POV BeatriceRyuu's expression shifted, his eyes widening slightly as if a realization had just struck him."I didn't realize how much the attack affected you," he murmured, almost as if speaking to himself.I shrugged, unsure of what else to say. Words felt small compared to the weight of everything I was feeling.Then, he reached out, taking my hand with a gentleness that contrasted with the gravity of our conversation. He turned my palm in his, his fingers tracing the faint lines as if trying to memorize them. His touch was firm but steady, and the way his gaze locked onto mine made me swallow hard. My mouth was dry, my heart pounding against my ribs."It’s not foolish to want to trust people. It’s not foolish to want to trust me," he said, a rare vulnerability threading through his voice.I looked away, exhaling sharply."Maybe not foolish, but definitely naive. I expected too much from you.""No, you weren’t naive." His voice grew firmer, and he tightened his grip on my hand, gro
POV RyuuI watched her settle into bed, that effortless grace of hers always leaving me unmoored. I wasn’t ready to sleep. Not yet. My body ached with exhaustion, my eyes burned, but my mind wouldn’t shut down. I wanted… more. The warmth of her skin, the quiet concern always lingering in her gaze. The silence between us was unbearable, suffocating. She was right next to me, yet she felt miles away. And I had no one to blame but myself. I had been replaying our conversations, analyzing every glance, every shift in her voice. Beatrice cared. That much was obvious. She wanted me to be part of her life, to be accepted by her family. But was this thing between us even a relationship? I had been with countless women before, yet none of them had ever made me stop and think. I never cared about their emotions, never felt the need to. But with Beatrice… she stirred something in me I hadn’t even known was there. It was a strange kind of pride, uncomfortable and raw, like an ember catching
Beatrice's POVI exhaled sharply, my gaze lingering on Bion before I turned toward the door. I needed sleep—without it, tomorrow would be hell. But just as I took a step forward, his voice stopped me."I met Mateo when I was twenty-two. He was nineteen. We..." Bion hesitated, his head dipping as if the weight of his words was too much to bear. My pulse kicked up. "We started dating a year later."Everything clicked into place. Mateo’s hatred for our family—it wasn’t rivalry. It was heartbreak. A wound festering beneath years of silence. For someone like Bion, bound by tradition and power, admitting this couldn’t have been easy. How many people knew? Not many. And the fact that he was telling me now—that meant something."We were together for two years," he continued, voice low. "Then I ended it.""And you two… don’t talk anymore?" I asked carefully, afraid of touching an open wound."I’d be shocked if we ever spoke again." His jaw tensed, eyes locked on the floor. End of discussion. P
I regretted it the moment I saw the shock flicker across his face, but it was too late. The words had already escaped, raw with anger and exhaustion.He went still, his features hardening. And then, I saw it—the quiet resolve in his eyes. Anton wasn’t a child anymore, not the scared boy who had watched his father abuse his aunt. At seventeen, he had already decided he was the family’s protector. And if he thought Ryuu had hurt me, nothing would stop him."Ryuu never hurt me!" I tried, but Anton wasn’t listening. He had already turned, striding away, and I knew exactly where he was going. "Damn it! Anton, stop!" I shouted, racing after him, panic flooding my veins. My cousin was an idiot. A stubborn, reckless idiot.He was moving too fast, and I knew that if words wouldn’t stop him, I had no choice but to act. Without thinking, I threw myself at him, locking my arms around his neck. The impact sent us both staggering into the hallway wall."What the hell are you doing?" Anton growled,
Beatrice's POVI had been avoiding Ryuu since my visit to Esposito. I didn’t know what to say, how to face him without the weight of my secret crushing me. Telling him about the possible pregnancy? Not a chance. Not until I was sure… not while I still prayed the test had been wrong.But avoiding Ryuu was nearly impossible, especially when he was waiting for me. Seated among my cousins in Aunt Loretta’s living room, drink in hand, he watched in silence, detached from their conversation. He seemed to prefer it that way, which worked in my favor—except that his focus was entirely on me.I curled up in an armchair across the room, scrolling through my messages with Sophia. I hadn’t told her about the pregnancy yet, and wouldn’t until I talked to Ryuu first. This wasn’t something you shared over the
Ryuu's POVAs I stepped into Loretta’s room, my footsteps felt unnervingly loud in the silence. The soft glow from the lamps cast shifting shadows across the walls lined with old photographs. My gaze landed on Beatrice, curled up beside her aunt, fast asleep. She was still fully dressed, as if exhaustion had pulled her under before she could make it back to our room."She fell asleep not long ago. I didn’t have the heart to wake her," Loretta said quietly, watching me closely. "I assume you’re here to take her back. Come in."I hesitated before moving further inside. I wasn’t the type to step into other people’s spaces uninvited, just as I never let anyone into mine. The discomfort settled deep in my chest, but with Loretta, it was more than that. She watched me too carefully, waiting for something—wai
Beatrice's POVThe truth was, I no longer cared to speak to him. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I wouldn’t lose sleep if I never saw him again. The years of disappointment had numbed me to the pain. There was no more room for anger. Only exhaustion."Your drink." Ryuu’s low voice pulled me from my thoughts. He approached soundlessly, holding out a delicate glass filled with a soft pink liquid, swirling gently at the rim. My body tensed for a brief second—I had been so lost in my own mind that I hadn’t noticed his return."Thanks," I murmured, taking the glass and feeling the cool condensation against my fingertips. I took a slow sip—fruit juice. No alcohol. Not tonight. And not for the next nine months.I would have to tell him soon. This morning, Loretta’s private doctor confirmed what I had already suspected. I was pregnant. There was no more room for doubt, no whispered prayers for a mistake. It was real. And Ryuu deserved to know. Keeping more secrets would only
Beatrice's POVRyuu sat in one of the grand chairs, legs spread wide in a deliberate display of dominance—the kind only men who feared nothing could pull off. He exuded power, the untouchable mafia king. If he weren’t my husband, I probably would have kept my distance tonight.Instead, he pulled me into his space, settling me onto his thigh. The intimacy of it felt almost indecent for such a public setting, a statement to everyone watching. His hand rested firmly on my exposed knee, the high slit of my dress doing nothing to conceal his touch. My pulse quickened, every nerve on edge.Whispers rippled through the room, barely hushed.“Maybe we should leave,” I murmured, not meeting his gaze, keeping my voice just loud enough for him to hear. My fingers drifted over his
Beatrice’s POVMy breath hitched again, the weight of this nightmare pressing down on me, suffocating. Every choice felt like a trap, each second slipping away too fast. The room was empty, but death was circling, waiting, a predator in the dark.With trembling fingers, I typed the message: THERE ARE MEN IN THE HOUSE. I DON’T KNOW WHERE RYUU IS. I NEED HELP.The words glowed against the screen, sharp with panic. Pressing **send** felt like throwing an anchor into a storm, like clinging to something solid in a sea of terror. I tossed the phone onto the bed, my body stiff with fear, ears straining against the muffled footsteps outside. Time was slipping through my fingers. I couldn’t speak. One sound, one wrong move, and I was dead.I moved toward the c
Ryuu’s POV I never planned on going back to the bedroom that night. The only thing running through my mind was that Beatrice was safer without me. The past few weeks had dragged me into a pit I couldn’t climb out of. The anonymous threat against her, the pregnancy—everything weighed on me like lead, pressing down harder with every passing day. And today, after the appointment with Dr. Takagi, the reality finally hit me like a punch to the gut. That ultrasound image in my hands… I was going to be a father. The thought terrified me. How the hell was I—someone built from violence, shaped by control—supposed to be anything other than a disaster for this child? My father had failed me at every turn. What made me think I’d be any different? I shouldn’t have poured that first glass of whiskey in the dark silence of my office. But I didn’t stop at one. Or two. Or three. Or four. Now, all that was left was the bitter aftertaste and the emptiness growing with every sip
Beatrice’s POVI didn’t know what to say.The words stuck in my throat as I watched Sophia, her pain hidden behind that forced smile. A part of me felt like a terrible friend for unloading my own burdens on her, completely oblivious to the fact that hers might be far heavier.“I…” She hesitated, fidgeting with her fingers. “I didn’t handle it well afterward. I broke up with Fukui right after… and we never talked about it. I’ve never talked about it with anyone, actually.”Silence settled between us, thick and suffocating.“Are you…” My tongue felt dry as I searched for the right words. “Are you okay?&rd
Beatrice’s POVTwo weeks. That’s how long we’d been back in America.And yet, as I stared out the window of the black car, I still felt like I was in limbo. My reflection in the glass was pale, tense—just another ghost trapped in this endless cycle of uncertainty. Ryuu sat beside me, silent, his presence looming but unreadable.We were on our way to Dr. Takagi’s office.Today was my first ultrasound.The weight of that reality felt suffocating.Ryuu had arranged everything, just like he always did. And, to my surprise, he had kept his promise—staying by my side almost every day while I recovered.
Beatrice’s POVDespite his obvious irritation, Nitta listened. His lips pressed together in something that almost resembled a smirk, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. As he walked toward the door, he shot me one last look, as if asking if I was okay. I barely managed to return it before he was gone, the door clicking shut behind him.“Are you alright?” Ryuu asked, his tone unreadable.“You keep asking me that,” I muttered, my voice hoarse. The letter slipped from my fingers, drifting to the carpet between us.“Am I not allowed to worry?” His exhale was heavy. “You’re crying.”I wiped my face quickly, feeling stupid. Of
Beatrice’s POV“Things were weird last time we spoke,” I admitted, watching his face carefully.“I was an idiot,” Nitta sighed, his shoulders relaxing. Behind me, I heard Fukui greet Ryuu, but I didn’t turn.“What’s new?” Fukui coughed, and Nitta shot him a glare but didn’t rise to the bait.“Whatever you have with Ryuu isn’t my business. I know I already apologized, but after our last conversation”—he hesitated, something unspoken passing between us—“I was defensive. I wasn’t sure where we stood. I’m sorry for being short with you. And as for you and Ryuu… I was selfish. It was my pride talking.”“You are a child,” Fukui cut in with a laugh.
Beatrice’s POV“My aunt Loretta suspected. She took me to see her doctor.” A chill ran down my spine at the memory. I wet my lips before continuing. “At first, I wasn’t sure. We took tests at home—one was negative, the other positive. I felt like my world was caving in. Espósito walked in right after. I hadn’t planned to tell him, but I was so lost… I needed someone to talk to.”“And that someone couldn’t have been me?” Ryuu’s voice was low, but the quiet impact of his words made my heart stutter.It could have been. But in that moment, it hadn’t felt like an option.“I needed to be sure first,” I admitted. “I wanted the test to be wrong
Beatrice’s POVSilence stretched between us, heavy and suffocating. My fingers moved through Ryuu’s dark hair, the motion almost instinctive, desperate to soothe him even as my own heart pounded erratically. With every stroke, I felt his pain as if it were my own.Without thinking, I cradled his head against my stomach, holding him close in a futile attempt to shield him from the weight of everything crashing down around us. My hands trembled as they tangled in his hair, my stomach twisting at the realization of just how fragile this moment was. He still hadn’t spoken. I wanted to shake him, force him to snap out of whatever storm was raging inside him, but I knew he needed time. Too much had happened, too fast.Tears streaked his face, his bloodstained vest soaking up the moisture as he pressed agains
Beatrice's POV"And you didn’t take him to a hospital?" Her incredulous gaze snapped to me."I’m not going to a hospital," Ryuu muttered, his voice firm."That’s why you’re here," Anton added like it was some great relief."This isn’t as simple as stitching up a knife wound. You need imaging to determine if surgery is required. I can’t assess the damage or tell where the bullet is just by looking. Clearly, it didn’t hit a major artery or vein, given the blood loss, but the bullet is still inside you, and I can’t tell if it needs to come out.""Can it wait?" Ryuu tensed as she started cleaning the wound, the antiseptic stinging against raw flesh. Without the blood covering it, the injury looked worse.