to mom and dad, and except them no one comes to stay here but Dad sent us here which I took as a fortune that no one was bestowed upon. Cole squeezed my hand and I turned to face him. Brushing a soft kiss on the back of my hand, he said, “Why don't you change and freshen up, I will start to prepare the dinner.”I nodded. And as he started to walk out, I stopped him, “Cole...” When his eyes met mine, I said, “I want this to work.” A soft smile touched the corner of his lips and he nodded. “Me too, princess.”When I was alone, I glanced around the bedroom. A plush, queen-sized bed took most of the space and it appeared inviting as it was adorned with crisp, white linens, its headboard a hand-carved masterpiece, hinting at the cottage’s history. S
TWISTED MARRIAGE: MMF Dark Mafia Romance Novel. .INNESSA“Nina!” I ignored my little sister, Mila's, call as I rushed out of the ballroom where the party for my eighteenth birthday was going on. Or, should I say the celebration for my upcoming nuptials. Even the thought of that made me want to vomit. Since the moment the Capo of the major crime family: Rossi, had died my father had lost all his privileges and power in the underworld. He had been trying all these years to get back the power and position he once had, but the current Capo: Antonio Rossi didn’t seem inclined to get cosy with anyone his father once associated with. Rumor even has it that he was the one who actually kîlled his own father when he was just a child himself. Sometimes, I wonder if he could teach me a thing or two about it because if I knew how to get out of it I’d commit patricîde in my next breath. What? Don’t look at me like that. My father deserves it, if you knew him you’d say the same thing. He is the
Bonus chapterCOLEI stood by the glass doors and watched as my princess introduced our son, Romeo, to everyone in the Carter family. Our son. Now every time I look at him, I feel what I know Violet must’ve felt that first time when she’d seen him. It has been four months since he became a part of our family. Four months since we became parents. And only three months since Romeo started to call me Papa and started treating me as his father. I wasn’t too proud to lie and say that I didn’t hug my wife and cried happy tears in her arms the first time I heard the word papa from Romeo. The little boy was ruling not only mine and my wife’s heart, but everyone else’s in the family. Even Uncle Nico was doting on him more than he ever did on me. Surprisingly he didn’t take as much time with uncle Nico as he did with me to get comfortable with. It was my beautiful wife, my princess, who built his trust in me day after day and taught me how to earn his trust. The first two weeks were hard. Ro
EPILOGUE IIA YEAR LATER....VIOLET“Are you ready to go?” I looked at my husband and gave him a reluctant nod. We were at the shelter that the church ran. The buildings were joined together by a backdoor. And since last year when I had come here for the first time on our first Christmas together as husband and wife, I had liked it so much here that every time we came back from New York we came visit the kids. Now, this church and the shelter was part of our life as much as it was Nicolai’s, even though it was the first time that he hadn’t been able to come here on Christmas. The sisters specifically asked for him and showed their disappointment at learning that he wasn’t joining us. It was kind of crazy to think that a man who I had once witness covered in blôod from head to toe, that still gives me flashbacks every time I see him, was so revered by these people of God. “Come on, princess. It’s getting late. The children need to go to their beds.” My husband was right, but in all
I have died every day waiting for youDarling, don't be afraid I have loved you for a thousand years. I'll love you for a thousand more.~ A Thousand years..A MONTH LATER....VIOLETI woke up to an empty bed but a little note waited on my husband’s pillow. I picked it up and as I read his scrawled message, a smile lit up my face. ‘Good morning, princess. Come downstairs whenever you're ready. The twins are already making a racket. I had to go down before they set the house on fire. I love you.’Today’s going to be another good day, or maybe a better one because my husband wasn’t the only one who was stuffing our closet with presents he didn't think I knew anything about. I slipped out of the bed and made my way to the bathroom, deciding to get ready before going downstairs because by what Cole had shared, between the twins and his mother, maybe I won’t get another chance to get dressed up for tonight’s dinner. Our very first Christmas dinner as husband and wife.When I got downsta
COLEViolet removed the makeshift blindfold and as soon as I opened my eyes I came face to face with... My own reflection. But no, that would be too tame a comparison to what I look like in a mirror. It actually was how my princess saw me. The painting dominated the white wall. And as I looked at it, I was amazed and in awe. With each stroke of the brush, my princess had captured a side of me that I didn’t even know existed. I remembered the moment when she must’ve gotten the inspiration for this one. I was in the pool, looking up at her as she laid there on the chaise. My arms were folded beneath my chin, my eyes squinting a little because of the sun high up in the sky shining down on us.And the way she had captured me, my features in exquisite detail, it didn’t hide the fact that I was in love with the person I was looking at. I never thought that I could be someone’s muse, that I’ll ever be able to inspire such breath-taking artwork in someone. But my princess, not only fell in l
VIOLETI was happy.No. That’s not right. We were happy. Impossibly so.More than I ever thought I could be, with the man that I loved with my whole heart. The man who loved me like I was the sole purpose of his life. Three weeks has passed and we were still in Italy, and to be honest, I didn’t want to leave. It was everything I could ever dream about. Turns out, I was dreaming for something I already had in my grasp. Living with Cole in Italy, in the bungalow at the corner of the city it felt like we were in our own separate heaven away from the world and it’s expectations, also away from the things that made me think that I was missing something from my life when I was already whole with him. It became our sanctuary, a place where time seemed to stand still and the worries of the world faded away.We had spent our days roaming around the city, taking pleasure in each other’s company and the sights we visited. Rome was really beautiful, alive with its energy. It’s ancient monuments
VIOLETI stared at my husband as he pulled on his suit jacket while standing in front of the floor length mirror. I was on the bed, lacing my heels but the picture my handsome husband painted was way to appealing to miss for anything. He looked edible enough to eat in the black shirt and black slacks. We were getting ready to go for dinner in the city with his uncle and as much as I wanted to rest and sleep for a bit to get rid of the jetlag I wanted to go out into the city more. “My eyes are up here, princess.”With a smile curving my lips, I looked up to meet his sherry eyes as he turned around to face me. I pursed my lips and with a teasing tone replied, “But that tushie is too impressive to not appreciate it.”“Is it, now?” He murmured as he walked toward me. I nodded and smiled when he brushed a kiss on my cheek and then crouched down in front of me to tie the laces of my heels.When he looked up, I cupped his cheeks and kissed him slowly. We hadn’t had séx for obvious medical r
VIOLETWe landed in Italy and was welcomed by the warm embrace of the Mediterranean sun, its golden rays casted a luminous glow upon everything it touched. I watched my beautiful husband as he talked to the man who had approached us as soon as we had stepped down out on the tarmac. I held a bouquet of exotic flowers, courtesy of my husband’s uncle, a welcome to his country. But even those beautiful flowers didn’t hold my attention as my gaze went back to my husband as he made his way toward us and I saw the sun glittering in his brown eyes, reminding me all the time he had been the light in my darkness. I took notice of the way his shoulders were relaxed and the pleasant smile that curved his lips and I knew that coming here was the best decision. As he drew closer, he held up the keys. “I guess my uncle decided to ignore our wish to refuse his gifts.”I arched a brow. “What's that?” He grabbed my hand and said, “Let’s see.” We walked off the runway. The man following us with our
VIOLETA nervous energy hummed beneath my skin. It was the first time I was going to fly in a plane. And not just any ordinary plane. We were going to Italy in one of his Uncle’s jet and it appeared bigger than the usual one. I had heard him talking to his uncle on a video call. Cole had denied his uncle’s offer and mentioned that we could fly business class but his uncle had pushed. Cole had said, “But, seriously, I’d rather not have my wife in that jet where you spent your days partying and doing God knows what not.”“I haven’t touched that thing in so long.” Came his uncle’s accented reply.“Seriously? How long was that?” My husband had asked sceptically. “Four months?”I had almost laughed out loud at that but then I'd silently nodded at Cole to agree, as since our loss his uncle has been trying to cheer us up by doing things in his own way. He sent us a custom made Aston Martin and a Ferrari, for god sake. Apparently his uncle has so much money that a few hundred millions were p