54

Francesca

Clean and modern, Enzo's beach house was the opposite of the castle. The property stretched along the Gulf of Naples, each room offering a magnificent view of the water and Vesuvius. Mariella lived here, while Enzo's wife and children were elsewhere, and he had the luxury of coming and going, the cheating bastard.

Even though Enzo was barely around, his guards were always present, as was Mariella, which meant I was never alone, and I was exhausted. I spent most of my time wondering if this was the day I would be tortured or raped in revenge against Faust. Or worse, the day Enzo realized I was of no use to him and put a bullet in my brain.

I barely slept. I ate to keep my stomach at peace, but I worried that every bite of food was poisoned. Every noise made me jump, and my nerves felt stretched to the breaking point. How much more of this could I take? How much longer until they realized I was pregnant with Faust's baby? What would happen then?

The possibilities were too terr