Alessia's POV "He has happily handed you over to me for a piece of land." The color drained from my face when I heard Nikolai. Though I didn't trust Antonio much, my heart broke. Every damn person I have met in my life has always betrayed me. It feels as if the ground has shifted beneath my feet. My knees buckled; I was about to fall, but before I could lose my balance, Nikolai's arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer to his chest. "You have no idea what I had to let go of to have you back in my arms." I blinked as a gasp escaped my throat. The intensity of his possessive grip burned into my skin, reminding me of where I belonged. Why? Why does it have to be me every damn time? Why? "There is no one else in this world who can protect you the way I can," Nikolai added. "I would burn the world before I let anyone else take you away from me." He leaned down and dipped his head into the crook of my neck. He inhaled deeply as if I were a drug keeping him sane.
I know he would not let me go this easily for what I have done, but I didn't expect him to be this bold. Removing his hand from my thigh, I shifted back into my seat. He didn't try to make contact, either. He placed his elbows on his thighs, leaned forward, and kept his eyes on the road as if each meter felt like a mile to him. Meanwhile, I was still struggling to breathe. I was trying to tell my heart that he couldn't hurt me physically. To be honest, it's not the fear of him killing me that haunts me—it's the fear of my body betraying me, surrendering once again to his rhythm. I hate that, despite everything, I still feel safe with him. I hate that even after he shattered my entire world, a part of me still longs for his presence. I hate that someone who tore my heart to pieces can still feel so painfully familiar and so close. The rest of the journey went silent, and I knew very well that it was the silence before the storm. I didn't dare look at him, but I could feel his ga
The air suddenly became thick. My legs felt too heavy to move, especially after listening to his obscene demand. "On the bed, Alessia," he commanded. "Now!" My fingers curled to my sides as my heart hammered wildly in my chest. My legs remained unmoved as if chained by invisible ropes. His eyes were too dark and intense. "And don't forget to remove your clothes." I didn't move from my place. I couldn't. My chest rose and fell in anticipation. I knew he was waiting for me to follow his command, but I couldn't. He inhaled deeply, took another step back, and pinched the bridge of his nose. The veins in his forearm strained, indicating the effort it took to hold back. "Don't test my patience, Alessia!" he snapped. "Don't make me do it!" I shivered. My knees buckled. His ruthless eyes bored into me. "You know if I come to myself, it won't end well for you," he growled through clenched teeth. "I'm still trying to be lenient with you. Don't make it more difficult than it al
I can't trust him. He could do anything for his sick pleasure. "I am not as despicable as you think," he mumbled before dropping the belt on the floor. I released the breath I had been holding for so long. But my breath once again caught in my throat when he dropped his pants as well and climbed onto the bed. "Don't move!" he ordered when I tried to crawl away from him. The mattress dipped beneath his weight as he moved closer. He positioned my body between his knees and leaned forward to grab an ice cube. Before I could process what he was trying to do, he pressed the ice cube against my collarbone, sending a shock of cold through my body. But what surprised me more was the excitement that stirred beneath the fear. Goosebumps rose all over my skin as I struggled to understand my own body. Everything he does to me feels like it has happened in the past, and I don't remember a single thing! My breath hitched when he began moving the ice cube from my collarbone up my t
Third person POV Alessia's whole body shuddered when Nikolai pressed the ice cube directly against her clit. Her body was on fire; she needed release, but Nikolai's actions made it even more challenging for her, while he was thoroughly enjoying her predicament. He wanted to tease her, punish her, and teach her a lesson so she wouldn't repeat the mistake. He understood that she was overwhelmed by emotion and revelation, which caused her to escape, but she didn't realize the blunder she had committed. She was too innocent to understand others' intentions. Antonio could have done anything to her. As a Mafia King, he had many enemies looking for his weakness, and now she had made it obvious. They would surely come after her. She would have to understand that only he was her home, her solace, her only place to turn to. No one knew her body better than he did, and he was taking advantage of exactly that. He slowly and teasingly began rubbing the ice on her clit. Her legs tightened
Nikolai's POV"This is so unfair. You promised that island to me!" Antonio shouted, his voice hoarse from hours of suffering. He was tied to the chair, exactly where and how I wanted him, beaten black and blue by my men. His arrogant posture now slumped against the chair. The blood dripping from his temple soaked into his white shirt, painting it red. He was always under the illusion that he could outsmart me. Even in the past, he betrayed me by joining hands with Alessia's father. But today, reality had hit him harder than my men’s fists. I leaned against the heavy wooden desk, casually swirling the whiskey in my glass, letting him cry a little more. It was bringing peace to my heart. The air was thick with the smell of iron and blood, something I am used to. I wanted Alessia to witness the consequences of her actions, but I knew she wouldn't be able to stand here. She hasn't been feeling well for the past few days. After that night, she struggled to even walk to the bathroo
Alessia's POV It had been over a week since Nikolai had brought me back to this hell. Since then, I have done nothing except sleep. No matter how much I slept, I felt very tired and restless all the time. Every time I spent a night with Nikolai, I regretted it the next morning. No matter how much I swore to resist, I always lost control whenever he was close. I had barely spoken to him since then. I avoided him most of the time. To my surprise, he also gave me the required space instead of forcing his presence like at other times. He was trying to act all soft around me, but I knew his reality. I wasn't going to be lured by his fake care and concern. I knew what a skilled manipulator he was. The soft click of the door opening broke through my thoughts. I immediately shut my eyes, curling deeper into the mattress, pretending to be asleep. A few seconds later, I heard the soft click again, which meant he had closed the door. He stayed there for a moment before I heard the
When the car slowed to a stop, I fully expected to find myself in front of a lavish five-star restaurant, the kind that matched Nikolai’s personality: extravagant, cold, and overwhelming. Instead, I found myself standing in the middle of a small and warm restaurant. It was dimly lit, with rustic tables and soft golden lights. Suddenly, the scent of freshly baked bread and rich spices wafted through the air, and I couldn't help but inhale it again and again. It felt so familiar, even though I had come here for the very first time. I swallowed hard and turned my head to Nikolai, only to find him already watching me, his dark eyes filled with something close to fascination. My brows furrowed. Why does he always look at me like that—as if I am the most precious thing in his world—when he has already taken away my happiness, my life? I cleared my throat and tore my gaze away. “Have a seat, my lady,” he said smoothly, pulling out a chair with a soft smile on his lips. I glanced at
My fingers dug into my lap, and I sat frozen in my place as I waited for him to speak. I had been waiting to hear the truth for so long."Yes, this is the truth: because of me, we lost the child." My breath hitched. "But I wasn't directly responsible for it." My eyebrows drew in confusion. Nikolai leaned forward, resting his elbows on the edge of the table. His hands were clasped loosely in front of him. "You may not remember it, but I know your heart has realized how deeply we were in love with each other once." "We were living a happy life together. We created our small little world without caring about others. And then..." He smiled. "We got the greatest news of our lives: that you were pregnant." I blinked, and a gasp escaped my throat as I tried to think about it. My head spun, and frustration grew when I couldn't remember anything. "But our happiness caught an evil eye. The doctor said that you weren't fit to carry a child." I swallowed hard. "But you still wan
He didn't look as youthful and lively as before. His hair was messy, and his beard had grown out; it was heavy and untrimmed. His eyes looked hollow, with dark bags underneath, as if he hadn't slept for nights. His shoulders were hunched, and his body didn’t carry that aura. His eyes softened slightly when he was sure that I was actually standing in front of him. He looked at me as if I were the first light after a long night. Slowly, he stood up, and my feet subconsciously took me to him. For a moment, neither of us spoke. The world around us blurred as we kept looking at each other like we hadn’t seen each other in lifetimes. Then, his lips slowly curved into a faint smile.“I knew you would come,” his voice was low and raspy, missing that roar and firmness. I said nothing because I didn’t know what to say. A part of me wanted to scream, wanted to ask him why he was still doing this—why he was still making it harder for me to hate him. Another part of me just wanted to fall
"Where are you going?" My feet came to a halt when I heard Marco's voice. I turned around to face him. I couldn't forget the way he had shouted at me in the study. He is my elder brother. I have always respected him, but that doesn’t mean he can shout at me. I don’t give this right to anyone. "I don’t believe I’m obligated to answer every question you throw at me, Marco. I’m not accountable to you.” I folded my arms across my chest and looked directly into his eyes. His jaw clenched and fists tightened. It was quite clear he didn’t like what I said, but still he kept his voice neutral, not allowing his feelings to reflect through his tone. "I understand that you are an adult with your own rights, but you are living under my protection and..." “Under my father's protection,” I corrected sharply, cutting him off. His eyes darkened, and his head tilted just slightly to the side—an old habit of his whenever he didn’t like what the other person had just said. It was subtl
My heart stopped for a moment as I listened to that deep, rough voice that somehow managed to make space in my heart. It still made something inside me stir. I wanted to end the call, to prove that he no longer controls me, but the way he said "please" made it impossible for me to do so. My grip on the phone tightened as not a single word came out of my mouth. Silence spread between us. I could hear his ragged breathing and feel his nervousness through the phone. Then, I heard the rustle of wind on the other end, as if he were outside. "How did he get my number?" The question popped into my mind. I mentally slapped myself for being so stupid. How could I forget that he has many sources? "I didn't think you'd pick up," he said softly, breaking the silence. Suddenly, I felt a rush of emotions and was about to end the call when he spoke again. "I won't take much of your time, Alessia." I swallowed hard. "One minute—just say whatever you want," I stated in a cold and flat tone, t
“Sign them over to me.” For a moment, I thought my ears were ringing, that I had heard something wrong. First, I can't believe Nikolai has transferred his property into my name without telling me, and now Marco wants me to sign it over to him. Why? I realized my hands were trembling when I felt a large, rough hand cover my palm. It was my father's. He looked at me and nodded reassuringly. He already knew about it, and he also wanted the same from me. How could I not know about my own life and the things happening to me? They gave me a few minutes of silence to understand the entire situation. Then Marco spoke again, "Alessia, I know you are pregnant, and we shouldn't give you too much stress, but this can't wait any longer." He sighed. His tone was very soft, as if he were speaking to a child. "Alessia, before taking you away from us, Nikolai snatched the throne of Mafia king from Dad. It is only because of him that our mother is not with us." Marco's gaze flicke
I sighed and went to the bathroom to take a shower. It took me exactly half an hour to get ready. As I went downstairs, I found Marco and Dad already at the breakfast table, waiting for me. “Good morning, princess,” Marco greeted me warmly as he walked up to me and pulled me into a tight hug. “Good morning,” I smiled, wrapping my arms around him briefly before we parted. We then settled at the table to have our first meal of the day. As always, all the dishes were my favorites. Ever since I returned, my family has been going out of their way to take care of me—and the baby. Every little thing is done to make me feel safe and loved, and I appreciate it… even if, deep down, I still feel hollow. I am also trying to have all my meals despite how I am feeling inside.I visited the doctor two days ago. The report she gave wasn’t reassuring. The baby… it’s weak. Too weak. I need to reduce my stress levels and ensure I take all my vitamins and meals on time if I want to keep them safe. Th
Suddenly, I heard a loud gunshot that shook me in my place. My heart pounded fast as the loud voice echoed from inside the mansion. I felt my heart come to my throat as I looked around. I couldn't stop myself from opening the door and stepping out of the car. The sound of another gunshot, followed by glass shattering, made me run inside the mansion. Because of my slippery feet, I almost slipped but managed to compose myself just in time. My surroundings blurred and turned dark as I ran toward the room where I had left Nikolai alone. The door was slightly ajar, so I pushed it open to find Nikolai with a gun in his hand, pressed against his stomach, his back facing me. "Nikolai!" I shouted. Slowly, he turned around. His eyes were filled with pain, such a deep pain that it tore my soul apart. Tears streamed down his cheeks, his eyes were bloodshot red, and his lower lip quivered. His shoulders slumped, and his face looked pale, almost lifeless. "Why are you here, Alessia?" he as
His body jolted slightly as the words left my mouth. It felt as if someone had struck him physically. "What?" He was completely surprised. His forehead wrinkled as his eyes flicked again between me and the divorce papers. "You are kidding me, right?" he asked in disbelief. "I am not kidding you, Nikolai. These are actually divorce papers. I asked Marco for help. He did and delivered them on time." I breathed; my chest felt heavy, "and let me tell you, Nikolai, it's my decision. No one has forced me into this. This is just to clear your misunderstanding." He licked his lips. His head cocked slightly as if he still couldn't believe his ears. For the moment, I shut off all the feelings of my heart. I was only listening to my brain. Slowly, he reached out for the papers in my hand. His fingers trembled slightly as he grabbed them. Silence spread between us as he slowly opened the file. His fingers trembled as they turned the first page. His eyes scanned the bold letters: P
The gun in my hands shook uncontrollably as he asked me to kill him. My eyes flicked between the gun and Nikolai, who was still on his knees. "What are you thinking about, Alessia? Go ahead," he whispered. "Just kill me," he choked out. His eyes were locked with mine. "I swear, I will not stop you. I will not even blink." He gasped, trying his best not to let the tears slip down his face. My throat constricted as I fought with my emotions.I couldn't move, blink, or speak. "This pain..." His voice cracked. His hand rose and pointed to his chest. "This pain of betrayal, YOUR BETRAYAL, it's becoming too much for me to bear." As if it were his breaking point, one hot, thick tear dribbled down his face and rolled down his cheek. The tear of pain. The tear I wanted to see in his eyes. The pain I wanted him to feel. But now that he was exactly in the state I wanted him, why was it hurting me so badly? Why does my chest ache like someone is tearing me apart from the inside?Why d