Miley’s POV:The wind was howling loudly as I helplessly thrashed my arms and legs in the air, but it was pointless. Moments later, I crashed into the icy waters. My stomach lurched, and my heart almost stopped due to the shockingly cold temperature of the water. The last thing I saw before the sea pulled me towards its core, was Archie’s wide eyes bursting with shock. Was this really the happiest day of my life… the day I had dreamed of for so long?So how did it turn into a nightmare?—————Half an hour ago: The deck of the luxury yacht was alive with music and laughter. The guests were milling about as the Italian coastline stretched endlessly beyond the deck, waves crashing against the rocks below. I stood under the twinkling lights, dressed in the gown that was custom-made for me as per Archie's preferences. But I still couldn’t shake the feeling of unease creeping up my spine. I glanced at my phone, the unanswered messages glaring back at me. No, I guess I was just allowi
Miley's POV:“Oh baby, you feel so good!!”The voices, submerged in ecstacy, leaked into the hallway, and my steps froze. Archie…?! What the hell was going on? Who was he with… and why on earth did he text me to come here?“Oooh… Archie…!”A soft moan reached my ears, answering all the questions at once. Emily! She was behind all this. “Ah, ah… I love you, baby!”If you asked me, I would've imagined that my heart would stop beating if Archie ever betrayed me. But still, this traitor heart was beating loudly inside my chest. With trembling hands, I clutched my phone and pressed play on the recorder, crushing my own heart as I pressed against the door. "Archie…?”“Mmm?”“What will you do if my sister finds out?" “As if she will! Didn't I tell you that she is too stupid to ever suspect anything? In a few hours, I’ll be sliding that ring on her finger, and she’ll be smiling like the fool she is.”“Then make sure you put on a good show out there. I want to see her eyes shine with he
Miley's POV:“Just put the gun down, Emily, you can't shoot me on a yacht filled with people—”“Do you really believe that? Because the deck we're standing on is pretty empty. And if you're planning to shout for help, I don't think anyone is going to hear your screams over the loud music. Even if someone hears the gunshot, it will be too late to save you by then!”The gun’s dark barrel was pointed straight at me, and fear coiled itself around my heart like a snake.Emily wouldn't hesitate to ruin her own life to kill me… I had no doubt about that anymore.So, I slowly took a step back, then another, just like she wanted… keeping my hands slightly raised and my voice calm. “Why, Emily? Why did you have to take away the only happiness of my life?”“Oh, please, don’t act like a victim now. Why should I be satisfied with whatever scraps you think I deserve, when I can get the whole world in my palm? And since you brought up the question of deserving, do you think you really deserve every
Miley's POV:Two pairs of footsteps, then one stopped at the doorway. “Daddy, why don't you come in?”Emily's voice felt like needles stabbing my ears… for the last eight years, she had always called him Mr. Godfrey in front of the whole world, pretending to be reserved and shy. But now that the mask was off, she was calling him daddy like she had always been his beloved daughter.“I really don't want to come inside this room, and honestly, you shouldn't either. Let's go, I don't want to stay here any longer– I can't stand the sight of her. That face… it resembles her mother so much that I'm disgusted by it!”My heart was going to burst with pain. How can one person take all this betrayal within one day? He was the last person I had left, my own father… no! He wasn’t my father anymore, like I wasn't his daughter. My dad was dead too, and this cold, indifferent voice belonged to my mother's executioner!"Emily, just listen to me honey. She isn't going anywhere in this condition, an
Archie's POV:“I’m sorry to say this, Archie! I don't want Miley’s ghost haunting our lives. If you can't let it go, how will you love me with all your heart? Just forget her, okay?”Emily’s soft voice reached my ears, carrying a hidden warning right before she hung up."Forget her?" I scoffed under my breath. "How can I do that?”I leaned back against the couch and I reached for my whiskey glass again. The room suddenly felt too suffocating, but I didn't want to leave. I hadn’t stepped outside since last night, since Miley…I shut my eyes.And suddenly, the clicking of ice in my glass faded into the sound of distant laughter from my childhood nightmare.I felt like I was seven again, lying on the ground with my knees and palms scraped and stinging. "Why don't you get up and show us!?”I could hear their cruel laughter, but I forced myself to stay down. If I didn't move, maybe they would get bored and leave."Coward! Look, what a spineless wimp this rich kid is!”I wasn’t rich. We
Miley's POV: ‘Run… I need to run… as far as I can, before these bastards end my life.’ This was the only thought screaming inside my chest, louder than my heartbeat. But I held my breath, not even daring to breathe too hard, fearing I might get caught. I listened carefully… Emily’s footsteps were fading… getting softer with every second. I waited– one minute, two, then five more... Just in case she came back. Only when I was sure- absolutely sure, that she wasn't coming back anytime sooner, I allowed myself to open my eyes. Tears spilled instantly. Her words echoed, like shards of broken glass embedding into my mind. “From now on, you will be humiliated and abused, and you'll have no choice but to endure it.” “I thought about killing you first, getting rid of you once and for all. But… I think, what's the fun in that? And I have changed my mind now.” “Death is too good for you.” “This is just the beginning of your suffering.” Why? Why was she doing this to me? My
Miley's POV:I inched toward the frosted pane window, leaning forward and peering through the narrow strip of clear glass– holding my breath. Two men stood outside. One of them lowered his cigarette, the red glow dimming as he flicked away the ash, then puffed out a stream of smoke. “It looks like this is your first time on a job like this,” he said casually in a rough voice. The other man shifted uncomfortably. “Kinda. I've done other ones, but not… like this.”The cigarette guy gave a lazy shrug. “Look, man. The ones who hire us, these are rich folks! They all do dirty things, and we don’t care. We’re not here to judge them. It’s just work. We get rid of whoever they want, get paid, move on. Try not to understand their feelings or the stories behind it… because if you start worrying about their family drama, you’ll drive yourself crazy.”I felt bile rise in my throat. Get rid of whoever they want?“Yeah, I get it… but you’re not understanding me right. I heard this young lady…
Miley's POV: My legs were trembling, warning me as I lowered my hand and lifted my face, trying to focus all my energy on the person who had spoken. The bright headlights were blinding me so badly that I couldn’t see past the glare. Slowly, my eyes adjusted and the shadows in front of me slowly took form. A young boy was leaning out of the passenger window, his small face filled with something like curiosity while his icy blue eyes stared down at me.It was him! The same boy from the hotel and the cruise—“Well?” He asked again, his voice was sharp and full of impatience. “Aren’t you even gonna thank him?”The child pointed at the man hidden mostly in the darkness, sitting behind the steering wheel. As my vision cleared, my eyes fixed on the most devastatingly beautiful man I had ever seen. He was inhumanly handsome, his aristocratic features being sharpened by the moonlight: broad forehead, chiseled jawline, and heavy eyelids. His beauty wasn't human. He was like a wrathful
Miley’s POV: “Leave us alone, all of you.”Nico turned to me, his voice steady but sharp. “What did you want to say?”I swallowed the knot in my throat and stepped forward. My hands were cold, but I held them together to keep from shaking. “I have a solution which will solve all these problems at once: you should marry me.”Fixing my gaze on Nico, who was looking at me with a sharp glare.The silence in the room was immediate. I continued quickly, trying to explain myself and clear the issue as soon as I could. “My mother left me an inheritance, but it’s locked in a trust. I can only access it once I am married. If we get married and I get the money, I’ll give it to you to help you with the crisis on your end.”I took a breath and added, before he felt the need to ask himself. “But I do have one condition: you will have to help me get my revenge.”I lifted my eyes to his, only to find that Nico was already looking at me— as if I had just told him there was a human corpse hidden i
Nico’s POV: I parked my car in the street outside the office. Unlike Corradi and others, I believed in keeping public affairs separate from private ones. Mixing the two only led to complications and power plays I had no time for. My subordinates had informed me that the scuffle had already been resolved, but as soon as I walked in, something felt off. I could feel the tension hanging in the air like stale smoke. A bunch of the old men from the gang were already waiting for me outside my office, wearing sour expressions of disappointment. "Boss!” One of them began in a sarcastic tone. This was Vittorio, famous for his stained fingers and sharper tongue. “Like you must have noticed, our recent operations haven't been going well." "Because your men are slacking off?" I countered as I took my seat, keeping my voice calm but firm, knowing it was the best way to deal with them and sort everything out. "No," said another, shaking his head. "Because you stopped the drug
Miley's POV: Tulio’s words from last night lingered in my mind long after he fell asleep again. I couldn’t stop thinking about them—about how Nico must have watched his sister suffer, about the kind of man it must have taken to crawl out of that pain, and still take a stand against the drugs that indirectly claimed her life. Nico had morals– a bottom line he could hold on to. And maybe… a good heart too. I got up early the next morning. I didn’t want to sit around being pitied, I wanted to do something… anything that would show my appreciation for his consideration and generosity, even if it was in a small way. Tulio told me that Nico had fired both the maids yesterday, and the agency couldn't send someone on such short notice. Since the little one had really liked the cake, maybe I could make something again…? I made my way to the kitchen, and whipped up a breakfast that used to make Emily cry from joy: eggs, toast, grilled mushrooms, and some fresh fruit on the side.
Miley’s POV:The TV was playing some bizarre animated show; a mad genius with wild hair was ranting about alternate timelines while his teenage sidekick rolled his eyes and poured acid into a reactor. I stared, a little stunned. It was chaos! Complete chaos. But still, Tulio was following it perfectly well, laughing at the right moments and muttering theories under his breath like he was watching a crime documentary instead of a cartoon.I was genuinely impressed. What kind of child even understood this plot, let alone appreciated it?But now, that little genius had curled up and fallen asleep with his head on my lap. His long lashes rested against his flushed cheeks, his soft breaths brushing against the fabric of my shirt. He hadn’t touched the snacks he had arranged earlier with such much excitement: chips, cookies, even a plate of fruit I had chopped up just to feel useful. All of it was abandoned, like sleep had surprised him in the middle of his thoughts.I looked down at him
Nico's POV: Every time I got locked in the basement as a kid, it felt like the end of the world. I could still remember the angry slam of the door after I was dragged there by the collar and thrown inside, but the suffocating silence that followed it used to be the scariest thing in all this. My father believed it was a punishment that would build character, but all it gave was the survival instincts no child should have. At first, I used to cry, hoping that my tears would melt his heart. And then, I started to scream for help at the top of my lungs. But eventually, I learned to wait it out. I started counting breaths, carving lines on the wall with my nails, and humming nonsense to fill the dreadful silence. Pain taught me patience, and loneliness taught me how to stand alone, even if the whole world is on the other side. Ironically, in the years that followed, I started going back there voluntarily. Unlike my father's expectations, the basement became the place wh
Miley’s POVMy heart dropped as I watched Nico trembling, sweat dripping down his temple despite the chill in the basement. His voice—so confident just minutes ago—now came out in broken whispers, the same words over and over, like a loop he couldn’t escape.That’s when it hit me.Claustrophobia. He has claustrophobia!I had seen symptoms like this before, back when I volunteered at the hospital during college. We had been called to help a man once, who had been locked in an elevator during a power cut, and he was having a full-blown panic attack due to his claustrophobia. The doctors said if he didn't get help on time, the elevated heart rate could have been fatal.And for Nico, it wasn’t just fear… it was triggering a reaction in his body, and I couldn’t afford to hesitate right now. “Nico…”I said softly, reaching out even though I couldn’t see him. My hand finally found his wrist; damp with sweat, and completely tense. “Hey… hey, I’m right here, okay? You’re not alone.”His bod
Author's POV: The kitchen was filled with the bright, sweet scent of citrus and warm cake. Miley stood near the counter, a smear of powdered sugar dusting her cheek, as she worked the hand mixer through a bowl of buttercream. The soft, rhythmic whirring of the beaters, the occasional clink of her spoon against the mixing bowl, all these sounds were calming to her senses. The process of following a recipe she knew by heart was grounding, and this was the most peaceful she had felt in days. Earlier, she had found a basket of fresh lemons and oranges in the fridge, and she immediately knew what she wanted to make! She would bake a citrus cake, something light and sweet to express her gratitude. The sponge had risen beautifully in the oven, and now she was whipping the frosting to finish it off. However, unbeknownst to Miley at that time, two pairs of eyes were peeking in from the hallway. “It looks so pretty! She has been working at it for almost two hours now…” Whispered Gin
Miley’s POV: A few minutes passed, and the initial haze of waking up slowly wore off my mind. I sat upright, with the duvet still tangled around my legs, and that's when it hit me. Oh Gosh! How ridiculously had I reacted? Hiding under the covers like some kind of startled rabbit, just because two maids had called me beautiful?I could almost feel the embarrassment swallowing me whole. They were just being kind… or maybe curious, but it's not like they were threatening me! I shook my head. I needed to get up and clear my mind— taking a shower might be a good start? Or at least washing my face first. I carefully lowered my foot to the floor, biting down a hiss as my scratched soles touched the cold marble floor. They still hurt, but the chill was actually soothing and made it tolerable. I spotted the door to the en-suite bathroom, and walked over, then paused as I remembered the next problem: I didn’t have any clothes to change into. I didn't own a single item of clothing right no
Miley's POV: Sunlight dripped like honey across the duvet when I woke. For three blissful seconds, I forgot everything: the betrayal, the chase, the cold seawater filling my lungs. The mattress was comfortable– it cradled me like a cloud, and the silk sheets that were cool against my bare legs provided a cool, calming sensation to my nerves. My fingers curled around something plastic—a sling bottle of water placed carefully in my grasp. And then, reality crashed down. I bolted upright, the movement sending a stab of pain through my bruised ribs. This isn't my room. This isn't my country. The grandeur of the space alone was overwhelming-- towering ceilings with intricate moldings, gray silk drapes pooling on marble floors, a chandelier that looked like frozen starlight. It was a guest room, judging by the fact that it was impeccably elegant, yet there were no personal touches anywhere. I started to breathe heavily , trying to suck as much air as I could, sending myself