[ANASTASIA'S POINT OF VIEW]I had no idea where we were, but I pulled over to the side of the road, jumped out of the driver's seat, and opened the door to the passenger's seat, where Enzo was still conscious...fortunately. As soon as I sat down next to him, I undo his shirt's buttons, revealing the messy stabbed wound on the side of his stomach. I stifled a violent shudder at the gruesome sight of it, “This is going to hurt.” I muttered as I reached for the first-aid kit.“Get on with it, doll. This is nothing," he declared, and I assumed he was joking. However, his face evinced no signs of pain as I started to clean the parched and fresh blood off the wound, and his expression remained blank as I continued to clean it with alcohol. I was almost tempted to press hard on the wound in the hopes that he would feel more human, but he was still a human, despite how good he was at masking the pain and giving the world an air of nonchalance.I helped him take off his bloody shirt before st
[ANASTASIA'S POINT OF VIEW]For the first time, it was relieving to return to the mansion. I would rather spend the rest of my life here than go through that ordeal again. It caused me to see a side of Enzo I would rather never see again.Speaking of Enzo, I have no idea what the doctor gave him, but he has been knocked out for two days since we arrived at the mansion.The doctor claimed that it helped him heal properly because having another meltdown would have prevented the wound from healing faster, but as I once more observed his unconscious face slowly regaining its color after being so pale before, I could not help but worry. Lastly, his wound was healing more quickly.I peered at his face, I was tempted to touch it, and I didn't realize my hand was reaching out until the pad of my finger was creating a path on his rough and dry lips. How could one person be both insane and perfect at the same time? The longer I stared and wondered, the faster my heart warmed up. I found the s
(ENZO'S POINT OF VIEW)(FLASHBACK)Enzo, 14 years old, entered the kitchen to find his mother over the stove. He came to a halt, his gaze fixed on her back. He studied her with his head tilted. Even if she was hiding so well, he could see how her hands trembled now and then as she stirred whatever she was cooking in the pot, and how she held back a hiss whenever the heat got too hot on the bruises on her hand."Mother." He called, and the woman turned so quickly that she nearly flipped her pot of food.When she realized it was just him, she giggled apprehensively. "Enzo, how long have you been standing there? You scared me. Please do not do that again; I am getting old."She was not old; she was only in her late 30s. However, looking at her, one might mistakenly believe she was in her 50s. Even someone in their fifties appeared much better. Enzo could not recall the last time she had taken care of herself without worrying about his well-being or catering to her so-called husband.Enzo
[ANASTASIA'S POINT OF VIEW]A few days passed, and I could say that things had returned to normal, and by normal, I mean staying in Enzo's room and taking my online classes while being watched by two of the guards. It was not like I was going to try anything. I wasn't escaping anytime soon, so they didn't have to watch me like that, and lastly, avoiding the Mezzasalma like they were the plague of the earth. They terrified me with their craziness.However, just as I thought things were looking up, Enzo entered the room with an empty bag. I looked at him, puzzled, as he approached and placed the bag beside my feet on the bed. "Pack your things, doll, we are going to the beach."I didn't move instantly. Why were we going to the beach, was this a code for something, was he on a mission like the last two times he took me out, and if not, why the freaking hell were we going to the beach? I can't swim. "I am not a swimmer," I mumbled, looking up at him with a pout."I know. Pack up; we ar
[ANASTASIA'S POINT OF VIEW]When I left the balcony, I didn't seek Enzo nor go to the dinner table. I went directly to Khione's room.I strode into the bedroom; I found her beside her window, looking out while taking a whiff of her cigar penned between her fingers. I went to stand next to her."Sienna is here," I began.She turned to face me, her green eyes not hiding the surprise in them. "Sienna?" she inquired. "How can you be certain she is here when you have never seen her before?""I saw her photo in Enzo's flat before. And Rue said it's her,”Khione snorted. “Rue is stuffed with crap. She might be attempting to snag you by the shirt. She has the ability to make people act their worst.” She exhaled once more into her cigar.I sighed, almost reaching out to grab the cigar from her finger to take a drag. "I would like to know what happened between them; Enzo and Sienna. Why is she such a touchy subject?"“It’s a sensitive topic indeed.” She extinguished the cigar and threw it out t
[ANASTASIA'S POINT OF VIEW]As soon as we entered our bedroom, I grabbed hold of his wrist. When he turned to face me, I stood on my toes and firmly pressed my lips against his. I hummed in the kiss and wrapped my arms around his neck, realizing I hadn't done this in a while, and I did not realize how much I craved it until he started kissing me back, his palms rising to cup my face. I moved my body closer to his, wanting his warmth and longing for more.I broke the kiss and left a trail of kisses on his neck. Enzo vibrated with laughter. I withdrew and stared up at him with a pout. “What?”His lips stretched in a smile that nearly turned me into a puddle. It was adorable and endearing. He stroked my cheek with his thumb. “Aren't you cute when you are eager?”I peered at him closely. At the dinner table earlier, he appeared tense and agitated; now, however, he appeared relaxed, charming, and more appetizing. My cheeks began to flush at the thought that had just suddenly crossed my mi
[ANASTASIA’S POINT OF VIEW]The beach was more enjoyable than I had anticipated. Walking along the beach and discovering clams, cockles, mussels, oysters, and scallops was a new experience for me, though I avoided the water like the plague. I once went fishing with Enzo, and it was a memory I would like to keep forever, but as they say, all good things must come to an end.The Mezzesalmas were outside when I stepped into the kitchen to get a bottle of water, My throat was parched from the glaring sun outside.I popped open the freezer, reached for the first bottle of water I came across, and downed the entire thing down my throat. Then, from behind me, I heard a recognizable voice.“Aren't you a pretty little thing?”I was choking on my water and hacking up a lung at the unexpected voice. Then a hand was rubbing down my back. I recoiled, and when I lifted my head, I was struck by the blue eyes of Galileo. A smirk appeared at the corner of his lips as I took a step back.“Are you scare
(ENZO'S POINT OF VIEW)I saw red as I stood in Father's room. My hands were clenched so tightly and my jaw was as hard as a rock that I could barely contain my rage.I looked over at Galileo, his face covered in bruises, and he was trying to support his broken arm, the same arm he used to pull the trigger, but it was not enough. The pain on his face wasn't enough; I wanted to afflict more. He deserved more. Almost losing control, Father walked into the room with long, angry strides. He approached us, his jaw clenched, and his blue eyes darting between Galileo and I."I thought it was just pulling guns at each other. Now you pull the trigger?!" His rage voice echoed throughout the room. Galileo rolled his eyes. "It was not anything major, Fa-.""Shut up, Galileo!" Father cut him off and took a step forward to stand in front of him. "Do you realize the implications of what you just did?"Galileo's jaw tightened. "I nearly killed your favorite adopted son, so I understand the implicati
I want to use this medium to thank all of you for reading this book. I know there are a lot of books out there that are better than mine yet you chose to take your time and finish this makes my heart flutter with warmth. Thank you for starting and finishing this journey with me, you have no idea how you've made me so happy. It makes me content and complete. So thank you. And please, don't forget to vote, comment, and review your thoughts to this poor author, it would mean the whole world to me. And please, do check out my other works when you have time, I hope you will like them too. I love you all and bless you. Hope you'll have a wonderful day! Bye!
(KHIONE'S POINT OF VIEW)I locked my gaze on the pregnancy kit, which returned my gaze with two bold red lines.I was pregnant.I sighed and dropped my hands to my lap, making no attempt to rise from the toilet seat."Khione, Khione, Khione. "How can you let yourself get pregnant again?"The guilt of losing my first pregnancy was still swollen on my chest, and it had no intention of leaving anytime soon. and now, another baby was on its way."Khione, are you okay in there?"Giovanni's voice came from the other side of the bathroom door. When I finally stood up with the pregnancy test, my legs wobbled. I felt drained when I shouldn't be.I stepped out of the bathroom and into my bedroom, where Giovanni waited with a worried expression."Are you okay?" He inquired before his gaze was drawn to the pregnancy kit in my hand. His pupils dilated as they met mine. "You're preg-""I am afraid of having another child, Giovanni." I interrupted him before he could continue. "Wha
(ENZO'S POINT OF VIEW)I tried to stop myself from pacing, but I couldn't, not when Anastasia's loud screams were coming from behind the door in front of me. She was calling for me; giving birth to our child, but I couldn't go in; I wasn't allowed to, and she had to bear all that pain alone.I despised the feeling of being useless and helpless.I was about to become a father. The thought both excited and terrified me. I knew nothing about being a Father.It had always been drugs, guns, and trying not to go insane. I never imagined bringing a child into my chaotic world, but this child was on its way. Would I make a good father?Damnit!"Did you know that the longest English word contains 189,819 letters?"I turned my head, glaring at Kai, who was leaning against the wall. He shrugged. "I was trying to cheer you up, but that'd be a badass word, isn't it? Fortunately, I dropped out of school." He chuckled."Be quiet." I snapped."You worry too much. It is not flattering on you. It tarn
(ANASTASIA'S POINT OF VIEW)"We are here, Ma."The sound of the driver's voice made me turn my head and look out the window.We were in front of a dilapidated apartment building in a busy and active neighborhood. I cocked my head to the side as I observed kids running around and laughing heartily. There were a few men carrying objects and three tattooed men smoking outside the corner.I noticed two neighborhood stores right next to the building. I averted my eyes as I fixed them on the tall, old building. Would I really find my parents here?Max had better not mislead me. I told the driver to "wait here" before getting out of the car without thinking, and fastened the buttons on my coat to cover my growing stomach.Yes, I was four months pregnant, and despite my concerns, Enzo had been exhilarated about having a child.I felt like everyone was looking at me the moment I stepped out of the car, but I chose to ignore them as I heaved a sigh and entered the building.I
(KHIONE'S POINT OF VIEW)A few days passed, and I'd avoided Giovanni like he was some plague and struck Charlie's side like glue; he even wanted me gone, but Giovanni seemed to have taken it as a hint that I'd chosen Charlie over him and decided to leave on his own.I remembered the tears in his eyes as he told me to be happy, and I wished I'd stopped him when he walked out of my home, but I was a coward. Even Charlie scolded me for it, but I was scared.I was afraid of giving in again. What if everything went wrong again? What if something happened to separate us again? I couldn't help but feel insecure. I sighed for the nth time that day, glancing at the door again and again, hoping Giovanni would appear with the smile that melted my heart and the smirk that created a pool of wetness between my legs, but I knew it was wishful thinking. I knew that no matter how many times I looked at the door, he would never appear; after all, it had been two weeks since he had given up and walked
(KHIONE'S POINT OF VIEW)When I walked out of the school and into the parking lot, I was surprised to see Charlie and Giovanni talking with their backs to me.I paused, my mind telling me to turn and walk away before they noticed my presence, but another part of me told me to get closer, especially when I heard them say my name.I did not move any closer when their words became clear, and fortunately, they had not noticed me yet."Don’t you think you have been a nuisance lately? If I were Khione, I would have gotten rid of you." Charlie spoke.Giovanni scoffed. "Since you're not Khione, that's not your call, and I'm going to be around for as long as she wants me to be.""But she is not interested in you. Isn’t that self-evident? She is already in love with me, and your presence only adds to her pain from the past she wishes to forget. I believe Khione is being overly nice and is unable to say no when she clearly wants to." Charlie stuffed his hands into his pants pocket.I averted my
(ANASTASIA'S POINT OF VIEW)I stared as the smirk on Godfather Gattani's face deliberately subsided and gushing from his mouth was blood gradually, he lowered to his knees before falling to the ground with his blood coupling around him.I jerked up my head, meeting the malignant eyes of Enzo as he clenched his gun so tightly I could see the veins on his wrist and forehead."Enzo," I called softly, snapping him out of it.He let the gun plunge from his hand and rushed over to me, cupping my face and for the first time, I was able to graze terror in his eyes and expression. "I wasn't fast enough, I'm so sorry, doll." His voice lurched.At that moment, I shirked I was punctured on the shoulder as the pain somehow seemed to cease. I cracked a full smile. "I'm fine, It's not that deep.""Fuck." He exhaled, seating his forehead on mine and I took the opportunity to inhale his alleviating scent. It was intoxicating. "My own death does not frighten me but yours? That's my greatest and deepest
[ANASTASIA’S POINT OF VIEW]The most effective way to control a man is to make him believe that he was using you.Rue kidnapped me, knocked me out, and now I was tied to a pillar. She got me because I let her. She grinned at me as she stood in front of me, and I gave her the same vaporous look in return.“I can't wait to peel off your skin.” She winked at me, and I rolled my eyes. Her gaze fell to her watch. "Godfather Gattani will arrive in a few minutes; as soon as I receive the go-ahead, I will begin with that face of yours."I tsked, tilting my head and scanning her from head to toe before looking her in the eyes. "How does it feel to be a pawn, knowing you will eventually lose everything? I heard he asked you to get rid of Miranda; what makes you think you will not be next on his list when this is all over?" She reached out and grabbed my hair firmly, bringing her face closer to mine, her eyes red with rage. "You know nothing, so why don't you shut up before I kill you sooner th
(KHIONE'S POINT OF VIEW)I thought Giovanni had gotten the hint and was gone for good, but I was dead wrong, and I wish I had been prepared when the idiot showed up at my place of work.Being invited to the principal's office, I thought I'd done something wrong, only to find Giovanni there. I paused, and my eyes turned into a glare."What are you doing here?" I exploded. Giovanni flashed me a grin. "Judging by your expression, I believe you know this man." The principal wore an unimpressed expression. "He insisted on not leaving till he saw you, and that has been like an hour ago; please get him out.""Yes, sir." I turned to Giovanni, grabbed his wrist, and yanked him to his feet. "Let's go."We left the office, and I didn't stop dragging him by the wrist till I found an empty classroom and shoved him in, shutting the door behind me before turning to him with a sharper glare. "What the fuck were you thinking? I could lose my bloody job!""I'm sorry, but I needed to see you." He respo