Alexa's POV I woke up with a knot in my stomach the size of a grapefruit. My head throbbed with the remnants of yesterday's emotional rollercoaster. Mom was still in the hospital, and the doctor said that she had another episode early this morning. Regardless of the craziness happening around me, all I could think about was him.Don Antonio. He'd been so kind, taking care of everything while I was a mess. Then there was that moment... the one that made my cheeks burn even now. The way he looked at me, the way he almost… But I couldn't go there. He was practically family, my godfather. Yet, the warmth of his touch on my face lingered, confusing me even more than the situation with Mom.Should I go to work or head back to the hospital to be with Mom? I had to finish up with the lessons my godfather was teaching me. But the thought of leaving Mom alone, vulnerable, made my throat tighten. Did she even need me there? I reached the hospital and sat in the chair beside her bed, taking he
Alexa's POV Guilt gnawed at me for having such selfish desires. Don Antonio had been there for me, a rock when my world crumbled. He shouldn't be tainted by these confusing feelings. He deserved better than my messy emotional state.But the image of him, his conflicted expression as he pulled away, wouldn't leave me alone. Did he feel it too? The impossible spark, the inappropriate pull? Pushing myself out of the chair, I practically ran to my mom's hospital room. This wasn't the time for selfish desires, Mom needed me.Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to focus on the rhythmic beep of the monitor. Each steady beat was a reminder, a lifeline in this storm. I would be here for Mom, strong and present. Everything else, the confusion, the guilt, could wait.I blinked back at what I met on getting to my godfather's house later that evening. My heart began hammering a frantic pace against my ribs as I stared at the scene before me. Don Antonio, the man who held me close just yesterda
Don Antonio's POV The lingering warmth of her touch on my face, the ghost of her lips brushing against mine—it felt like a wild dream. And the memory of her emerald eyes, filled with confusion and a flicker of something more… it ignited a fire within me. A fire fueled not by fleeting lust but by something deeper, something I couldn't quite define. All night, I tossed and turned, the image of Alexa replacing the usual models in my head. The weight of my actions pressed down on me, the realization of the line I had crossed with my goddaughter. Sleep, a much-needed escape, eluded me. By the time the first sliver of dawn light peeked through the blinds, a warm excitement had settled in my stomach. The taste of Alexa's lips remained on mine even as I arrived at work the next day. I wasn't surprised about the longing feeling. After all, I have been wanting to taste those lips for as long as I could remember, so I expected it. However, what I wasn't expecting was the awkward silence tha
Alexa's POV "He was avoiding me," I muttered under my breath as I paced around the office. I had been nervous ever since I realized that my relationship with my godfather had changed. He was no longer the man I saw as my second father. He became something more after we shared that kiss. I began seeing him as someone special. I slumped back in the chair, waves of disappointment crashing over me. Why was he avoiding me? I thought. He had made the first move, and he did enjoy the kiss. I saw how his eyes had dilated when we had finally released each other. So what changed in the past few hours? Had he suddenly realized that what we were doing was wrong and that the kiss shouldn't have happened in the first place? Swallowing past a lump, I shook my desktop screen to life using the mouse and stared back at the inventory file on the screen. I should focus on work. Or rather,
Alexa's POV The screeching sound of my car tires continued reverberating in my head a few minutes after the crash. I bent my head on my steering wheel and remained in that position as I tried to regain my balance. The commotion outside continued. I could hear people screaming for someone to call 911. Someone was knocking frantically on my car window. Another one was asking if I was alright. I ignored them all. I definitely was not in the right state of mind to answer any questions. But it seems like they wouldn't let me be because the next second, someone was already pulling at the door. I had no choice but to raise my head and wind down my glass. I nodded at the middle-aged man looking at me with his curious eyes. It was a way of telling him that I was alright even without asking, since I knew that would be his next question. Regardless of my foreclosure, he went right ahead and asked me the very question I was avoiding. "Are you alright, miss?""Y-yeah. I'm fine," I answered i
Don Antonio's POV The phone call had been a shock to the system. Little Alexa in trouble with the law? It was a scenario I'd never considered. The girl I'd watched grow from an intelligent child to a stunning young woman, now entangled in a mess of her own making. My mind raced, a whirlwind of emotions and concerns swirling within me.I'd arrived at the police station feeling disoriented. I was angry at her reckless disregard for her own safety, and so worried for her well-being. But the sight of her, tear-streaked and vulnerable, deflated the anger. What remained was a deep-seated concern.Her confession, delivered in a broken whisper, painted a picture of a young woman lost and desperate. The details of the night, the near-miss, the alcohol. She was the unfortunate protagonist.I’d listened, my heart pounding in my chest. Each word she uttered was a dagger twisting in my gut. The girl I'd often seen as carefree and spirited was now a fragile being, teetering on the edge of a ridge.
Alexa's POV The demeaning look on my godfather's face told me I had messed up everything. My life. The previous relationship I had with him. The current romantic relationship I was supposed to have with him. Everything had somehow become a tangle of mess. "Answer me, little Alexa," he prompted me, "What do you mean by I was avoiding you?"I clamped my trembling lips together and looked down at my hands. "It's just this morning when I saw you… After what happened last night…""But you were the one avoiding me. You were the one acting all nervous when I came in. The awkwardness was so glaring that I decided to leave you alone."My jaw dropped at his explanation. "You thought I was avoiding you? Wait, you mean it was all a misunderstanding? But I thought you were the one avoiding me!"He chuckled, flashing me one of those dazzling smiles that got me drooling in my panties. He further intensified the heat between my legs by placing his hands on both my shoulders. I had no choice but to
Alexa's POV I couldn't believe it. Don Antonio had actually changed his mind along the way. He had switched lanes at some point and we were pulling into the parking lot of a secluded hotel. As he parked the car, I felt my body shaking from excitement about what's to come in any minute now. This was a line we'd never crossed before. It was dangerous, forbidden, and yet, it felt so right.We walked into the hotel, hand in hand. The lobby was deserted, save for a sleepy night clerk who barely glanced up from his newspaper. We took an elevator to the top floor, the air thick with anticipation.Our room was a luxurious suite, complete with a king-sized bed, a plush sitting area, and a large balcony overlooking the city lights. As I stepped inside, I felt a surge of excitement. This was it. This was the moment I'd been waiting for with him ever since I was a teenager.Don Antonio closed the door behind us and turned to face me. His eyes were filled with a smoldering intensity that sent a
The villa was a haven of tranquility, a place designed to soothe the soul and heal the body. The gentle rhythm of the waves lapping against the shore, the fragrant scent of the tropical flowers, the luxurious comfort of my surroundings – all of it should have brought me peace. But it didn't. It couldn't.I spent hours by the infinity pool, the warm sun on my skin, the cool water a temporary balm against the fire that raged within me. Isabella was attentive and kind, her presence a constant, gentle reminder of my need for rest and recovery.Her touch was gentle, her voice soothing. She brought me fresh fruit, read to me from books, and tried, with unwavering patience, to engage me in conversation. She was everything they said I needed. Everything except her.I would smile, offer polite responses, and attempt to feign interest in her stories. But my mind was a battlefield, a constant struggle against the relentless tide of longing that threatened to consume me.Everywhere I looked, I sa
The apartment was a dimly lit sanctuary, the silence broken only by the rhythmic ticking of the clock on the wall. Jeremy’s call had hung in the air, a gentle reminder of the dinner he had planned, a dinner I was woefully unprepared for. I hadn’t even started getting ready. My clothes lay scattered on the bed. My mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, a relentless replay of Don Antonio’s voice, his laughter, the feeling of his hand in mine. How is he? Is he alright? Does he miss me as much as I miss him? The questions echoed in the quiet apartment, drowning out any attempt at rational thought. I stared at my reflection in the darkened window, a pale, drawn face staring back. My hair, usually carefully styled, was a tangled mess, pulled back into a haphazard bun. I hadn’t bothered with makeup, and the dark circles under my eyes spoke volumes about my sleepless nights. Jeremy’s invitation, meant to be a gesture of kindness and support, felt like an impossible task. The thought of dressi
Alexa's POVMy phone, lying face down on the kitchen counter, buzzed, shattering the oppressive quiet moment Sarah and I were enjoying. I hesitated, my hand hovering over it, reluctant to break the fragile shell of my peace. Finally, I flipped it over. Jeremy’s name flashed across the screen.“Hey,” I managed, my voice hoarse, a mere whisper.“Alexa? You sound…rough,” Jeremy said, his voice laced with concern. “Are you alright?”“As alright as I can be,” I replied, trying to inject a semblance of normalcy into my tone, but it was a poor attempt.There was a pause, a moment of shared silence that stretched between us. I could almost feel his empathy, his unspoken understanding.We hung up after catching up with work and making plans for dinner the next day. The silence returned in the room, but this time, it felt different. It was still heavy, but it was no longer suffocating. It was a silence filled with the echo of Jeremy’s affection towards me, a reminder that I wasn’t entirely alon
Don Antonio's POVI shifted restlessly in the bed, the faint ache in my chest a dull echo of the deeper pain that gnawed at my heart. Xavier and the doctor stood at the foot of the bed, their expressions a carefully constructed blend of concern and authority. They had won. They had convinced me."It's for the best, Don Antonio," the doctor had said, his voice calm and measured. "You need to focus on your recovery. The change of scenery, the peace and quiet... it will do you good."Xavier had echoed his sentiments, his usually stoic face softened with a rare hint of pleading. "It's what's best for you, sir. A chance to heal, away from the stress."They spoke of stress as if it were a simple ailment, a manageable inconvenience. They didn't understand the depth of the wound, the gaping hole in my soul that threatened to consume me. The thought of leaving Alexa, of putting distance between us, was a torment. Every fiber of my being yearned for her, for the sound of her voice, the warmth o
46. A Glimmer of HopeAlexa's POVMy heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic drumbeat against the suffocating silence of Elsie's apartment. "Anything?" I echoed, my voice barely a whisper, the word hanging heavy with desperation. "What do you want? No… How much do you want?"Elsie's eyes gleamed, a predatory glint that sent a shiver down my spine. "Oh, Alexa," she purred, her voice laced with amusement, "you know I'm not interested in money.""Then what is it?" I pleaded, my voice trembling. "Just tell me. What do you want from me?"She rose from the sofa, her movements slow and deliberate, like a cat stalking its prey. She circled me, her gaze lingering on my face, her smile a cruel mask."Like I have said over a thousand times, I want you to suffer," she said, her voice dropping to a low, menacing whisper. "I want you to feel the pain I've felt. I want you to lose everything you hold dear."Her words hit me like a physical blow, a wave of nausea washing over me. "You're insane," I
Alexa's POVThe silence of my apartment was suffocating. It wasn't just the absence of Antonio's laughter or the warmth of his touch. It was a deeper silence, a void where our shared secrets and forbidden desires once thrived.I paced the living room, my restlessness a physical manifestation of the turmoil within me. Antonio's rejection, his cold dismissal, had left a gaping wound in my heart. But even amidst the pain, a nagging unease lingered, a shadow cast by Elsie's lingering threat. I haven't forgotten that she knows about my godfather and me and will use it against me any moment from now. The thought was a chilling reminder of my vulnerability, of the precariousness of my situation. What was she planning? What was her endgame?I couldn't shake the feeling that Elsie was the key to everything. She was the puppet master, pulling the strings, orchestrating the chaos that had engulfed my life. I had to confront her, to find out what she wanted, to understand her motives.With a sur
Don Antonio's POV The silence after Alexa left gnawed at me. The image of her retreating figure, the echo of her unspoken apology, ignited a firestorm of emotions within me.Betrayal. Disappointment. Anger.How dare she? How dare she come here, after everything, after her lies and her deception, and expect forgiveness? How dare she look at me with those pleading eyes, as if she were the victim?My chest tightened, a familiar pressure building, but this time, it wasn't the lingering effects of the heart attack. It was a raw, unadulterated fury that threatened to consume me.My gaze fell upon the tangle of tubes and wires connected to my body, the lifelines that bound me to this sterile prison. They were a symbol of my weakness, a reminder of my vulnerability. And I hated them.With a surge of adrenaline, I ripped the tubes away, the sharp sting of the needles tearing from my skin barely registering. The heart monitor erupted in a frantic alarm, the shrill sound echoing through the roo
Alexa's POVMy father's question hung in the air, a heavy weight pressing down on me. How could I explain the tangled web of lies, the hidden relationship, the guilt that gnawed at my soul?I opened my mouth to speak, but the words wouldn't come. My throat constricted, tears blurring my vision. I felt a wave of dizziness wash over me, the weight of the situation threatening to crush me.My father's expression softened, his eyes filled with concern. "Alexa," he said, his voice surprisingly gentle, "tell me what is going on?"I shook my head, unable to speak, unable to meet his gaze. I felt his hand on my shoulder, a reassuring touch that only intensified my guilt."Come on," he said, his voice firm but kind. "Let's go somewhere we can talk."He led me to a quiet corner of the lobby, away from the prying eyes and hushed whispers. I sank onto a chair, my body trembling, my mind racing."Now," my father said, sitting beside me, "tell me what's going on. Why are you here? Why were you argu
Alexa's POVThe hospital lobby was a blur of white coats and hushed whispers, a stark contrast to the chaos raging within me. My heart thumped against my ribs, a frantic drumbeat urging me forward, even as my legs trembled with fear. I had to see him. I had to know he was alright.Jeremy had dropped me off at the entrance, his expression a mix of concern and hesitant support. I barely registered his words as I rushed through the automatic doors, my eyes scanning the crowded space for a familiar face.I spotted a nurse at the reception desk and rushed towards her, my voice trembling. "Don Antonio Bavarish," I stammered. "I need to see him. I'm..." I hesitated, the words catching in my throat. "I'm a close friend."The nurse's expression was polite, but her tone was firm. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but I can't give you any information without authorization. Are you family?""No," I admitted, my voice barely a whisper. "But... but I need to see him. Please."Before the nurse could respond, a fam