Life's a rollercoaster. Full of twists and turns that you never see coming. Take my childhood, for instance. Thought my mom up and left because she couldn't stand me. Turned out she had her own demons to wrestle with. Funny how perspective changed everything.Then there was Brian. Always felt like he couldn't stand the sight of me. Maybe it was just my own insecurities playing tricks on me. We never did see eye to eye. I thought he hated me for my mother’s death. But he knew the truth all along. Maybe looking at me reminded him of my mother.And then Edward. That man could push my buttons like nobody else. But for some reason, I stuck around, thinking maybe things would change. However, they didn’t. I waited for him to change, to see me as a woman who deserved respect and love, his love, but that was all a twisted fantasy made up by my head. Now that I think, there was never love between us. He wanted me just for the money, to pay his bills, to warm his bed at night and endure the suf
If my mind had been clearer, I might have brainstormed a different strategy to divert Mitchelle’s attention from Sadie until I could think of something else. The moment he mentioned her, my mind became a dangerous place, a series of ways I could tear him apart race through.Sadie, risking it all to save me. It hit me like a ton of bricks. She could've stayed away and let Mitchelle have the wrong sense of victory, but instead, she put herself in harm's way to rescue me. The woman who had every reason to despise me, facing her fears head-on. And that tore me. I almost lost her.There she was, standing before me, a portrait of bravery and vulnerability all at once. Fear and determination danced in her eyes, a stark contrast to the flimsy dress she wore, which seemed to swallow her petite frame whole. Yet, despite the odds stacked against her, her tenacity shone through like a guiding light in the midst of uncertainty.I took in the sight of her, something clicked inside me. It was as if
Silvio looked at me, softly and intensely, like there was something big hanging in the air between us. I couldn't look away though, because I knew if I did, those damn nightmares would come crashing back in. I was terrified, my heart racing like crazy.But Silvio, he got it. He could feel it too.Everything went quiet, just the sound of my own heartbeat drumming in my ears. Then his hand moved, sliding between us, gently stroking my stomach."You don't need to beat yourself up over this, baby. You saved our child.""I nearly ended his life, Silvio-""No, you did no-""I'm a killer-"His lips moulded mine. So fiercely and passionately I forgot what I was saying for a second. His hand moved to hold my nape as he tugged me to his chest, holding me, cradling me, moulding me.I closed my eyes and reciprocated. I needed this. His touch, his feel, and his emotions. The man I should hate was now the one who could calm my demons.He said in a husky voice, "I need you, Sadie." I gulped, breathi
That evening we slept together, the room grew quiet when Sadie lightly snored in my arms, her arms around my torso as she snuggled closer. Earlier, I noticed a change in her demeanour, a flicker of emotion beneath her calm exterior. Despite her efforts to stay composed, she seemed restless, her movements betraying whatever was going on in her head. And it frustrated me that I couldn’t do anything to ease her up.We lay side by side. But I couldn’t forget how distant her gaze was, occasionally fixating on a spot in the room before returning to me, her brow furrowed with contemplation, her lips twitching at slight movement.I felt a connection as if I could sense the emotions swirling beneath the surface. It was as though her innermost thoughts were laid bare, and I couldn't help but wonder what nightmares could hurt her in this way.Taking a life wasn't a badge of honour in her line of work, and as her husband, I could sense her inner turmoil. She carried the weight of her actions heav
My hands shook. The more I tried to keep myself calm, the worse it was getting. I didn’t know how or when, but when I woke up, I found myself being held by two nurses as they injected me with Diazepam. There were blurry images in my head, so horrifying and disturbing I didn’t know if it was reality or just my imagination.“Do you want me to call your husband?” I shook my head. That would only make things worse. He would ask me questions and again, I wouldn’t be able to answer. How would I when I was clueless myself? I thought with time these nightmares would fade, but it was getting worse. This time I saw the mangled body of our unborn child, his eyes gauged out and blood spilling everywhere.The terror seeping through me was unwavering, I… I felt so scared.The fright crept through my veins like icy tendrils, freezing every ounce of courage within me. My heart raced, a frantic drumbeat echoing in my chest, while my breaths came in shallow gasps, barely enough to sustain me. The darkn
The jet took off, and Dante checked the security once again. Silvio's mother was in the cabin in front, I offered to sit with her, but she refused. I had barely talked to her, but she seemed like a nice woman. For the next hour, I sat in silence, nibbling on my fruits and sipping my coffee. Silvio seemed engrossed in his emails, so I chose not to disturb him. Instead, I tried to lose myself in the scenery unfolding outside the window as we soared over the London countryside. But no matter how hard I tried to focus, my mind kept drifting, my thoughts wandering off with every blink.Sitting there felt surreal, almost out of place. It was as if we were in a bubble, untouched by the horrors we had just endured. It was hard to believe that mere moments ago, we had faced terror and torture, yet here we were, seemingly unscathed, flying above the peaceful landscape below. As if I hadn't ended a man's life in cold blood, the memory of his death haunting me with every passing moment. As if I
He let out a low groan as our lips met. Our tongues intertwined, burning a fire between us. His strong arm pulled me closer, drawing me into his hold, and I could sense the tension building in his powerful body.His breath quickened against my lips, matching the rapid beat of my own heart. And the kiss deepened, becoming almost primal as if he couldn't get enough of me. Each movement sent a shiver down my spine, my body responding eagerly to his touch.With every touch, every kiss, the desire just grew stronger, the hunger consuming us both. Nothing else mattered except the electric connection we shared, sending waves of pleasure coursing through my body."Hands on the table. Now." His voice carried a low, almost predatory edge, causing a shiver to run down my spine as he abruptly broke away from our kiss and rose to his feet. With a firm grip, he pulled me up from my seat, leaving me momentarily speechless.Before I could utter a word, his fingers closed around my wrist, harshly turn
It was dark when we landed. I lead a sleepy Sadie off the plane, and we get in the car to drive home. Micah was her to pick us up. Home. It was strange thinking of this place as home again. It was my home when I was a child, and I hated it. I hated everything about it, from the humid heat to the walls that had us trapped. Where my father was buried and my brother- Sandro. Yet when I got older, I found myself drawn to places just like this—trapped, something that gave me power and control.It took Sadie’s presence here to make me realize I didn’t hate the mansion after all. This place was never the object of my hatred—it was always the person it belonged to.My father.My childhood was what people would trade their souls for, my father was the son of Italy’s most influential man- Lucius Salvatore. My grandfather was a nice man, wealthy and kind. He lost my grandmother when my father was born. And Antonio Salvatore became the reason why Lucius drifted into darkness. For him, my father