I will kill Adriano Giordanno at any cost! I try to forget what happened last night, but it keeps haunting me every breath I take. I feel so dirty! I recoil when the door creaks open, thinking that it’s Adriano again. But it’s a middle aged woman who enters, carrying a basin of water and a towel with her. “I’m Corey. I’ll be here to take care of you, since Mr. Giordnanno will be busy these next few days,” she says. Without ado, I beg, “Free me, please. I need to get out of here. I’m pregnant and I have two young sons at home.” She appears to pity me, but declines to help me anyway. “I also have a son. And I’m a single parent. Imagine what Mr. Giordanno will do to us if I save you,” she says, regretfully. I can’t blame her. I’ll surely do the same if our situations are reversed. After Corey cleans me up, she feeds me. “You said Adriano will be busy these next few days. Do you know what he’s up to?” I ask, hoping to get an insight of his next plan, so I can also plan t
Doubtful, I push aside my desperation to escape for now and just keep the key hidden under the pillow. The following morning, Adriano comes into the room. He doesn’t seem to be observant or suspicious. In fact, he’s so excited about something; probably his plans are coming together so smoothly. “Are you feeling better now?” he asks, his voice gentle. I recoil when he attempts to touch my face. Then, he reverts to his usual self - a menacing, dangerous man! He aggressively clasps the back of my head with his hand, and pulls it forward until our lips connect. I grunt in disgust as I bite his lip, making him pull away. He wipes away the blood that’s trickling down his lip with the back of his hand, while glaring at me. “What’s wrong? We just had our first wild s.ex, didn’t we?” he scorns. “We didn’t have s.ex, you r.aped me,” I hiss, before spitting at his face. He wipes my saliva off his face, then undresses himself. He sneers as I curl myself onto the headboard fearfully.
I’m sheltered and clothed by Kalani, the woman with the toddler. I’m in her spare room, waiting for Marius to come. I know he may take an entire day to get here, but deep down, I’m praying that he’ll just miraculously appear now. Suddenly, I’m snatched away from my thoughts when the door opens. Kalani enters, looking troubled and tense. “Your husband is here,” she says. I crinkle my eyes in confusion. “That’s not possible,” I say. “He’s in Washington and he can’t just be here already.” And then,... I gasp. Apprehension ripples through my entire body when Adriano, who looks a bit groggy, comes in in tottering steps. He withdraws his gun and points it at Kalani's head. “You’re making me involve more innocent people because of your bullheadedness. So if someone is killed here, you’re to blame,” he says. “Please don’t hurt anyone. It’s me you want. I’ll come with you peacefully,” I beg. The sleeping pills that Pierce had given him obviously still have some effect on him. I
I stir, pain vibrating all over my body. Pain? That means I’m still alive? When my eyes flutter open, my heart sinks at the recognition of the surroundings - I’m back in Adriano’s mansion, shackled in the bed once again. Still, I’m relieved to feel my baby still in my belly. Suddenly,... The door bursts open when Adriano angrily kicks it. He’s now wearing an eyepatch, and moves like how he used to before; strong and confident.He removes the shackle from the bedframe and puts it in his own wrist. He then drags me out of the room and into the front yard where the doctor is tied up and suspended upside down in a pole with cuts and bruises covering her skin. “Why are you doing this to her?!” I hiss. Adriano remorselessly answers, “She betrayed me by freeing you and by failing to kill your child, so she must die.” I open my mouth to say it’s not her who freed me when Pierce suddenly appears, giving me a warning glare. So what if Adriano kills Pierce instead? That’s better and j
MARIUS’ POV: The man who volunteered to pretend to be one of Adriano’s recruits slips out the gates, leaving them unlocked for our easy entrance. “Your wife is on the third floor, at the end of the hallway. Also, most of the armed men are already asleep, including The Boss,” he says. I tap his shoulder, “Thanks to you and your wife. I’ll forever be in debt to you.” We smile at each other, before he goes back to his village for safety.I must not fail again! This time, I’ll stop Adriano and save my wife! After my signal, my bodyguards come rushing forward. Compared to before, Adriano’s lapdogs are way too complacent, some are drunk others are exhausted from their training. When we prowl through the gates, bullets start to rain down. Some of the enemies don’t get the chance to retaliate or to even hide, others manage to fire a few shots at us but still end up being either dead or injured. Once we’re inside the mansion, Adriano and his men are already awake and have prepared to
Adriano is dead, and so are the majority of his top officials and new recruits. The ones who survived are either in the hospital getting treated or are now in jail getting investigated. Me and some of my men are also injured, but our injuries aren’t life threatening. That’s why we only stayed in the hospital for about a day, before being discharged. I pay a visit to the villagers who helped us win our war, and compensate them with a hefty amount of money that I never mentioned to them before. At first, they decline, but I insist. Hence, they eventually accept. When we return to the capital, I immediately ask for Hazel’s psychologist to assist her again just in case she’s experiencing some sort of another mental breakdown. Hazel is grateful about it and cooperates well. I also surrender Vincent back to the police, and file charges against Hazel’s former adoptive family for conspiring with Adriano to force Hazel to kill me. Then there’s dad’s funeral which is attended by the bigge
PROLOGUE:Our three-year marriage is facing many challenges, and growing up as an orphan, who am I to expect anything better? My husband, Carter Whitlock, is everything I’ve ever dreamed of. Strong, kind, and fiercely devoted, he’s swept me off my feet from the moment we first met. In his arms, I’ve found solace and belonging. My mother-in-law, Elmyra, always has a disapproving gaze that’s never far from my side. The other members of the Whitlock family, too, seem to regard me with suspicion and disdain, as if I’m an interloper in their midst. I long to earn their acceptance, to prove myself worthy of their family name. Each day, I strive to be the perfect wife for Carter, tending to his needs with care and devotion. Yet no matter how hard I try, it seems as though I can never quite measure up to their expectations.Even so, a sense of determination always stirs within me. I won’t be cowed by their judgment, nor won’t I allow their harsh words to dim the light of my love for Carter.
CHAPTER 2:The man who says he loves me in the morning is now making love with my best friend.Carter's hands roam over Lillian's naked body, his lips trailing feverish kisses along her neck, while Lillian's laughter echoes in the room like a cruel taunt.My throat constricts. I want to curse, to scream, to lash out at them with every ounce of fury burning inside me. But my voice fails me, lost in a desert of despair.Finally, Carter and Lillian notice my presence, their passion abruptly extinguished like a candle snuffed out by a gust of wind. My tears fall unchecked now, hot and bitter against my cheeks. Carter scrambles to his feet, hastily pulling on his clothes.“Why are you here?” he asks.Lillian remains on the bed, a smirk playing at the corners of her lips, her gaze cold and calculating. She revels in my agony, relishing the destruction she has wrought.“It’s not what you think it is,” Carter says.My heart shatters into a million jagged pieces. I need to get out of here! I c