Well, that escalated quickly! If you’re still here after that wild ride, congratulations! You’ve just experienced one of the darker corners of my imagination. Remember, it’s all fiction, folks—no real-life blindfolds or handcuffs were harmed in the making of this chapter. As always, if you’ve enjoyed this twisted escapade, feel free to drop a comment. And if not, well, at least you got to experience something a little out of the ordinary! XOXO 💋
Viviane ☩═✦═☩ I’ve always been a locked box, the kind with a heavy-duty padlock and no key in sight. I don’t share my thoughts with anyone, never have, never will. My feelings stay buried deep where no one can find them. Hell, not even I know where they’re buried half the time. People don't like that. It makes them uneasy when they can’t put you in a neat little box, label you, or figure out what makes you tick. They don’t like the unknown; it scares them. And scared people? They’ll do whatever it takes to make themselves feel better, to feel like they’re in control. So, what do they do? They dress it up as concern, like they actually give a damn about your well-being. They start throwing around words like ‘mental health’ and ‘emotional support,’ like those words mean something like they’re magic spells that will somehow crack me open. They say it’s for my own good, that therapy will help me ‘unpack my trauma,’ ‘heal my inner child,’ or whatever the hell the buzzword of the
Alessandro ☩══♛══☩ I entered the candle lit chapel exactly as the witching hour started, the scent of incense still lingering in the air, mingling with the musty aroma of old wood and forgotten sins. The dim light of the flickering candles cast eerie shadows across the stone walls, giving the place a sinister, almost otherworldly feel, bathing the room in a twisted mockery of holiness. This was the sanctuary where Giovanni prayed for the lost and broken souls, a place where he preached about redemption and forgiveness. But tonight, it was nothing more than a stage for the devil’s work. My work. I dipped my fingers into the holy water at the entrance, feeling its coolness against my skin. I caught Giovanni’s eye, and with a slow, deliberate motion, I brought my hand up to my forehead. I made the sign of the cross, but deliberately wrong—touching my forehead, then my left shoulder, skipping the center of my chest entirely, and finishing with a half-hearted swipe to the right.
Alessandro ☩══♛══☩ I lounged on the couch, my arms draped over the backrest, one leg casually crossed over the other. My gaze was fixed on Giovanni, crawling naked across the cold stone floor of our warehouse. Sweat glistened on his skin, streaked with blood, while his knees and palms were raw, dragging a trail of crimson behind him. Whenever he dared to stop, gasping for breath, Kelly’s mother stepped in with a blank, almost serene expression, pressing a glowing hot poker against his flesh. Each searing touch was a grim satisfaction, a small revenge for what he’d done to her daughter. The sizzle of burning skin filled the room, acrid and sharp. Giovanni let out a choked scream, barely escaping his throat before he forced himself to crawl across the stone floor. Each breath was a struggle, wheezing and labored. His fresh, blistering burns flared with every touch of the hot poker, reigniting his agony. His eyes reflected a grim realization: there was no escape, only endless suffer
Viviane ☩═✦═☩ Sometimes, when people hit below the belt, I hit them where it really hurts. And trust me, I can go a hell of a lot lower. I don’t usually mess with innocents, especially not kids. That’s a line I don’t cross. But desperate times call for desperate measures. And right now, I’m staring down a whole barrel of desperation. See, it’s not every day you’ve got a ticking time bomb strapped to your back, a million-dollar bounty on your head, and two assassins trying to take you out in one fucking day. Sure, I put two of them in the ground, but the third? Luck like that doesn’t hold forever. If I want to get ahead of this—and I do—I’ve got to act fast. So, if that means getting my hands a little dirtier than usual, so be it. Sometimes, you’ve got to play the game on their level just long enough to win. And I’m damn good at winning. I’ve been in this business long enough to know how to handle a target on my back. You don’t survive this long without learning how to think th
Viviane ☩═✦═☩ My plans don’t miss. I never leave loose ends. But desperation has a way of turning clean cuts into bloody messes. And when you’re up against someone who’s just as ruthless, just as hellbent on winning as you are, things get… messier. The bastard is good at it. Smart enough to see the traps I lay out and sly enough to turn them right back on me. He's patient—the kind who bides his time and waits for me to get cocky, to think I've got him where I want him. That’s when he strikes, with a viciousness that almost makes me admire him. Almost. I stood in his office, dressed in a sleek black bodysuit and tight leather pants, my high ponytail swaying like a whip behind me. I’d come here armed with confidence, but all that self-assurance shattered like glass the second he opened his mouth. He took his time crossing the room, each step deliberate, eyes locked on mine with that infuriating, self-satisfied smile curling his lips. He stopped just a foot away—close enough
Viviane ☩═✦═☩ I had never been this tongue-tied in my entire damn life. But of course, Alessandro had a way of stripping you down to your most raw, bare self—taking every word right out of your mouth before you even had the chance to speak it. I stood there, fists clenched tight, staring at the old man in front of me. His weathered face held a calmness that felt like a slap, he didn't know what was coming—the hell I was about to unleash on him. I could feel my temper boiling, my skin prickling with a rage I didn’t even know was there. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to scream at Alessandro for putting me in this position or if I wanted to just get it over with, to dive headfirst into the darkness he was dragging me toward. I’d never laid a hand on an innocent or an old person. But here I was, staring down this frail figure in front of me, feeling the weight of Alessandro's eyes on my back. This was another one of his twisted games, a setup designed to push me to my breaking point,
Alessandro ☩══♛══☩ When I walked into the apartment, the first thing that hit me was the smell—blood, sweat, and something metallic in the air. A symphony of violence. Perfect. The old man was tied to a chair in the middle of the room, slumped forward, whimpering through the gag Viviane had shoved in his mouth. His body was a mess. Rope burns around his wrists, blood streaked down his arms, and bruises blossomed across his skin like flowers in bloom. She’d done a number on him, I’d give her that. But what I hadn’t expected was Viviane, lying sprawled on the floor like a discarded doll. I paused, standing in the doorway for a moment, taking it all in. The way the old man’s chest shuddered with every breath, the way Viviane was passed out cold. Goddamn it, Freckles. I knew she’d pull through with the torture, but this…this was unexpected. I took a slow step into the room, my shoes making a soft click on the hardwood floor. I wasn’t in a rush. The old bastard wasn’t going anyw
Viviane ☩═✦═☩ I hate being hungover. My head pounded like a sledgehammer against my skull. I never let myself drink enough to get to this point—always kept it in check—but this was next level. Something was off. Wait. I never drank. I didn’t drink anything last night, did I? The last thing I remembered was being at that old man's apartment. I sat up fast, too fast, my stomach lurching in protest. The room swayed as I blinked against the fog clouding my brain. My vision was blurry, the edges of the room hazy like I was seeing through a dirty lens. Where the hell was I? The sheets felt wrong, too smooth, too cold—definitely not my bed. Panic crept in like ice water down my spine, my pulse speeding up. My heart thudded in my chest, and my hands shook as I pushed myself up. The air felt thick, heavy, like it was suffocating me. I wasn’t home. This wasn’t right. What the fuck happened? I looked down and froze. My clothes were gone. All I had on was my bra and underwear.